# Best?(!) Tape measure.



## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

I like this we often found them on sale cheap,


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

Every squeeze lock I have had goes out early. Have taken advantage of many a cheap/free deal but the tape gauge is always thinner and the end hook always loosens up beyond the push/pull allowance. 

I always look for slide locks like Neal posted and Stanley usually has decent deals at stores. I assume you keep more than one around anyway.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

I use the Stanley Fat Max 25' and 35'. Not light but I love the 1.25" wide tape and the 11' stand out. When actively working I used only the 35'. Now for home use I've added a couple of 25' tapes.

Bud


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

Lot of years use on my old Stanley in the pic and it still locks in place. Anyone buying a tape for serious use should be sure it has the 3 button fastened "hook" on it. I have found the two buttoned hook tapes, break out of the blade too soon. JMO


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

Another vote for the stanley fat max, I'm on my 2nd one. I detest a cheap tape measure where the tape won't stand out for anything more than a short distance.


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

Can't say I've got much experience with specific brands of tape measures, but I really like our Komelon 30' self-lock. It's got the stiffer tape so it can hold nearly 10' without folding on me as I recall (it's not quite enough, but still better than any other one I've tried... or well used, like I've never "tested" tape measures, I just use whatever and make it work heh) The locking bit works great even after so many years... not sure how many years, but I remember using it when we re-did the kitchen in 2007-8. It's got rubber bits on the outside of the casing, so I can set it on a sheet of plywood and pull out the tape without the case "following" me across the ply. It's also got a bigger thicker catch bit, with nubs on both the top and bottom so I can catch on and measure stuff above my head - also has the measurements printed on both sides of the tape, so I can fold it over/around edges for measuring stuff like fabric or vinyl coverings.

The only thing I don't like about it is it's only 30' I mean it's way better than the typical 25', but I often wish it was 40' to 50'.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

With the longer tapes on your belt you start to walk funny .
A test of the fat max came on a 25' high roof. Mine took several unexpected trips to the ground and kept on working. Not that I should be dropping it, but it happens and nice when the tools survive.

Bud


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

I have a bunch of tape measures. But like Greg, my favorites to carry are the Stanley Powerlock. The only thing the fat max beats it at is blade stand out, but I don’t find the fat max as comfortable to wear on my belt.

They still sell the powerlock. The 25’ is currently $9.88 at my HD.


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## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

Gregsoldtruck79 said:


> Lot of years use on my old Stanley in the pic and it still locks in place. Anyone buying a tape for serious use should be sure it has the 3 button fastened "hook" on it. I have found the two buttoned hook tapes, break out of the blade too soon. JMO


My choice as well. Usually reaches far enough. Light weight. Thin (fits in the pocket of my bibs in the winter). Handles dirt well. Simple rule reading and not muddied up with fraction numbers.....

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk


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## ChuckTin (Nov 17, 2014)

Thanks guys. Going down tomorrow to see what HD, Lowe's have to offer.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Go over to the electrical department and look at the Klein 25' tape. I have tried every tape measure in existence. I require a double deep hook, legible markings, easy way to slow it down before it slams the tape, Center screw tap for the belt clip. I take the belt clip off and use a magtite magnetic holder. The newer ones use offset screws and you can't attach it.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-25-ft-Double-Hook-Magnetic-Tape-Measure-86225R/300176740

https://www.ustape.com/catalog/magnetic-tape-holster/magtite-tape-holster/


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

mmm I suppose weight and size is a consideration when you're professional. I admit mine only gets used around the house, though I use it probably every day, but for most of the time it's a paperweight on my husbands desk.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Stanley, the other man in my life! :biggrin2:


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

I have to carry one all day long and it has to work and the magtite system keeps me from wearing the right pocked off my pants by clipping it on each time, sometimes a hundred times a day.

Weight is a consideration. If I have to go over 25', I employ a 100' cloth surveyor's tape. Nothing over 25' will be that accurate anyway. Carrying a 35 or 40' tape is cumbersome and just heavy for no real reason. Face it, most lumber is up to 16' in length.

One thing to do is check the hook tang on your (or your helper's) tape daily. My helper kept handing me lumber he cut and it was consistently 1/4" too short. I looked at his tape and he had unknowingly dropped it on concrete and bent the hook tang inward making all his cuts wrong. It is in the middle of a lake somewhere


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

The best one for me is one that has the same marking all the way across. Here in Canada if you buy a cheap one it's metric on one half and inches on the other half. Makes it a pain when have to switch directions.


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## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

joed said:


> The best one for me is one that has the same marking all the way across. Here in Canada if you buy a cheap one it's metric on one half and inches on the other half. Makes it a pain when have to switch directions.


I have worked on military projects that were drawn in metric. What a hassle.... :wink2:


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

It's not that it is metric, it's that the tape is half and half. You measure the right 30 inches. You measure to the left and now your tape is in metric.


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## Marson (Jan 26, 2018)

I used Stanley tapes for the last 25 years. Got a Milwaukee Stud and I am never going back. Best tape I've owned. 



https://www.acmetools.com/shop/tool...mXTOfGr-fO7FiU9h2Q9OuqW988D-80uxoCabYQAvD_BwE


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## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

joed said:


> It's not that it is metric, it's that the tape is half and half. You measure the right 30 inches. You measure to the left and now your tape is in metric.


I was agreeing with you. Since my metric jobs only occurred occasionally, would also buy the cheap dual read tapes. Found them confusing....


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## Clutchcargo (Mar 31, 2007)

Working on my house over the last 10 years; my favorite is the Dewalt







.
On the other side of the coil, my least favorite is the Milwaukee. Cutting a $60 PVC trim board, the board snagged the stiffener on the back side of the hook. The cut ended up being short and rage ensued; the nearly new tape measure ended up in the trash after being destroying by repeatedly hurling it at a concrete wall.


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## jecapereca (Mar 28, 2019)

So have you purchased a Stanley yet? It'll be with you for YEARS.


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

Last winter there were multi-packs of tape measures on sale. I bought both DeWalt and Milwaukee and I like them both. Although I do find myself reaching for the Milwaukee more. 

And I have a collection of Tape Measures, a couple of Home Depots from when I worked there, multiple Stanley's including Powerlock, Fat Max and the cheaper ones, a couple Lufkin's one is self-centering. And a bunch of odd-ball off-brands that I got somewhere. 

The one thing I do though when measurements are critical is use the same tape throughout the project.


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## Scottg (Nov 5, 2012)

For day-to-day usual things I might need to measure, it's a simple Stanley tape measure from the orange big box place.

For fine woodworking, I try to stick to precision squares and rules, (they're expensive), but when I need a tape, it's from FastCap

https://www.fastcap.com/product/procarpenter-tape-measure?cat=308

Lots of venisons. But most importantly - to me - is that the 1/16th marks are about as clear as I've seen on any tape.


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## specgrade (Oct 24, 2009)

The best tape measure I have I found in a Lowe's parking lot. Free is always best for me.


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## ront02769 (Nov 28, 2008)

So I am supervising a habitat volunteer crew installing decking a few weeks back and one of the guys has a brand new Milwaukee with the magnetic tip. And I watch him extend the tape and push the tip against a piece of decking around 12’ away and get a measurement...and then I take the tip of the tape and hold it hard against and have him take another measurement and oddly enough it was 1/4” longer than the previous one.....which he couldn’t figure out......until I showed him the two black sheet rock screws that had been stuck to the outside of the black magnetic tip accounting for 1/4”!! Not something you see everyday. My go to is a 25’ Stanley lock deal, not the fat max.


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## NotYerUncleBob2 (Dec 29, 2017)

Clutchcargo said:


> Working on my house over the last 10 years; my favorite is the Dewalt


I buy a couple of these every spring and fall as they go on sale. 2 for $15? They get trashed framing in the winter and lost when they fall off the roof in the summer. 
They've got the fractions printed nice and small so you can disregard them but still have them for helpers who aren't as experienced.


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## F250 (Feb 13, 2018)

I've got a thumb-lock metric Lufkin 10m tape which was given to me when I started work at a high end European style cabinet operation some 35 years ago. It still works great and it's what I prefer for everything.

With metric, half a mm is like 1/50th of an inch, so precision is a real thing, and you only have one number to remember for metric (not a number plus fractions). Personally, I think it's just a lot simpler.


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## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

The best tape measure I found is not any particular brand.

One that is big enough/easily read since sometimes you are at a distance.

One that can hold it's shape at a good distance for reaching.

I'm extremely hard on tape measures and they need to perform without breaking and that includes being dropped from heights.

I use a 35' foot one.

Having stud markings etc., is a must.

If have problems with measuring maybe this will help.


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