This last point he makes is worth emphasizing. The Stanley was in the small starrett digital tape measure 25 guide of tapes that held up to this abuse. To digjtal this, pound a nail in at your center point until the head is just barely above the surface and hook the slot into the nail head. Add to Cart. Starfett a list of item s and quantities. The onboard pencil sharpener is also a nice touch, again, for the carpenter—but probably not useful to the home user. The PowerLock has a fairly typical warranty.

Keep it clean. For a tape to have a long, productive life, the most important factor is blade durability. DeBoer pointed out that the blade also rubs the point of entry every time it retracts. Most tapes have some sort of protective coating, but over time, it gets worn off. Case durability is also important, but less so for a homeowner.

Any quality tape can handle a normal foot fall, and the heavy-duty construction ones, most outfitted with a rubbery padding, can go from four or five times that height.

Another thing to look for is the design of the tang the metal hook at the end of the tape. The most basic and easiest to use is a simple right-angled foot. Instead, the tang needs to have a smooth back-and-forth movement so the tape will be accurate both on Starrett Digital Tape Measure Usa pull measurements, where you hook the tang over something like the edge of a board, and on push measurements, where you press the tang against an inside surface. The amount of movement should equal the thickness of the tang to ensure accuracy for both styles of measurement.

Every tape has a slightly different tang, and both Clement and DeBoer warned against large ones. The purpose of these is so you can send the tape underneath something like a closed door and then hook it from below.

Larger tangs can cause other problems as well. It seems as though they literally catch the wind and the tape comes crashing down in a really thin heap of loud, flaccid steel.

We also recommended avoiding magnetic tangs. Secondly, they attract all manner of metal shavings, filings, and debris, making them difficult to keep clean. There is certainly a place for magnetic tapes, but the kitchen drawer is not it.

The stand-out of a tape is the distance that the blade can extend unsupported from the case and not collapse. In the industry it has become a bragging right to have the tape with the longest stand-out, with some tapes claiming to go as far as 13 feet. Both DeBoer and Clement agreed that a tape measure that can stand out unsupported for feet is more than enough for at-home use.

A large factor in stand-out is the width of the blade wider blade typically means longer stand-out. Anything less than an inch, though, is going to be flimsy, while the fatter blades those above the 1-inch mark make for a much bulkier tool.

In our testing, we found that the 1-inch blades were the easiest to use overall, even if it meant sacrificing some stand-out. If it was there, great. There are tapes that will make a mark for you , tapes that have telescoping measuring rulers , and others with centering scales that show you the center point of any measurement.

More thoughts on those in a bit. For length, we only looked at foot tapes. Common lengths are 12, 16, 25, 30, and 35 feet. DeBoer said that he primarily uses a 16, but he feels safer knowing that he has a 25 close by. Clement said that a 25 is the way to go because there are times when it will come in handy.

The largest portion of our tape measure testing consisted of using the tools as we completed a number of carpentry projects. From this general use, we got a sense of quality and handling—how easy the different tapes were to read, whether or not the tangs hooked on what we wanted them to, and how well the belt clips worked. To check the durability of the blade itself and to simulate the destructive grinding that takes place once dirt and grit make their way into the case, we extended the tapes and dragged a piece of grit sand paper, weighed down with 5 pounds of pressure, down the blade for a distance of 1 foot.

We performed this three times with each tape. On some tapes the coating and printing came right off, but others held up admirably to the abrasion test. We also tested the strength of the locking mechanism by locking each tape at 24 inches, dangling it from the tang, and bouncing it. When the lock is engaged, it should be strong enough to withstand that level of pulling and tugging.

A lame blade lock can be intensely frustrating. Accuracy was a piece of the puzzle, but in reality just a very small piece. We also checked the stand-out of the tapes by extending each one to the breaking point four times and taking the average. Finally, everyone has different hands, so in order to test general ergonomics I gave the top contenders to my wife and some other friends to play around with and considered their feedback.

The Stanley PowerLock is the best tape measure for a number of reasons. It has a durable blade, a functional tang, a solid stand-out, a strong locking lever, and a convenient belt hook.

The PowerLock is a very basic tool and its pared-down simplicity makes it very light and easy to handle. The other tapes, which cost more, all had failings—a poorly protected blade, a gigantic tang, a lame stand-out, or an impossible belt clip. Again, the most important characteristic of a superior tape measure is the durability of the blade. The Stanley blade is coated with a Mylar polyester film, which our testing proved to be superior to most of the other tapes. Remember, this is the key point in the durability and longevity of a tape measure.

When we dragged the weighted sandpaper over the PowerLock, the coating showed some surface scratching, but the printing remained fully intact. On many of the other tapes, like the Johnsons and the FastCaps, the printing came off like we were erasing a pencil mark. The Stanley was in the small class of tapes that held up to this abuse. One of the projects we used the tapes on was measuring for 20 custom storm windows, a task consisting of seven measurements per window.

For the diagonals, we planted the tang at the lower corner, extended the tapes, and then bent them over with a twist in order to read the upper corner.

The PowerLock handled this repetitive bending and kinking with no problems, but we were surprised at how quickly this task worked over some of the tapes, like the Keson and the Tajimas, which quickly developed slight warps and wrinkles in the thin blades. The tang on the PowerLock is minimal, but very effective. This indicates the quality of the tang as well as its relationship with the tape blade.

Still, using the PowerLock for a carpentry project, we were comforted knowing that it is percent dead-on accurate. The PowerLock has a blade stand-out of 7 feet, 10 inches, which is on the upper side of the limit indicated by Clement and DeBoer. The locking lever is strong and easy to use, with a nice texture that prevents the thumb from slipping. You can easily lock the blade with one hand. The belt hook is a standard but functional design.

It has a nice spring to it and the flare at the end makes it easy to blindly hook on a back pocket. I can hold the [PowerLock] in my hand, pay out tape, and bend the tape—say for measuring across a floor or from floor to ceiling—in a fluid motion without having to readjust the tape in my hand.

The people we asked to handle the tapes had similar experiences. The Starrett Digital Tape Measure Battery Number solid feel of the tool and the smooth locking lever were also noted as high points. A really nice additional feature of the PowerLock is that the tape case is marked for inside measurements. On the underside of the case, right where the tang sits, the PowerLock has a slightly loose piece of black plastic. This acts as a shock absorber when the tang comes slamming back into the case. A few of the other tools had something similar with varying degrees of success.

The Johnson JobSite, Johnson Big J, and Keson tapes also had bumpers, but when they were pressed, they actually forced open the seam along the underside of the case. Better versions were found on the Starrett and Tajimas, but those tapes had other issues covered below. The Komelon, Lufkin, and Snap-on extend their ample rubber over-mold up to the nose of the tool so that it directly acts as a bumper.

This last point he makes is worth emphasizing. DeBoer also picks up on the cost analysis in the PTR piece. The PowerLock has a fairly typical warranty. We need to note that Stanley sells another version of this tape measure that they refer to as the PowerLock with Blade Armor. We tested this model out too, and even though it sounds like it would be the superior tape, it pales in comparison to its more stable sibling. This is a nice touch, but we also found that it had one of the weaker blade locks of any tape we looked at.

The tape started recoiling with even the slightest movement. While we liked the Ace Hardware Digital Tape Measure Guide added blade durability, the loosey-goosey blade lock was too frustrating. Last, with its long plus-year history, the PowerLock is also something of an icon. For all of this goodness, the PowerLock still has a couple slight flaws. First, the belt hook is a simple metal clip. This is a standard design on tape measures, and when clipped and unclipped repeatedly on a pocket, it starts to fray the fabric.

However, this is only a concern if the tape is being used on a very regular basis. Add to Cart. Product Testimonials. Similar items. Customers are also viewing. Features 7' Starrett Digital Tape Measure Words standout Made with nylon coating providing 2X blade abrasion resistance, protecting numbers and graduations Produced with ABS plastic case and overmolding to provide an extended case life and improved grip Manufactured with a positive lock to hold tape securely while transferring measurement to work surfaces Includes a steel belt clip.

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