Datatag tool marking system review | Secure up to 24 devices

Date reviewed: October 2025 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £59.99 (save 30% with Bennetts BikeSocial) | www.datatag.co.uk

Many of you will already have a Datatag security marking system on your motorcycle – it has the potential to make thieves think twice before stealing a bike, but it can also lead to the successful conviction of criminal gangs thanks to the undisputable evidence of ownership, even when broken down into parts.

I honestly hope that you’re never a victim of theft, but as a passionate motorcyclist there’s a good chance that your garage doesn’t just have a bike or two in there… you probably have some decent (and desirable) tools too.

Note that BikeSocial members can get a 30% discount on Datatag’s motorcycle, bicycle, trailer and tool marking systems here. This is independent of our editorial integrity, and we receive no affiliate payment or incentives.

Pros & Cons

Datatag tool marking system features

The Datatag tool marking system on review here comes with everything you need to mark up to 24 tools with the same identity details:

• 24x primary ‘Ultra Destruct’ ID labels

• 24x smaller secondary Identification ID labels

• 1x bottle of 100s of Datadots in a unique UV carrier fluid

• 24x toolbox warning labels

• 4x window stickers

• 6x 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) cleaning wipes

The ID security labels aren’t just simple stickers – they have a strong adhesive and are very brittle, making them crumble as you try to pick them off. A thief could scrape them off before selling the tools online or at a car-boot sale, but they’re not at all easy to remove during a theft, and that could mean them being quickly identified if found during an arrest before the criminal’s had time to sit down with a knife or chisel and get to work on them.

These labels are the first line of defence though – it’s the Datadots that will be more of a pain for thieves as they take a lot more time to find.

The hard-setting UV carrier fluid that they’re in glows blue under a standard 365nm UV light, which is an instant tell for Police that the device is marked. Getting rid of all of this is particularly difficult as it can be easily painted into the nooks and crannies of your tools.

The Datadots are just about visible to the naked eye, so theoretically a thief could make a concerted effort to pick them all off, but they’d almost certainly not be able to get rid of all the carrier fluid, and this has its own unique forensic ‘DNA’, that can be linked back to the original bottle registered to your kit using a qPCR test (quantitative polymerase chain reaction).

The Datadot carrier adhesive is barely visible under normal light, but glows brightly under UV

While it’s rare that Datatag or Police investigators have to use this method as there’s usually a Datadot to be found, it is an effective method of proving an item’s been stolen and getting it back to its owner.

Datatag’s secure database is accessible to the Police 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Fitting the Datatag tool marking system

The 24 primary labels are intended to be displayed prominently on the device, while the secondary ones are designed to go on the battery, for instance. Obviously it’s really important to clean the area you want to stick the labels and paint the Datadots, so this is a lot easier on new tools.

Unfortunately two of the IPA wipes in my kit were bone-dry, but I had more than enough to mark up my seven tools and have plenty of isopropyl of my own anyway.

Getting into some of the nooks and crannies when cleaning was particularly awkward on some of my older kit, but it’s worth spending the time here with an old toothbrush and some IPA to make sure everything sticks well.

Painting on the Datadots it easy – just make sure that you pick up some of the hundreds of little dots with the brush, and that they get onto the tool.

You can download the Datatag tool marking kit instructions here. In many cases, there’s a good chance that you won’t have 24 tools to mark in one go, but in my experience the Datadot UV adhesive tends to stay fluid for many years as long as the bottle is kept sealed.

Finally, you can scan the QR code in the box to go to the registration page, where you add the details of the visible and Datadot IDs to complete the process. If you already have an account with Datatag (for instance your bike’s already registered), make sure you log into your account and register the tool marking system from there, rather than create a new one.

What information is registered to the Datatag security markings?

Police officers can get full access to ownership details via the Registered Assets Police Information Database (RAPID), which they can access anywhere at any time via a secure app. Whenever an officer checks the database, their details and location are recorded. This can help in the recovery of your property, but it can also prove that the person they’ve arrested in possession of it isn’t the legal owner.

If you scan the QR code on the tool marking system’s secondary labels, anyone can quickly check if the device has been reported stolen, but no other information is available outside of law enforcement.

This is a Datadot viewed under a pocket 40x microscope

What happens if you sell your tools?

Motorcycles marked with Datatag can be quickly and easily transferred to a new owner for just £20, which is really important to ensure that the registered keeper is known should the worst happen. You can re-register a motorcycle you've bought here.

Datatag’s ‘Single Power Tool’ marking system has a unique identifier for each tool so if you sell a tool you can transfer ownership in the same way that you would a motorcycle, but it’s a more expensive kit at £13.99 per tool or £65.99 for a bundle of five / £109.99 for a bundle of 10.

However, as the tool marking system reviewed here is designed for marking 24 devices with the same ID, it’s not transferable as it would apply to every one of them.

Datatag tool marking review: Verdict

Security marking your tools (or your motorcycle, push-bike or even trailer) has the potential to put off a thief in the first place, to lead to the recovery of your property, and to bring down criminal gangs and hence reduce future theft. Motorcycle thieves use tools they've stolen, and if it's easier for Police to prove those criminals aren't the legal owners it could aid conviction and even provide links to other cases.

Yes, there’s a certain irony to me marking up many of the tools I use when testing the theft resistance of locks (you can check out Bennetts BikeSocial’s huge library of security reviews here), and I hope I never end up in a situation where this marking system needs to prove its worth, but it’s good to know that if the unthinkable did ever happen, I’d have a far better chance of getting the tools back, and it could help put some of the thieves away.

Even if your bike is very securely locked up in your garage, a thief could grab some of your tools rather than leave empty-handed, and if arrested in possession of one it could be a lot easier for Police to gain a conviction…

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