Komelon’s Corrosion-Resistant Stainless Steel Tape Measure
By Benjamen Johnson
Komelon forms its SS Gripper tape measure from stainless steel to resist rust — perfect for underground worksites, harbors, or other wet and humid environments. And Komelon doesn’t just claim corrosion resistance — they tested the blade in a 5% NaCl (read: salt), 95°C environment for up to 72 hours and proudly display the results on their website. You can also replicate this test yourself by exposing the tape measure to the air for one minute during summer in Houston.
The non-metailic portion of the SS Gripper’s case is made from impact resistant rubber. The rest — including the blade, spring, screws, end hook, blade protector, and even the belt clip — is 100% stainless steel. The SS Gripper also sports a washable 1″ x 25′ blade with a scale printed on both sides. And to simplify using both sides of the tape measure, Komelon included a large dual-flared end hook.
Street pricing starts around $13.
SS Gripper [Komelon]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon
September 12th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
I’d love to see this in a 6 foot mini tape that I could carry fishing clipped to my wade belt or in my kayak. Rinsed or not, saltwater eats normal tapes in one or two trips.
September 12th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Houston is not that bad. I live in Clear Lake about 4 miles from the salt water and all of my tools are not rusting.
With Stainless Steel pricing increasing I wonder how long they will be able to sell the tape for the listed price.
September 12th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Dead ringer for the 1st-generation Kobalt stainless tape. Let’s hope they improved on it. I had a Kobalt and it sucked balls. Blade creased easily, the lock didn’t hold up, the hook bent if you looked at it wrong….
Fastcap, fastcap, fastcap!
September 13th, 2007 at 7:59 am
David P: Interesting. I’m not normally a Kobalt fan, but I bought a Kobalt tape a while back — not the stainless model you talk about, but a standard one with a magnetic hook — and it’s not too bad. I grabbed it when I was in a hurry — I’d just broken the free tape I got from a friend years ago and needed a quick replacement — and didn’t expect it to last. It’s nothing special, but better than I expected.
We’ve been testing some Stanleys that are doing quite well; expect to see them on the site in the next few months. The standout on some of them is absurdly long — like more than 15′.