I bought a few of these Kobalt self locking tapes.
I thought I was going to like them but I don't.
The design is unique. The tape stays where you pull it out to, until you press backward on the black lever. The red slider provides a more definite lock.
This is fine if you're holding the tape fully in your hand. But, if the tape is standing on a flat surface and you retract the blade without fully picking it up, like it would be if you're measuring a piece flat on a bench, you don't have a full grip on the front side because your thumb is at the upper corner, not on the front face. As a result, it flies out of your hand and goes tumbling.
I built a workbench last week using the 16' version of this product. There were a lot of flat measurements of 2x4s on my miter station, and I was constantly having to retrieve it when it flew away. By the time I got done with the bench, I was done with these tapes too.
I'm guessing these are a Komelon product, and I like their previous design better:
The retract button is in the same position, but you push it down rather than pulling it backward, and the down pressure keeps it from flying off.
I thought I was going to like them but I don't.
The design is unique. The tape stays where you pull it out to, until you press backward on the black lever. The red slider provides a more definite lock.
This is fine if you're holding the tape fully in your hand. But, if the tape is standing on a flat surface and you retract the blade without fully picking it up, like it would be if you're measuring a piece flat on a bench, you don't have a full grip on the front side because your thumb is at the upper corner, not on the front face. As a result, it flies out of your hand and goes tumbling.
I built a workbench last week using the 16' version of this product. There were a lot of flat measurements of 2x4s on my miter station, and I was constantly having to retrieve it when it flew away. By the time I got done with the bench, I was done with these tapes too.
I'm guessing these are a Komelon product, and I like their previous design better:
The retract button is in the same position, but you push it down rather than pulling it backward, and the down pressure keeps it from flying off.