Is anyone else having problems with Fat Max tape measures. I have bought three of them in the last year, two 16 ft and a 35 ft. All three blades have broken in a short amount of use. One of the other guys I work with has a 35 ft that the blade is split in the middle at about the 5 ft length.
Stanley says to send them back to them and they will decide if they are defective.
Anyone else having problems?
Replies
Had a 35 since they came out, use it all the time. Nothing's broke yet, but it's a little slow on the rebound anymore. Have to kind of push it in the last couple of feet. Are you hitting yours with a hammer? :-)
" I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers." Kahlil Gibran
I recently bought a 16' Fat Max for shop use...
found it didn't fit in the tool belt,
found it too large for my hand size,
found the return strength awesome enough to pinch blood blisters on fingers,
found the end of the blade split from the tape in three weeks,
found my old style tape and put it back in its pouch.
Won't buy another fat max, won't pay to send it back...
My bad choice.......that's the way it is!
Should have known better!
...................Iron Helix
Sears, gentlemen and its over.
Tim Mooney
Mine broke after a couple of weeks of minimal use. I'm with Iron Helix. Lesson learned. Done deal.
...that's not a mistake, it's rustic
Edited 3/4/2003 11:05:06 PM ET by Bungalow Jeff
Edited 3/4/2003 11:06:07 PM ET by Bungalow Jeff
Fat Max is one of my tools i love to hate.sadly i lost fat max somewhere yesterday.my buddy bought one and the end piece snapped off the first day.I found the fat max's too heavy, too stiff, they suck for folding them into a corner, and i pinched my fingers numerous times when the tape recoils back in, dropped it on my foot too..ouch!
POS, tape lock broke after 1 week, took it back they said that wasn't covered by the warranty. Actually the warranty only seems to cover the return spring, but I bet if I broke that it would turn out that only the mounting points were covered. In fact as a result of too many problems with too many tools by Stanley/Bostich, I do my best to avoid anything made by them. It's difficult though, 'cause they're a pretty big company, and they don't seem to suffer from only producing 2nd rate junk, they dominate the market, kinda like HD around here.
I and my journeyman have also had problems with the hook end of the tape snapping off after minimal use. I personally think the blade is so stiff that it puts undue stress on itself. We both have had much better luck with the MaxSteel series from Stanley. As framers, we need the extra standout and stiffness, but we also don't like paying $30 for a tape--the MaxSteel is a good compromise.
-Captain Strap
"Quality before quantity"
Hiya,
I must agree with most of what's been said about heavy and large, and not corner bending easily.
But, man, I'll tell you, that 9 foot stand out is darned handy when you're working alone. I've got the 25 footer. It's kinda awkward sometimes, but it won't be something that collects dust at my place.
Of note, though, IMHO, I think that most tape breaks/splits are caused by allowing the tab to slam into the body. There's a note on the packages that advises you not to do that ;-)
I have to admit that I use my $2 grocery store 12 footer more that the fat max.
T.
Yeah, I have a 16 footer which I hardly use but already has some good sized kinks in the tape. I think it's the aggressive curve which makes it prone to kinking, but which also gives it the great standout, like Trent said. Came in real handy yesterday, where I had to measure the size of a duct 16 feet in the air without a ladder. I just pushed the tape up, hooked it on the edge of the duct, and read the size with a pair of binoculars.
I still use my 16' 1" wide powerlock 90% of the time, though.
Hope this helps. Rich.
After pricing a replacement blade, I decided to buy a new tape. I went to Sears...they are guaranteed for life! No more worries.
Found a 25' knockoff of the FatMax at the plumbing supply last year for $9.00. Bought 4 of them for our shop. So far, all are still holding up. I'll get the mfg. or name off of it tonight, and post it to this thread. I agree with all the complaints abour size, weight, etc., but at the price I paid, I'll buy more when they get another shipment.
The name on the knockoff tape is Assist. It is an 1 1/4 tape with standard 1/16 increment markings on one side and labeled 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, etc. on the other side. Model number is 11G-7532. No manufacturer listed. probably Mexico or China, but they are cheap and have lasted longer than the FatMax I had.