I personally did not like the thumb saver. I found it slippery on one hand, and seemed to like to stick to the ball on the other (at times I felt it pulling as it came out of the thumbhole). Not the solution.
Submit. Become a slave to the tape. And this may sound silly, but I think it's a good idea for someone to show you how to tape the ball, as it's kind of subtle and how you tape in terms of angle, depth, etc, can make a big difference. Buy a 250 pack, you won't regret it.