Hey just weighing in here
What has happened to measuring tapes? My old Stanley’s used to last at least 6 mon. Lately I have been breaking tapes alot. Don’t abuse them either (except the new Fat Max that broke after two weeks, I sent it flying into a wall) Tried a Starrett, it lasted a couple months….who makes a good tape measure now??? Lufkin is no better. Had to go get out the folding rule the other day. Some of the workers had never seen one.
Will somebody please make a decent tape measure!!!!
nuvue
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Get used to it. Noone makes a good tape anymore. I just bought two Fat Max's offa ebay. $20 included shipping for the 25'ers.
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
"This post, in response to your question, will bump the thread through the 'recent discussion' listing again.
Perhaps it will catch someone's attention that can help you with advice.
Cheers, rez"
Fat Max kept pulling my pants down.
"Fat Max kept pulling my pants down" Hey basswood you're lucky if you're not from Jersey, we had to get rid of a Governor who did that.
Fax Max tapes are too heavy! I would have to wear suspenders to use those pigs. No comment on the ex-gov.
I can't stand the fat maxs either. They weigh too mauch and are too bulky.
Pardon my fat fingers.
http://www.hay98.com/
The 25-footers are bad enough, if I hung a 30' Fat Max on my right hip I'd tip over. ; )
I hear ya. I just don't have the muscles anymore to pack that kind of luggage around.
Pardon my fat fingers.
http://www.hay98.com/
nancy
LOL. That's right sugar.
Pardon my fat fingers.
http://www.hay98.com/
I buy the Lufkin tapes cause they are cheap...$6.00 a piece, and cause they are about the only tape I can find that doesn't contain all those fractional markings for those who don't know how to read a tape. I hate seeing 1/8 , 3/16, 7/16, etc marked all over the dang thing...all those xtra numbers just get in the way!
My one buddy bought a Sears (Stanley) tape back in 1989. It was a 25 foot, lever-lock version. He is now on Number 23. Everytime his tape broke, or got too worn to read accurrately, he returned it to Sears (without producing a receipt...I might add) and exchanged it for a brand new one free of charge. That first tape cost him around $8.00 back in 1989 and counting how he managed to get 22 additional tapes free of charge...that computes to a cost of around 35 cents for each tape measure...not a bad bargain!
Considering Sears will exchange these for free year after year, how can they make money ? I guess we should all start buying our tape measures from Sears.
My biggest pet peeve with steel tapes is that they "snap" (bend over) when extended too far out; especially when holding the tape in a horizontal, sideways position..... like when trying to hook the tape onto a side of a building. Most tapes will extend straight out horizontally or even vertically approx 6 ft before snapping, but that same tape can't be extended out even 3 feet when trying to hook that tape sideways onto a building wall.
Davo
I believe sears recently stopped guaranteeing their tape measures
I like the orginal fat max tapes, the new "extreme" version has to much cup in the blade and makes it a PITA to lay it down on wood.
I also think the extra cup makes it more prone to breakage. A guy at work was showing his off, how far out it would stand out, the thing snapped and broke the tape... To be honest it was pretty funny.
My buddy just acquired number"23" last week from our local Sears store...so as of last week, Sears was still honoring replacements...at least in my area.
I don't use or like the Fat Max for the very reason you mention...the blade is cupped too much making it difficult when marking boards. Also, waay too costly.
I'll stay with the orange colored, plastic body Lufkins for $6.00
Davo
Sears has changed the colors of their tapes from yellow to red for warranty purposes.
The yellow ones had the traditional unlimited Craftsman warranty.
The new red ones do not. They are not supposed to be exchanged for anything except a failure to retract (just like Stanley). The warranty replacement guide is on the shelving by the tape measures.
My yellow 30' needed a new blade because the numbers were worn out. If I exchanged it, the blade on the new red style would no longer be exchanged. I could have received a refund on my yellow one as part of their satisfaction guarantee. They gave me a new blade under warrantee and I installed it myself.
Of course, each location has the same rules, but it is up to managers discretion.
I love metric but then I am not a framer. Most of my work is heavy construction, bridges etc. Metric is so easy to work with. I find the craftmen tapes last great until they start getting wet then the spring gets a little rusty and in I take it for warrenty due to the tape not returning.
I've had good luck with some old Komelon tapes that I got on clearance from Lowes. they are the older style yellow ones with the round case. They have a good nylon coating on the blade that is pretty tough, and they aren't big and bulky like the fat max.
ya, I bought 3 of those little 16ft Komelon tapes and have one left. Wish I'd bought more at the time.
A loss to the Cowboys is like a pimple on your butt. Sure its annoying but it does'nt matter in the bigger scheme of things. -maverick
I like the Fat Max's but agree with the cupping blade. I have 4 laying around w/ broken blades, springs etc. I'm just waiting for #5 to break to send them all back to stanley in Ct. (Shhhh.. it's a secret but they will replace them, I have sent back probably 15 to them and they have been great and replaced w/new ones). I have the Big Johnson (the tape) from Johnson level and it is nice, few nice features, ergonomics etc. but for the price I am now going with the Kobalt brand from Lowes. They are cheaply priced ($10 I think?) and look at the LIFETIME HASSLE FREE GUARANTEE (I like hassle free when it comes to returns). The 25' has about a 6' stand out and the rubber grips feel good, magnetic tip, fractional reading markings, and measuring on the bottom of blade.Thumb's up for the Kobalt from Lowes.
"The new red ones do not. They are not supposed to be exchanged for anything except a failure to retract (just like Stanley). The warranty replacement guide is on the shelving by the tape measures."
My employee allready figured this one out. When the tape is looking suspect, he dumped a small handful of sand into the case and made it so the blade didn't retract.
dont' you love walking into HD with a tape and 10' of standout flopping around. :)
Edited 11/22/2006 4:59 am ET by alrightythen
Lol! No kidding hey, i don't have the patience to wrap up a tape then go stand in a lineup at Cambodian Tire just to get another free tape.
Right now in my box i have a 25 fat max for interior, one for exterior, and three 8 dollar lufkins ready for the house i start in two weeks. With all the rain, sand and dirt i'm hoping those will get me through another winter!
Sears still warranties their tapes as they do with all of their hand tools. It is true that the warranty on the RED BODY tapes is changed from the YELLOW BODY tapes but it is not quite what you have in mind.The red body tape warranty is for anything except blade breakage so the tape spring, tip, body, and belt clip are covered. I use them and replace them about once a year. The best thing to do with any of the craftsman warranty covered stuff is to replace it as soon as it causes trouble. If my one of my tapes starts to retract slower than new it goes back. If something is really messed up they are more likely to call it abuse... which admit it, it mostly likely was, and not cover it. I have also found that the key if you want anything done semi right is to find a salesman and use him, they are on commission and get money even on exchanged items, avoid the cashiers like the plague as they are the people that the store decided were too dumb to sell product and will call a manager every time they need an exchange.As to them making money on tape measures, each tape costs the store about $1.50 to $3.00 and 90% of tapes sold never get returned. This is about the same percentage for most of their tools covered by the warranty. The DIYers who buy stuff there because it has a warranty and then never warranty stuff support us pros who warranty massive amounts of stuff there over the years. There are a few exceptions to this though, like their framing hammers... pros only bought them (how many DIYers own a 24oz framer?) and Sears stopped making money on them and then stopped carrying them and warrantied old ones for Vaughns. -Day
Well, I have never had a blade tip or belt hoot break on a tape measure.
The Sears warranty will not cover cut blades, either.
Their warranty seems to be just like Stanleys- written to exclude just about anything that will happen in normal use.
Midwest brand snips have a warranty that Sears refuses to honor.
I have had my yellow bodied tape a long time, and it still retracts ok. Coating the blade with a little oil once in a while does wonders.
I usually wear the numbers off the end before there are any other problems (not a warranty item on the red ones, but a warranty item on my yellow one). Only once have I had one fail to retract.
I really miss their plain old chrome plated tapes.... The blades were heavier than the ones they make now.
I have never had a blade break on me though I have had some torn ones. Almost all of my tapes end up failing to retract or the case cracks (plastic ones not metal ones) because I have dropped them, so in the case of my clumsiness the craftsman warranty works for me.
What I posted was what I had read not two days before at sears on a big sign next to the tapes so I was just trying to clarify confusion about what their warranty really covered.
I will admit that sometimes it can be a little pain to get some stuff warrantied there but I like to have a possible warranty on my tools rather than the ten minutes or ten miles warranty that some other tools in that price range have on them. I tend to be hard on my tools and do stuff that I would feel bad about doing with higher priced tools (the chisels that sit in my tool pouch are a prime example).
I buy crapsman simply because it is easier for me to swing by sears
and swap out a tool and have it to use the next day rather than calling a company and waiting seven days for them to mail me a new one.
I also understand and accept that sears won't warranty everything. I did not even attempt to warranty the flat head screwdriver that I bent into a curve last month because I was too lazy to walk to my tool box and grab a prybar. I would not expect Klein or anybody else to cover that kind of abuse, so I just wasted $6 because now I have to buy a new one.
As far as tapes go, I figure if I replace a tape that I bought on sale for $10 four or five times than I have gotten my money's worth.
Maybe this attitude I have is me giving into the corporate machine, or just apathy but hey I already have enough real stuff to worry about in my own business.-dayPS. danski - this was not all directed at you but rather just general reasoning with the masses (which I know is foolish to attempt)
Edited 11/28/2006 10:50 pm ET by restorationday
True Davo
The fractional markings are a distraction...I wish Stanley or somebody in in Manufacture would read this and make a decent 16 footer that is durable.
They have come out with a more durable cell phone...why not a simple tape?da' vue
in the last few months i spotted at the dollartree everything is $1 store they had 16ft and 25ft tapes.. so i just buy 5-10 at a time yep they are junk but i can leave em lay'n everywhere and have one when i need it.... to date i think i've purchased 20-25... and haven't had one break yet... I only have one jobsite so i can leave one at every saw and work area... they are mostly a very bright green... so easy to spot... and no self respecting worker will steal one...
p
once in a while there is somehting to be said for cheap tools
Hope you don't need accurate measurements with those cheapos. Someone donated a bunch of them to my Habitat for Humanity chapter. Volunteers kept cutting siding an eighth or more too short. When I checked the tape at the saw station against my Stanley, it was off an eighth. So were several of the others.
BruceT
It seems as though every tape measure has but ONE thing I like. I just wish the features would be combined! My Ideal-brand works sort of in reverse; the tape automatically locks in place, and you must push the button to retract. Very handy. My Klein (Orange) has magnets on the tape end- while made to hold the tape to metal, they are handy for fishing out dropped fasteners. My Klein (Blue) is marked on both sides of the blade- real nice when you're measuring overhead. My Starrett has the easiest to read markings. NONE of them have an adequate belt hook. Especially with larger tapes, the tape will come free while crawling or climbing down. Perhaps they ought to either delete the things, or look at some cell phone clips for inspiration!
You should check out the belt hook on the Johnson then - it's separate from the tape and has a positive, swiveling locking mechanism.
At one point in time you could buy just the replacement blades. I have been surfing looking for them but have come up short. I have three or four Fat Max cases waiting for new blades.
I just got my answer at the Stanley Web site. In a nutsheell it the blades would cost almost as much as a new tape.
Edited 11/20/2006 8:04 am ET by dedhed
yeah...I dont' get the point of why the even sell replacement blades, they are like a buck cheaper, than a whole new tape.
I also love the craftmen tapes. have all the numbers. metric inches and feet and inches with both stud spacing a 19.2 centers. Also I still get them exchanged. Was in the sears clearance outlet and picked up 10 at 3 bucks each all with warranty
dohhh...I hate the ones with metric on em....and I live in metric Canada.
I've replaced the blades on my Can-Tire branded Stanley a couple of times, but can't find the blades anywhere now - maybe it's time to retire that one, it's been used so much that the opening for the blade has worn right to the edges of the case. I still have a Stanley II waiting in the cupboard for years to go to work.
<!----><!----> <!---->
Phill Giles<!----><!---->
The Unionville Woodwright<!----><!---->
Good Lord, what do you guys do, throw your tapes against the nearest tree to see if it will bounce?
A tape usually lasts me around a year, and I have several for doing various things. I do agree that they don't make them like they used to. I have tried almost all of them, in fact I was part of a field study once several years ago where I recieved about a dozen different tapes for free to test. My favorite still remains the Stanley 25', the little rounded one with the shiny metalic finish. It fits my hand better than the lunky bigger fat ones.
One thing that I do which has made a huge difference is to epoxy one of those little white Formica samples onto the face of the tape where I write down my measurments. A little spit on the thumb, a quick swipe on the jeans, and the pencil marks wipe right off to a clean slate. Sand down the sharp edges of the Formica.
Try it, you'll like it.
Here's another vote against the Fat Maxes...my favorite is a 16' version of the old Stanley chrome bodys (for trim work)....just the right size....
Hey Jer
Like I said, tapes Used to last me at least 6 months. For some reason I have had a bad run and have gone thru about ten different tapes lately. I thought the Fat Max would be better but they crapped out quickly also. I do like the Stanley 25' but they just don't last anymore....
Yes I do throw them against a tree when they quit retracting, or the spring lets loose.....
Nuvue
It's weird you've had such bad luck with tapes. I've been using the same one for 2-3 years now, and it's scratched up and beat up, and some of the plastic for the thumb button (tape stopper gadget) has broken off, but everything still works. All my tapes are Fatmax, save one. And for the most part, used every day.
I see you havnt the good fortune of doing formwork in continual rain.
a sandy form during monsoon season hear in BC will wreak havoc on any tape no matter who makes it and how many times you try and wipe it it dry. sometimes your lucky to get 2 weeks.
"I see you havnt the good fortune of doing formwork in continual rain."My hat is off to you. Happy T-Day
My Stanley Powerlock 2 is on it's last legs so I just took a gamble on this one:
View Image
I like their levels, and this seems to be of comparable quality (made in England). Easy to read scale, very comfortable to hold vs. the Fat Max. Only extends to about 8'. but I mostly use it in the shop so not a big deal.
That's the main tape I use right now. It's a pretty nice tape, I like the holster. unfortunately, I shut it in a drawer and broke it right off the bat. So PL premium is holding it together for now, and working just fine.
Here's a tip- you can peel off the "Big Johnson" label, and sand the orange plastic underneath with fine sandpaper, and you'll have a place to scrawl notes. Small, but I use it a lot.zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
ROFL! PL Premium rules.
I like the ergonomics of the tape as well - fits nicely in my hand. Nice tip about the note taking upgrade; I'm alwasy looking for scraps of wood to scribble on.
What about the Max Steel Stanly tapes? Any one tried one?
I picked up one recently. Great stand out length for those working alone, but nothing to indicate that it will stand up any better than the rest, unfortunately....that's not a mistake, it's rustic
I really like the Max Steel tapes...good standout, without being too heavy or bulky. A good compromise IMO.
I really like my FastCap story-pole tape. McFeeley's carries them. I also have an old Stanley leverlock which gets thrashed and is still working fine.
Heres another vote for the Fastcap. I really like the erasable notepad for when I have 3 measurements to remember on my way down a flight of stairs and the plumber needs a hand moving the dishwasher after the homeowner tells me I need to move my truck, etc. The built in pencil sharpener comes in handy too. I have the Old Standby, which is a standard type tape and the Story pole. Woodcraft stores also has a big selection of the Fastcaps.
I love Fat Max tapes. Once you go fat you don't go back. I have several--every few months I return one to Home Depot for a fresh new one. Stanley has a lifetime guarantee on them.
They have a lifetime guarantee on the Fat Max tapes? I haven't heard of that.
I go through them like firewood.
http://www.stanleytools.com/default.asp?TYPE=STATICLEFT&PAGE=taperule_policy.htm&LEFT=left_warrantyreturns.htm
Thanks for the link, I figured it would be a workmanship warranty.
I am still going to keep using them. I like the standout distance. Nice to be able to get the end of the tape out there 12-13' and not have to get down off the ladder, move the ladder and then measure. Call me lazy I guess.
I've returned a few to HD and been given replacements. I think they just dont have a clue...
Here is stanleys official guide:http://www.stanleytools.com/default.asp?TYPE=STATICLEFT&PAGE=taperule_policy.htm&LEFT=left_warrantyreturns.htmI use Fat Max's, and go through one at least every 4-6 months. the only problem ive ever had with them is blade snappage. I have a Fat Max Extreme with a broken blade but very little wear on the blade I'm going to send back to Stanley.Wont someone invent a good long lasting tape with a non corrosive blade?
I buy Tajima tapes at my local yard, they are very good, last a fairly long time. They have rubber jacketing and have white tape for easy read. They are supplied here in CT by some guy who has them in his trunk - not always available so I always buy two when I see'm
Trunk?I always avoid buying tools from somebody's trunk. <G>********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
since i supply tools for my job.... tapes are something i do the "quanity is better than quality" deal on...
harbor freight today... 33' tapes $1.99 16ft tapes .99 got 1/2doz of each...
prob already have 20 tapes lay'n around my site... but an extra dozen won't hurt...
p
I'll have to agree with the other posts that said Craftsman, they do honor their warrantee, I usually carry two so I have a back-up when one goes bad. BTW, most people are too lazy to take them back; I pick them up all the time where someone threw them away. Luck.
"If all else fails, read the directions"