25' showdown - Milwaukee vs Dewalt

[Stuey]

I bought a 25' Milwaukee tape measure for review last week, and although the review is still in progress, I wanted to compare it to Dewalt's 25' tape.

http://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-dewalt-tape-measure-review/

In my opinion, the Milwaukee is hands-down better than the Dewalt, and took preference in all but 1 out of the 6 non-tied categories.

Both are $25 tapes, so the matchup is about fair.

Milwaukee: better blade lock design, blade lock engagement, blade retraction, comfort & ergonomics, belt hook.

Dewalt: blade standout

Tie: case durability, blade hook, blade quality, readability.

 

[Stuey]

One more thing - Dewalt is USA-made with global materials, Milwaukee one is made in China.

 

[kingston]

So they are both made in China...

 

[Rust]

Whats the distance of the Dewalt blade standout?

 

[rmsg0040]

Would it be safe to say that the dewalt tape measure is a rebadged Stanley?

 

[Stuey]

Whats the distance of the Dewalt blade standout?

Dewalt claims 13 feet. 10 feet is doable, beyond that there's deflection and wobbliness. I can get max 12 feet until it pops.

With the Milwaukee, I can get 7-1/2 feet comfortable. They claim 9 feet of standout, but I don't get past 8 feet 3 inches or so

Would it be safe to say that the dewalt tape measure is a rebadged Stanley?

Not really, I believe it's a new model. There might have been a new Stanley FatMax or FatMax Xtreme that came out at the same time, but I now cannot find any Stanley tape that the Dewalt might have been cloned from.

Without a doubt the Stanley team designed or helped design the tape, but that's not a bad thing.

 

[bobcatdan]

I will keep my 20 year old USA Stanley 25'. Only Stanley I will ever own.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

I have no business with a $25 tape measure.

 

[ADSR]

My Stanley fat max has 11 foot stick out. One thing to remember, not all tapes are the same. I like to match my tape with the guy i'm working with. This way, when he yells out a measurement from the roof, my tape is the same as his. I've run in to problems using two different tapes. The 16ths are bigger/smaller on some.

 

[BK13]

Hmm, I wonder if either is available with engineer scaling... Feet/tenths/hundredths... Trying to convert tenths to inches while standing in traffic is sometimes a challenge.

 

[Stuey]

I have no business with a $25 tape measure.

That's kind of why I bought the Milwaukee. I wanted to see right away what they heck they can put into a tape measure for them to be able to charge such a price. Honestly, seems worth it. I also bought a $15 Lufkin, and the differences are quite apparent. This tape had better last me 10-25 years.

My Stanley fat max has 11 foot stick out. One thing to remember, not all tapes are the same. I like to match my tape with the guy i'm working with. This way, when he yells out a measurement from the roof, my tape is the same as his. I've run in to problems using two different tapes. The 16ths are bigger/smaller on some.

Good point. The Dewalt has thicker tick marks than on the Milwaukee. Personally, I found the Milwaukee tape to be more contrasty.

Hmm, I wonder if either is available with engineer scaling... Feet/tenths/hundredths... Trying to convert tenths to inches while standing in traffic is sometimes a challenge.

Unfortunately, nope.

 

[BK13]

Thanks for checking.

 

[Vin]

A $9 Stanley powerlock has never let me down

 

[Rust]

A $9 Stanley powerlock has never let me down

Well then, you need to push the limits of how you use your tape.
Like standing on a ladder 30 feet high. Measuring 20 foot hip rafters by yourself, while the wind blows ...when its getting dark and cold...


Good review. It is of some use to me.
I've been a big fan of the 30" Stanley Fat Max. But Im going to take a closer look at these other choices myself.
I may buy both..because thats how I roll.