Your favorite tape measures...

[Stick]

I use one similar to this bluepoint one. It has standard/metric rule, magnets on back/bottom/sides, the hook can hook from the bottom or the sides, and the back has a matching hook that can anchor the tape in place along with the magnets. Very handy for fabrication work.

If I'm not using that one, I'm most likely using a 25' Blue Point with the center point feature, because my driver will warranty them for pretty much any reason.

 

[Art From De Leon]

My Lufkin 12' and 25' with 10ths and 100ths of foot measurements. Stanley used to make them also, but I like the Lufkins better.

 

[boiler7904]

I recollect the place I picked them up was remaindering them at decent prices but the shipping was rude. Anyway, if you have a source I'd like to have it, I'd pick up another one or two.

^^^^^ Me too

Check out tooliday.com. They have the 5m/16 ft MaxSteel Tape for $5.99 + $5 shipping today only.

 

[Chreese]

Hi folks,

if the divider feature of the BMI Viso isn't important to you, you might like to have a look at the Stabila BM 30 W. The end hook has great grip and thanks to a window internal measurements can be done easily. I like mine.

Have a nice day,

Chreese

 

[1320stang]

I've been a Stanley guy, but the last two I bought have been Kobalt with the magnetic tip. I have to as-built mechanical rooms all the time and a magnetic tipped tape is pretty nice when trying to figure out how high the bottom of a condenser water pipe is off the floor (measured one yesterday at 16' - 2 1/4").

I don't care for the Fat Max, when I'm measuring for framing, the 5/8" wide 16' Stanley is the one I grab.

Does anyone remember way back when you could buy refills for your Stanley tape?

 

[1320stang]

Bolster, why do you need a metric tape?

 

[Bolster]

if the divider feature of the BMI Viso isn't important to you, you might like to have a look at the Stabila BM 30 W. The end hook has great grip and thanks to a window internal measurements can be done easily. I like mine.

I would like to own one of those! Where might they be purchased stateside?

Bolster, why do you need a metric tape?

I actually don't "need," but I appreciate how much faster I can make calculations when I'm not working with fractions. What's 24-7/8" divided by 3 for equally spaced holes? 632 mm is easier to divide. Sometimes I just get more done faster with a metric.

But often I use standard, particularly when building from scratch or needing to match pre-existing inch dimensions.

 

[Monte]

Stabila lists only the BMT type tape on their USA website www.stabila.com
Seems the window version is not available


ps: how about this one: ?

 

[Flash21]

Here is my selection, the Stanley and Craftsman were my fathers. Both are full metal case, made in the USA. I love the 12' Powerlock II, probably the first tape a grab. The thing just feels quality.

The FatMax is used when I need long standout. I don't like the big, blurry markings.

The Komelon fits in my hand nice and I find the marks easy to read. However, the locking lever is poorly designed and hard to use. Futher, I don't really like it for inside measurements...I find it hard to get an accurate measurment. Lastly, I was deceived at first by the 'Komelon USA Corp' proudly on the front and blade, only to find about 8" up the blade "Made in Korea"

I contacted Bolster and requested this thread because I'm looking for a better tape measure.

 

[sberry]

My fave is any one I can find as easy as I can. Most I catch on sale, buy one once in a while for 5 or 6 dollars, if one watches some have a stiffer blade, better even in the 5 dollar junk. If I was continuously building, framing etc it would be a bit more issue for reaching. But its about like a common end wrench, I dont really care about the "quality", only broke half a dozen over the years, just toss it.

 

[Monte]

a couple of mine:

Sola (Made by Fisco), Stabila, Facom, Stanley, BMI, Garant

As you can see the reading of the Facom + Stanley tape is upside-down hence i like the BMI and the Garant version more.

 

[jniolon]

I've got Stanleys, Lufkins, Craftsman and a couple of electronic measuring thingys and those throw aways you buy at Harbor fright... from 3' to 33'...fat and skinny max ...even got 100',200' and 300' K&E surveying tapes and Sterrett 100 meter metrics... but my favorite ??

It's a 3' pocket tape made by Sterrett... inches on one side metric on the other. It belonged to my grandad...everytime I hold it I'm reminded of his rough brickmason's hands using it. Still have the little red box it came in too. THATS my favorite... the rest just measure stuff..

john

 

[lbgradwell]

For Canadians wanting to try one of those top-reading, inside-measure types, Crappy Tire has an electronic version on sale for $20 starting today.

Mastercraft Digital Tape Measure

It seems the resolution is 1/16' or 1mm, but that is certainly OK for many things...

This isn't an endorsement (as I've never even seen one), just an FYI!

 

[Major Ramifications]

Forgive my American ignorance, but what is the story behind the clear tops on the European tape measures? Is that the distance to the back of the tape measure body?

 

[Monte]

yes, so you can read the measured length directly, and don`t have to deduct the length of the body what you have to do if you use a regular tape measure. Very practical for example if you want to add another shelf to your rack so you can measure the inside dimensions without bending the tape or calculating etc.

 

[sk farmer]

how do they account for the amount of blade stored when getting the measurement through the window? it would seem to me it would either be inaccurate or calibrated differantly on the bottom of the blade. the circumferance is surely differant when the tape is fully retracted or extended.

 

[nate379]

I like the ones that I have the blade release on the bottom and it "auto" locks. I'm not sure what that is called, I have a few Stanley's and CMan's like that.

 

[Monte]

how do they account for the amount of blade stored when getting the measurement through the window? it would seem to me it would either be inaccurate or calibrated differantly on the bottom of the blade. the circumferance is surely differant when the tape is fully retracted or extended.

The blade is wound around a spiral spring like on the pic so the circumference is always the same.

I once opened the BMI tape and looked inside, now i have 2 of them since i couldn`t manage to put it back together

 

[Rockaholic555]

I'm a Stanley Powerlock fan simply because of the durability. They aren't very expensive and yet they survive very large drops without many issues.

 

[tw33k2514]

I'm a Stanley Powerlock fan simply because of the durability. They aren't very expensive and yet they survive very large drops without many issues.

My father has had his Powerlock for close to 21 years, and it has survived more roof and ladder drops than I can count.

 

[Major Ramifications]

I recollect the place I picked them up was remaindering them at decent prices but the shipping was rude. Anyway, if you have a source I'd like to have it, I'd pick up another one or two.

We have some American made Starrett Eurobasic 5M tapes for $7.19 each. They have the automatic lock feature. I can email you a picture if you want.

 

[Flash21]

We have some American made Starrett Eurobasic 5M tapes for $7.19 each. They have the automatic lock feature. I can email you a picture if you want.

Post a pic...I would like to see.

 

[stevejh82]

I like the Komelon 25' "gripper" for general use, I have 12' stanley tapes for compact use.

Does anybody recommend a metric tape (in milimeters)?


One thing that really annoys me with any tape I have used is the end rivets will loosen up and the your off about a 1/16".

Probably not a real big deal but I like accuracy when planing lumber or building furniture/cabinats.

The way I understand it, the rivets are in slotted holes that correspond to the thickness of the hook on the end of the blade. This accounts for measurements taken hooked over something, and then sliding to the other end of the slot for measurements taken with the hook pressed against something.

 

[nate379]

Yup, exactly the reason.

The way I understand it, the rivets are in slotted holes that correspond to the thickness of the hook on the end of the blade. This accounts for measurements taken hooked over something, and then sliding to the other end of the slot for measurements taken with the hook pressed against something.

 

[ace028]

Here is my favorite tape measure.

 

[johnnybentwrench]

I love the one I do not need to look for 16' fat max

 

[cashishift]

I bought my dad a Klein branded tape with the magnet at the end.

I'm not sure where it was made though.

 

[Old Donn]

Before Stanley renamed it Fat Max, it was called Contractor Grade. My 30'x1" has been with me for years.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

I use the 12' Stanley Powerlock around the shop. Mainly because its what the hardware store on the corner sells when I need a new one (once a year or so - never have more than one cause they get destroyed and replaced). Easier to work with it clipped to me when I need to keep one handy for fab work on a machine or at the bench without getting in the way like the big bulky 25 footers...and if something I'm working with is actually over the 12', there's a couple of long tapes floating around the shop.

 

[gasgas17]

As a carpenter of 22 years I'm hooked on these small cased Stanley 25 Foot tapes. They are much smaller than those ridiculous fat max tapes and you can read down to 1/8" inch with out having to stare at the tape for an hour like the Lufkin with the wide blade hook that covers the last inch of the tape. They are the size of a 16' tape with a 25" blade. I have xl hands and this tape fits great and is easy to hang onto. It's also one of Stanley's least expensive tapes.

 

[gasgas17]

One more reason I like these tapes, You can peal the clear layer off the label and give it a wipe with some lacquer thinner and give your self a dandy writing surface for measurements. I can sketch the plan view of a room and write all my measurements down allowing me to go out and cut all the base board for that room in one trip to the saw. It's a great time saver and I figure the tape is almost free for what I save in note pads.

 

[shocksystems]

The way I understand it, the rivets are in slotted holes that correspond to the thickness of the hook on the end of the blade. This accounts for measurements taken hooked over something, and then sliding to the other end of the slot for measurements taken with the hook pressed against something.

I cannot believe I never realized this. Thanks for explaining this. The loose rivets make much more sense to me now.

Cheers!

Jim

 

[Barry Tucker]

A tape story.......

My wife is pretty good at sewing. She showed me a little purse she made that had some type of a spring closure at the top. She asked me to guess what the closure was made of. I told her I didn't know. She proudly said it was part of a tape measure blade. It was pretty clever and worked good. I asked her where she got the tape measure blade. She said it was that "stupid metric tape measure that she always grabbed by mistake when she needed a tape measure". She had destroyed my perfectly good 10 meter neon green Stanley Leverlock. My only metric tape measure that I'll probably never be able to replace. Granted, the only time I ever used it was to measure the lug widths of a watch, still to me it was a special tape measure. I probably have between 50 to 60 standard tape measures she could have cut up, but she had to destroy one of my rarer ones. I wasn't pleased. I'll keep my only engineers tape measure permanently at my shop. I didn't ask to see the remains. I could have cried. Regards Barry

 

[williaty]

Does anyone know of a US source for those BMI Visio tapes that Monte was showing? I'd really like to have one of those!

 

[William Payne]

My favourite is not the highest quality and its not the most durable but if used right it can be really handy my favourent tape measure funnily enough is a cheap 5m stanley leverlock love the idea of those leverlocks.

 

[kc-steve]

Thanks Bolster, once again GJ has brought attention to a lowly mundane tool in my toolbox and turned it into a star-level performer.

As one who primarily owns Stanley Powerlocks, my previous concern was always to have enough so I can just find at least one to use.

Steve

 

[wbrian63]

I go thru tape measures with suprising speed. I'm a bit rough on them, but the primary cause of the quick demise is the shoddy quality of construction.

I just purchased 2 Stanley lever locks, and one of them is already in the trash. Within 2 days of use, it developed a nick in the edge of the blade which quickly led to complete failure of the blade. Into the trash bin - $9.00 down the drain.

The biggest problem I have with tapes is keeping the good ones separate from the crappy ones. For cabinet-grade work, I really need a tape I can trust. As soon as a tape gets dropped, there's a real risk that the tang will get bent and affect the accuracy of the tape. I'll take measurements from the inside of a cabinet box to build drawers. The drawer slides I use require a 1/2" space on each side of the drawer box, but I've discovered they work best if the actual number is 33/64 (or 1/32" additional reduction in box size). On more than one occasion, I've been known to toss a tape in the garbage after realizing that the inside dimensions I took with the tape were accurate, but the outside measurements were just a tad short, result of a bent tang.

The new Stanley's have a feature that I thought I would like - the tang is shrouded by the front of the locking lever. Good - drop the tape, the tang is protected. BAD - no exposed tang to do a one-handed hook onto a board as I'm sliding it across the chop saw to set up for a cut. I have to release the board and extend the tape a bit with my free hand. Plus, they removed the switch that can be used to disable the lever lock, which I never liked. I like the automatic locking feature. However, they seem to have reduced the strength of the spring holding the lever, because all it takes is a little pressure and the tape is retracting. A real pain when I've extended the tape a foot or so for a quick on-site measurement, and the simple act of holding the tape firmly enough to take a vertical measurement causes the tape to retract...

I bought a very expensive tape the other day, and it will stay in the tool box for ever. A Bostitch 25' exta-long-stand-out gizmo I'd seen advertised somewhere. About $25 for the tape. Tape is hugely wide, and the extra arc they put in the tape to allow it to stand out so far makes it very hard to use. Plus, the spring is so strong, and the new fancy-dan tang that has hooks for every angle imagineable weighs like a pound itself, that if you're not careful, an uncontrolled retraction from 10 feet can take your hand off at the wrist.

I do remember years ago being able to buy replacement blades for tapes. Back before the day of the digital-read-out, my dad's machine shop used tape measures to do layout on items in the lathe. They had an 8' Starret machinist's ruler attached to the edge of a bench as a proving standard for the accuracy of tape measures. Before each job, a machinist would check his tape, and if found wanting, would get a replacement blade from the tool room. That new blade would be proofed too. Sometimes they were dead-on at <5', but after that, the marks would begin to creep off the line.

I'm going to look into the Komelon and Big Johnson units offered.

I do have one other tape that I thought was a good idea - from Fastcap, a company usually known for great ideas. It's a tape without an arc. Completely flat - supposed to be great for cabinet work because you don't have to roll the tape over to get a good bead on the measurement. Guess what else it does? Refuses to be extended by pushing the tape outwards. Measuring a long board or across a piece of plywood requires you to move to the end where the measurement is to start and hook the tape. Yet another tool to line the drawers of the toolbox...

 

[hotsam]

US Tape Centerpoint.

Reason: I hate doing math.

 

[mrholeshot]

Stanley 16 foot powerlock. I have many more but it's not practical to have a tape measure 2-3X longer and 2X as wide as what I need. The 16' is just right to keep in my pocket. It's rare I ever cut anything over 12'

 

[Krokodil]

Stanley FatMax 5m