Why no High Quality Tape Measures?

[DIY_Guy79]

Yes, I'm aware everyone loves their Stanley Fatmax.. I dont mean a daily beater you lug around at the construction site. They're great tape measures sure, but they're ugly and made of plastic.

I mean a high end super nice tape measure that you'd use in your own garage or workshop. More suited for wood workers, engineers, or makers. Solid metal case maybe brushed nickel, maybe some brass hex screws holding it together. Something built by craftsmen with some pride in their work. Some unique features, say something like a carbide scribe or a mini .9 lead holder, neatly threaded away. You know, something you'd take pride in when you get to use it and something you'd know is a high end tool when you see it.

Seems like all there is now is Chinese plastic with very few made in USA options like that Fatmax. Call me weird, but this bugs me lol.

 

[American Locomotive]

The Tajima Aluminist Tape Measure has a die-cast aluminum body. It's the only one I know of.

But it's also a $75-100 tape, and it's metric.

 

[matt_i]

Not sure the economics are there to support this. What price point are you willing to pay for your specs? $100? $50?

Personally I use a Stanley Powerlock 25'. Heavily reliant on this tape: in my house, the plant where I work, my machine shop, just checked at HD when I was there a week ago and they are still less than $10/ea. I'm really not sure what more I would want from it...maybe an end hook that I don't bend out of dimension so easily, but thats mainly on me.

 

[DIY_Guy79]

Not sure the economics are there to support this. What price point are you willing to pay for your specs? $100? $50?

Personally I use a Stanley Powerlock 25'. Heavily reliant on this tape: in my house, the plant where I work, my machine shop, just checked at HD when I was there a week ago and they are still less than $10/ea. I'm really not sure what more I would want from it...maybe an end hook that I don't bend out of dimension so easily, but thats mainly on me.

Depends on the person. I personally feel the economics shouldnt be there to support the prices on Snap On tools, but here we are living in a world full of mechanics willing to take out a second mortgage for a set of wrenches rather than going to the competition lol.

For me, when I use stuff over & over, I like to find a high quality tool to replace my cheapo one with. And next to my combination square, and mechanical pencil, the tape measure is my the most frequently used tool I have and there are just really none out there to take pride in. It's weird. And I dont think a company like Stanley would need to charge near that much to start turning out some high end tapes. I mean, get the guys in their USA locations working with different materials and bam... There you go lol. Hell, I'm confused as to why none of them have come up with a reusable body & replaceable blade system yet.

 

[DIY_Guy79]

The Tajima Aluminist Tape Measure has a die-cast aluminum body. It's the only one I know of.

But it's also a $75-100 tape, and it's metric.

Thanks, I hadnt heard of these. Not a very attractive option though, tbh.

 

[macgee]

Check out Fastcap tape measures. They've been my favorite for the last few years and very accurate, it's been spot on and holding up and very easy to read. I check it occasionally against my Starrett rulers and combo squares and its still good.

Always my go to when I need to measure out/mark with a tape measurer. I use the standard reverse:

https://www.fastcap.com/product/procarpenter-tape-measure


PS: I would be leery of Tajima now a days, I'm sure it's still good but I recently received a cutter knife from them, paid a lot for it but it was not great quality and had lots of play in it. Found out that they're now making them China and not nearly as nice of quality as the less expensive NT knives made in Japan.

 

[The Cobbler]

20 years ago tape measures were $1 per foot . now they are less than 0.50 per foot .
no inflation factored in here.
most consumers want cheap

 

[Ign]

It's not what you're asking for but Komelon makes a tape with a stainless blade. They try to class up the plastic body a bit with some plastic chrome (ooohh shiny). This is my go-to tape -- have 4 in the shop ....but it's not the level of craftsmanship you're after

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UUQKUE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[engineer2]

Komelon tapes are decent. I think they are Korean. They have a "chrome case" model, but I don't know if it is chrome die cast or chromed plastic.

In any case, I'll usually wear out the blade before I wear out the case.

 

[DIY_Guy79]

It's not what you're asking for but Komelon makes a tape with a stainless blade. They try to class up the plastic body a bit with some plastic chrome (ooohh shiny). This is my go-to tape -- have 4 in the shop ....but it's not the level of craftsmanship you're after

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UUQKUE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Komelon tapes are decent. I think they are Korean. They have a "chrome case" model, but I don't know if it is chrome die cast or chromed plastic.

In any case, I'll usually wear out the blade before I wear out the case.

Komelon is my go to now as well. I like them quite a bit.

 

[davethorik]

Keep in mind, you are asking this question on a forum where most people rave about the free HF tape measures. Lol

 

[DIY_Guy79]

Keep in mind, you are asking this question on a forum where most people rave about the free HF tape measures. Lol

Lol, I mean.. I like me some Harbored Fart too.

 

[Git]

Fastcap makes a flat bladed tape measure that I really like. It comes in different markings, but the the metric/standard works well for me

keep in mind ITS FLAT so it has ZERO standout capability
https://www.fastcap.com/product/procarpenter-flatback-tape-measure

 

[BTL-A4]

It's a tape measure; they only are meant for a certain degree of precision. It's used to cut material to the nearest 1/32", it's not for engineers because they typically work in thousands of an inch. Plus, tapes get dropped and thrown in aprons and work buckets. I find the markings get worn off as well with use. I wouldn't pay 3 figures for any one for those reasons.

I have an old metal tape measure. It's very heavy, so that's another reason to get a plastic one. I've dropped my plastic ones many times with no issues.

I like the Stanley Leverlock ones. I think tape measures are a personal preference.

 

[macgee]

Git above made a good mention. The flat version is really nice and way easier for marking accurately but then you have to deal with limp ****; its a trade off.

Agree, tape measure are a personal preference and they're cheap but it is nice to use one that's legible, easy to use and accurate when marking up repeated cuts that you can trust.

I just checked my five year old Fastcap against several well made machinist rulers, and still pretty good. Camera angle really can skew how the marks line up but maybe its 1/64 off. Not bad for a $10 tape measure after five years of use. I'm lucky if my eyes and pencil can get near a 1/32". I'll be lucky to get 1/16.

 

[CharlestonSCToolMan]

Another vote for Komelon. Feels very high-quality, very precision I have the MagGrip Pro, model 7125. Made in Korea.

https://www.komelonusa.com/products/tape-measures/magnetic/34#specifications

 

[DIY_Guy79]

It's a tape measure; they only are meant for a certain degree of precision. It's used to cut material to the nearest 1/32", it's not for engineers because they typically work in thousands of an inch. Plus, tapes get dropped and thrown in aprons and work buckets. I find the markings get worn off as well with use. I wouldn't pay 3 figures for any one for those reasons.

I have an old metal tape measure. It's very heavy, so that's another reason to get a plastic one. I've dropped my plastic ones many times with no issues.

I like the Stanley Leverlock ones. I think tape measures are a personal preference.

There are literally tape measures in "engineers" scale which is usually in 10ths of a foot. It depends on the engineer. Engineer is a very broad term that covers many different fields. There are a multitude of different Engineering fields, Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, etc.. and each of those have many different professions & subfields that could be obtained under them. And anyone that would call themselves a "maker" or home fabricator must also be to some extent an "engineer" in order to design their projects & components of them. Who said anything about 3 figures? If a company like Stanley were to start manufacturing metal cases, with replaceable blade cartridges in their USA plants, there is no reason they'd need to charge 3 figures. Snap On has an aluminum bodied tape measure that is close to what I'm looking for and direct from Snap On they're about $40. That's saying something when they can charge that AFTER their 80% upcharge for the Snap On name to be printed on their products.

Yes, it is personal preference. Stanley makes great tape measures. Used a Powerlock for years as a welder/fabricator. These days I spend much more time building random stuff in my garage of all kinds. And I pick up a tape measure every few minutes the entire time. And its a bummer that I dont have much pride in a tool that I use so frequently.

Taking pride in ones tools is inspiration to put them to use. That alone is worth the extra cost, imo.

 

[DIY_Guy79]

Fastcap makes a flat bladed tape measure that I really like. It comes in different markings, but the the metric/standard works well for me

keep in mind ITS FLAT so it has ZERO standout capability
https://www.fastcap.com/product/procarpenter-flatback-tape-measure

Thats actually really cool. Not at all what I was looking for in this thread but that is a really cool. I may have to buy one. Love the corner tab.

 

[GrantCee]

Snap On has an aluminum bodied tape measure that is close to what I'm looking for and direct from Snap On they're about $40. That's saying something when they can charge that AFTER their 80% upcharge for the Snap On name to be printed on their products.

Did you check the COO on those?

"Country Of Origin CHN"

 

[Dustball]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2014401354/inventorsmark-tape-measure-case/description

 

[M6erfan]

The Tajima Aluminist Tape Measure has a die-cast aluminum body. It's the only one I know of.

But it's also a $75-100 tape, and it's metric.

Those look really nice

 

[lardy1]

I bought a Fastcap thinking it would be the cat's *** for layout. It is probably a good measuring tape but I'm just so used to burning an inch and that's not very practical with a tape with no standout.

Still a nice tool. Just doesn't fit my personal application very well.

 

[todd_fuller]

I have a couple FastCap tape measures. They're OK. I have one that's off ~1mm at 300mm. This is fine so long as it's the sole measuring tool you use on a project, otherwise, things don't fit quite right.

I also have a Fisco tape measure that's dead-on. Made in Britain. They have some EC class 1 tape measures.

Advent, who make Komelon, sell some EC class 1 tapes too. Haven't tried them yet.

Apparently, McMaster-Carr sells Starrett tape measures that are NIST traceable. $10 tape becomes $65. Calibration blocks are $200-500, so maybe it's worth it?

 

[shawhite]

There are literally tape measures in "engineers" scale which is usually in 10ths of a foot. It depends on the engineer. Engineer is a very broad term that covers many different fields. There are a multitude of different Engineering fields, Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, etc.. and each of those have many different professions & subfields that could be obtained under them. And anyone that would call themselves a "maker" or home fabricator must also be to some extent an "engineer" in order to design their projects & components of them. Who said anything about 3 figures? If a company like Stanley were to start manufacturing metal cases, with replaceable blade cartridges in their USA plants, there is no reason they'd need to charge 3 figures. Snap On has an aluminum bodied tape measure that is close to what I'm looking for and direct from Snap On they're about $40. That's saying something when they can charge that AFTER their 80% upcharge for the Snap On name to be printed on their products.

Yes, it is personal preference. Stanley makes great tape measures. Used a Powerlock for years as a welder/fabricator. These days I spend much more time building random stuff in my garage of all kinds. And I pick up a tape measure every few minutes the entire time. And its a bummer that I dont have much pride in a tool that I use so frequently.

Taking pride in ones tools is inspiration to put them to use. That alone is worth the extra cost, imo.

You do realize the snap-on tape is made in China? A tape measure is not meant to be a precision instrument. Kind of interesting a guy bashing snap-on prices on wrenches is looking for a premium tape measure for sub $100. Quality cost money.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Aluminum body would be a short lived tape. One drop and you'd be digging the free HF tape out of the tool box.

 

[KnurledNut]

Something that nice (and expensive), one wouldnt want to use.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Apparently, McMaster-Carr sells Starrett tape measures that are NIST traceable. $10 tape becomes $65. Calibration blocks are $200-500, so maybe it's worth it?

I had a Starrett.. total pos... just gave it to the local re-store.

 

[subroc]

I have a difficult time not viewing a tape measure as a consumable. A measuring device to be sure but they take hard use and they do break. I have a choice when I buy my sanding discs from the very cheapest to the very best. In either case when it is worn I remove it and throw it away. I look at tapes the same way. I know tapes take a beating. If I break one I throw it away without a 2nd thought. For the most part I like and use the Stanley stuff. I Have 8-10 tapes here. I just checked what is in the house. There is a Stanley Power Lock 25'. a Stanley yellow cased 25', a 12' Leverlock that might be 20 years old or more and a 6' Fatmax mini. Another 6 or so in the garage including a couple on the table saw, another on the miter saw another in the belt pouch. My point? I would not be the target market for "Super Tape".

 

[seber]

Over the years I've worn out and broken dozens of tapes. I used to replace the tape in the old metal cased ones but now the whole unit is so cheap that no one supplies refills any more. In all the years and tapes, I don't ever recall breaking a case, plastic or metal. I just consider it a consumable. Just like welders with vise grips. Some things just don't need to be special.

 

[Git]

I bought a Fastcap thinking it would be the cat's *** for layout. It is probably a good measuring tape but I'm just so used to burning an inch and that's not very practical with a tape with no standout.

Still a nice tool. Just doesn't fit my personal application very well.

Well, if you like to burn an inch, Fastcap has those also

 

[jsteih]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JG2MX61/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[MikeF2316]

I bought a Milwaukee 25 foot as a high quality one. My measure of high quality in this case is how far I can stick it out without it collapsing. Cheap tapes won't go 6 feet, this one goes 13.

 

[macgee]

I will add, you could have three good tape measures, all same model and all three could measure differently. Whenever I buy a tape measure, I find a good ruler in the store and test three tape measures against it and buy the best one. I have found some t-measures to be way off.

I've also done this with Harbor freight freebies and found some to be good ones that have been holding up but they're just ok nothing brilliant and much prefer my fastcap. HF should not be be your best one but good to have laying around as back ups and dgaf moments.

 

[shawhite]

For the guys that burn an inch wouldn’t this introduce another possible parallax error into the equation? Because now instead of one end being fixed and only having one end to make an error on you could essentially make an error on both ends. I have used the burn and inch method when I am measure something small like determining whether sheet good thickness is 1/4 or 3/8 but wouldn’t think to do this with anything over an inch long.

 

[lardy1]

For the guys that burn an inch wouldn’t this introduce another possible parallax error into the equation? Because now instead of one end being fixed and only having one end to make an error on you could essentially make an error on both ends. I have used the burn and inch method when I am measure something small like determining whether sheet good thickness is 1/4 or 3/8 but wouldn’t think to do this with anything over an inch long.

That's why I don't like that way of burning it. It was hard to train myself to remember when and when not an inch was burned. I think it would just add confusion. It might work for others.

 

[timmyisme22]

What I did (if you don't need to factor in the body of the tape measure when measuring) is buy those old cast tape measure bodies and replace the internals with a new blade and (spring if it's needed). They have the heft and feel of quality while still having a new and in good condition blade that can be swapped out when it wears out.

 

[BTL-A4]

There are literally tape measures in "engineers" scale which is usually in 10ths of a foot. It depends on the engineer. Engineer is a very broad term that covers many different fields. There are a multitude of different Engineering fields, Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, etc.. and each of those have many different professions & subfields that could be obtained under them. And anyone that would call themselves a "maker" or home fabricator must also be to some extent an "engineer" in order to design their projects & components of them. Who said anything about 3 figures? If a company like Stanley were to start manufacturing metal cases, with replaceable blade cartridges in their USA plants, there is no reason they'd need to charge 3 figures. Snap On has an aluminum bodied tape measure that is close to what I'm looking for and direct from Snap On they're about $40. That's saying something when they can charge that AFTER their 80% upcharge for the Snap On name to be printed on their products.

Yes, it is personal preference. Stanley makes great tape measures. Used a Powerlock for years as a welder/fabricator. These days I spend much more time building random stuff in my garage of all kinds. And I pick up a tape measure every few minutes the entire time. And its a bummer that I dont have much pride in a tool that I use so frequently.

Taking pride in ones tools is inspiration to put them to use. That alone is worth the extra cost, imo.

Anyone working with a measuring tape needs to understand that it's just... a measuring tape. It's only for a certain degree of precision. If a mechanical engineer is using a tape, he's not needing more than maybe 1/32" of precision, same with an electrical engineer. In my woodworking, I use a tape to get close, then sand to get that last 1/64" or so. I have some experience for civil engineering: I worked as a land surveyor's helper. We had tapes graduated to one hundredths of a foot (about 1/8"), and you could read them to the nearest 1/2 hundredth pretty easily. This was appropriate most of the time for a lot survey. If we needed anything more precise, we'd use a total station, but even those read to the nearest mm (I think). The measurements were then mathematically adjusted on any maps so the boundary would close mathematically, hence the 123.45' listed, even though we might have measured it to only the nearest hundredth of a foot as 123.5.

I agree with you; I think a well-made tape measure is something to take pride in, and I want one that works for me. I'll pay extra for one that works for me, but not one that's some shi shi, bourgeois , over-priced one. I take pride in a preferably American-made one that does what I need it to and doesn't cost a fortune, so I won't cry if it gets lost, broken or wears out.

 

[MikeF2316]

I've never heard the term "burn an inch" before, although I've been doing it for many years. Generally when I use that technique, I burn 10". That gets the hook out of the picture entirely, and it's obvious if you forget to subtract.

 

[Olafur]

Yes, I'm aware everyone loves their Stanley Fatmax.. I dont mean a daily beater you lug around at the construction site. They're great tape measures sure, but they're ugly and made of plastic.

Perhaps off topic but IMHO Stanley Fatmax is junk. I got two from Costco last year. 5 and 8M and I only got few measurements "around the house" out of them. Blade broke around the 2m mark on the 8m and I pulled the blade out of the body on the 5m on it's third use.

I can't imagine how these things hold up in a job site. Consumables, and bad at that.

 

[GrantCee]

Am I the only one who likes old, manual-wind tape measures?

The Sullivan/Carlson/Disston "Super Chief" 16-footer is still one of my favorites. My preferrred 100-foot tape is an old Disston my Dad bought when I was a kid. Heck, I've even been known to take out a round, leather-clad Starrett for certain tasks.

I have a lot of newer tapes too — love the Fastcap dual-reading models — but I don't think they'll last as long as my old Carlson!