The importance of maintaining the tape measure hook - GIF

[hemmjo]

So if my house is all built with a 1/32" tolerance instead of a 1/16" tolerance because I let my tape "slam" shut... Who cares?

You can certainly work to whatever tolerance you choose. Different applications require different tolerances.

As mentioned earlier, letting the tape slam shut can also break the tape. Some tape measures have a rubber bumper to absorb the shock if allowed to slam shut.