# Easy to read, good grip



## philba (Aug 23, 2014)

How good is the blade hook for inside vs outside measures? I have too many tape measures where the hook slides too far one way or the other. I have one old stanley that is spot on but all the rest are off by at least 1/8". The Harbor Freight (Pittsburg) ones are even worse - one is off by 1/4". Now, where IS that Stanley tape measure anyway… sigh.


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## johnhutchinson (Dec 9, 2013)

Nice, but it's still an overkill carpenter's tape for most woodworking. My new favorite is Stanley's 6' tape. It's dead-nuts accurate, and sometimes I forget that it's in my pocket because it's so small.

Which naturally leads to …

Is that a tape measure in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Good review Rick


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

Thanks Rick and have a Happy New Year !


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

Thnx for your review Rick. Measure tapes are for sure a necessity in the hand and/or in the pocket.


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

I *used * to have a measuring tape fetish … so of the 30+ tapes I have I really like the Stanley FatMax series. I have 3 of the chrome models. The 16' stays on my workbench and is the one I usually grab first. It has a 13' standout and it really *WILL * stay straight out at 13' , plus a bit more if your hand is steady enough. The tape is a bit wider than the standard and like you say it's really easy to read from a distance.


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

Good review Rick. I used those on the job quite a bit before I retired. Good tape measure. Now I usually only carry a 12 or 16'.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

> How good is the blade hook for inside vs outside measures? I have too many tape measures where the hook slides too far one way or the other. I have one old stanley that is spot on but all the rest are off by at least 1/8". The Harbor Freight (Pittsburg) ones are even worse - one is off by 1/4". Now, where IS that Stanley tape measure anyway… sigh.
> 
> - philba


Good question. I don't have a precision rule near my computer but using what I have it looks to be very close for outside measurements. I would need one of my shop rulers to get a better reading but within 1/64" or less for outside. The inside measurement looks to be about 1/32" shy.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

> Nice, but it s still an overkill carpenter s tape for most woodworking. My new favorite is Stanley s 6 tape. It s dead-nuts accurate, and sometimes I forget that it s in my pocket because it s so small.
> 
> Which naturally leads to …
> 
> ...


I have a small 8' Stanley that I clip on my pocket for around the house, trips to the hardware store, etc. That's the one I had with me the other day, 25 miles from home. Had I known I would be measuring a restaurant I would have brought my 25' Lufkin. I used to have a small 6' tape but I'm not a fan of the flimsy blades. Around the shop I have two 16' tapes. One is a Stanley with inches and metric, the coating is peeling after many years of use so might need to replace it in a few years. The other is a Woodcraft I won as a door prize at a club meeting. The Woodcraft looks like a good tape, easy to read, fractions marked, but the automatic brake won't hold and there is no manual lock so it's aggravating to use. My all time favorite tape was an engineer's tape in decimal inches.


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## SomeDumbGuy (Jan 24, 2015)

As a framing carpenter in my day to day life, let me voice my love of the dewalt tapes. 13' of stand out, huge blade that will catch on anything you need it to, take a beating, and if you save your receipt, it's possibly the last tape you'll need to buy. I'm currently on my 3rd (tapes take a beating daily in my job) after making the switch from Stanley fatmax tapes a little over a year ago. May be a little overkill for the shop, but I'll probably never buy a Stanley again as long as dewalt keeps the quality at a high level. Just my $.02


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

6' STANLEY "pocket" tape video review.


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## johnhutchinson (Dec 9, 2013)

Why am I laughing at the part where he says-"You'll no longer have a limp tape"-?


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