Tape Measures

[ChrisF250]

I know this is a bit different than normal but wanted to know what you guys thought. I work construction so I am constantly using my tape and it takes a lot of abuse. I have over the years constantly bought Stanley 25ft tapes, the basic kind. Well every year or so it begins to break down. Now its not expensive to replace but I just stumbled across a Snap On one that is about the same price. The warranty on Stanley tape seems to expire if the product sees serious use. When I looked at Snap On's website I could not find the tape I saw for sale. However the ones I did see were made in China. Now COO isnt a big deal to me but am wondering if the warranty will be the same.
My Questions are as follows:

How much more complete will the Snap On warranty be compared to Stanley's?
What tapes do you guys use/ prefer?

this was the tape I saw:
http://cgi.ebay.com/SnapOn-30-Tape-...ultDomain_0&hash=item3f0be39fd1#ht_500wt_1054

 

[KnurledNut]

kmart.com sells those same tapes but in 16 and 25 ft.
dont know how they got em. their description page claims the same lifetime warranty.

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/s_10151_10104_Tools_Measuring%2C+Levels+%26+Stud+Finders_Precision+Tools?sbf=Brand&sbv=Snap-On&sLevel=2

they got some other SO branded merchandise FYI

i personally use yellow fatmax's and replace em at lowes when they wear out. never had an issue.

 

[BigAl62]

That's depressing! Snap On tools at KMart! Now I know the end of the world is near!

 

[back2class]

Always used Craftsman. Best thing going for contractors untill they stopped lifetime warranty. Now it is Husky. Same lifetime warranty.....at least I think. Have not broken it yet and still have a few yellow lifetime warranty Craftsman units left to destroy as well. Anyone have experience warranty with Husky tapes? Seems like a no brainer for consumables like tapes.

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

Best tape measures I've ever seen (and most carpenters seem to like them too) are the old Leverlock Stanley ones. The new ones with the push button aren't quite as nice, though.

We use some Craftsman ones in the lab I work in (primarily because they're imperial and metric marked) and I'm not too impressed with them. Don't seem to like to lock too well, and the tape isn't as rigid as a Stanley.

Those K-Mart Snap-On tapes look a lot like the Craftsman ones we have at the lab...everything but the sticker.

 

[rockchucker]

That thing looks like a Lufkin or something. They ****. IMHO

Maybe an older version but it really reminds me of a Lufkin.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001J05MS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I still don't know though.

Stanley PowerLock are the ones I was raised around. The Blades are just all too flimsy though. I have since been using Stanley Fat Max ever since they came out and I love them. I use a 30' or 35' for my Framing Nail Bags and a 25' for my Finish Bags. Since they are bulky I always remove the Belt Clip on them. They always go into a pocket or holder anyways on my Bags. I never use the Clip so it saves that extra width just a bit.

I have gone through a few of them but most only break due to misuse. Bending the Blade backwards among the popular one or ripping it out of a stack of wood after it gets stuck. Either or mostly user error is what does the Fat Max's in for.


When they do break though I snap the Blades into 1' or 18" sections and keep them around the house and shop for easy reference. They work great to just set beside things in pictures that you want to sell too. Every For Sale Ad should have a reference like a tape measure in it. I hardly see anyone with a tape measure for reference in For Sale Ads. It alone can answer so many questions.

 

[flathead74]

Have a look at these...
http://www.ustape.com/

 

[ImportTuner]

I got one of those Snap On tape measures for $5 through slickdeals ... Made in China but works ok ...

Oops .. I only paid $2.99 for it ...

 

[metalgodlb]

damn i did not know those snappy ones were so cheap.. saw one on ebay and bid on it and lost!! I'm kinda glad i lost now.. now some other sap has a 10.00 tape measure he paid way too much for lol

 

[gatewaysysop]

How much more complete will the Snap On warranty be compared to Stanley's?
What tapes do you guys use/ prefer?

I can't speak to the SO tapes, but I just had a thread on my search for US-made tape measures after some bad import experience.

The thread is here: US-Made Tape Measures?

See my last post (#34) in that thread, some shots of the NOS Starrett tapes I picked up cheap off of flea-bay. American made, if that matters, but in any case they are extremely high quality and I'm very happy with them. Easy to find either English or dual marked with metric.

I actually bought two more, a 16' and a dual marked 8m/26' from the same seller so I'm covered for quite a while now.

If Starrett isn't your thing, there are lots of good options discussed in that thread as well (Fisco, US-Tape, etc.).

Hope that helps!