Quote Originally Posted by metric_taper View Post
I've never had good luck with any name brand tape measures. Lufkin being one of the worse. The failures are typically to the tape where I'm extending it out to measure spacings between roof rafters, and the tape bends over and produces a kink in the blade. This renders it useless for 'airborn flight' ever again. That and recoil springs early failure. Seems the name brands have poor heat treat or hardness specifications.
Also I never let a tape recoil back without braking it from having the tip slam in, as this is a good way to cause the end of the tape to be damaged.
My best luck has been with the local home supply (Menards), and buy their "Tool Shop" brand.
The video looks like one of those bright yellow Stanley brand tape measures that I've also had bad luck with.
The video is missing the beginning where the recoil spring is wound, that would be interesting to see. The operator is doing this all bare handed, seems like a good cut from the tape edge is needed or this is a staged video.
Like you I hardly ever buy a Branded tape measure anymore I figure it this way why spend 17 to 25 dollars for a tape that will not last any longer than a 5 dollar one the exception being a small 1/2" wide stainless steel tape marked in 50ths of an inch I've only been able to find them in 6ft and 12 ft lengths made by or for Lufkin or Starrett. the last one I owned lasted for nearly 20 years of carrying it in my pocket.
A 25 ft 1" tape seems to be the most popular for most but I personally like a 33 or 35 ft tape the main issues I have with most tapes are first off the so called belt clip secondly the center post the spring is held by, 3rd is the blade brake, 4th is the spring itself, and lastly the hook.
Breaking down my complaints beginning with the um, belt clip almost all of them are held in place by the main center screw of the body and a divot in the metal clip to stop it from rotating on the body these clips are either inherently too stiff or too weak, too stiff means they are hard to clip on the seam of my pants pocket they hardly ever will clip over my belt too weak means the temper is lacking and they become spread open and will not stay in place or the screw backs out then it will never stay tight even with epoxying it in place so they usually get removed
The center post on many tapes shear off then the spring unwinds and the tape is trash.
the blade brakes either self destruct or are hard to keep locked or they wont release
the spring when it breaks is usually either the thinned down center hook or where it hooks to the tape only once have I had the blade break right there
the blade hook is the most vulnerable because of the way they have to stick below the body so they often become bent and need straightened I have had a few tapes where the pivots gave way but that is rare
little 1 1/2 body size 6 ft and the 2 inch body 12 ft tapes seem to last the longest since most of the ones I have bought did not come with a belt clip and were carried in my pocket but much of the stuff I do requires a much longer tape, the reason I prefer the 33 & 35 ft tapes is I don't have to extend them all the way to the end very often but they are quite a bit more bulky . I once bought a tape that had a 1 1/2" wide blade. What a mammoth bulky thing that was. It was too large to even consider wearing on my pocket but if needed the blade would extend out nearly 15 ft in supported but if it was ever allowed to bend backwards it would do it again in the same spot and eventually would break.
that's my summery on retractable tapes the best tape I ever owned was not a retractable but a 1/2" wide 50 ft roll up that was only 2 1/2" in diameter small enough to be carried in my pocket and durable because the body was made of stainless steel