The term “designer tools” to me usually means steel — more specifically, shiny steel. Tool guys dig shiny steel like nerds dig laptops and online gaming. It’s a fact of life that some tool makers are finally coming to recognize. When they produce things like the 25` Tech Tape they must have been thinking, “brush the steel and they will come.”
I think the “tech” in the tech tape is a good way of trying to say that it won’t hold up to hard use out in the shop. The Tech Tape is nothing more than a normal (and probably unremarkable) 25′ tape enclosed in a shiny steel wrapper. The problem is that the chrome approach works and I want one.
For $6 it’s probably gimmicky, cheap gear, though it may be worth it as the “around the house” tape measure; it is shiny after all.
25` Tech Tape [Allied Tools]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
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9 Responses to Finds: 25′ Tech Tape
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a small tape like this is great when combined with a magneto clip. The tape’s clip is replaced with a steel plate. Keeps people from forgetting to give back your tape because they can’t clip it to their own belt.
It’s got the graduations spelled out. Those drive me nuts.
do not want.
$6? It is probably some thin plastic with a shiny coating on it. I hate that.
I’m in the market for a ‘quality’ tape measure. Other than stand-out, what ‘features’ should I be looking for. I’ll be using it for woodworking and metal working and will need it to be ‘accurate’ and easy to use.
Anybody have a favorite in the middle of the pack price-range?
Thanks
For TimG; I have about forty-leven tape measures and the one I always hunt down is my Stanley Fat Max. Absolutley my favorite.
@TimG: The end must move freely and have a solid attachment to the blade.
There can be reinforcement on the blade for the first 6 inches or so.
The lock should be rugged and simple (lever locks typically wear out).
The Fat Max tapes are really nice but man are they heavy! I own a couple and use them for rough carpentry, excavation, ceiling work, etc. Anywhere I need a lot of stand out.
For general use, I don’t think you can beat the regular stanley tape measures (silver case) in 25ft and 30ft. $8-$10 at the big box retailers.
I used to use a Craftsman tape until they stopped honoring the lifetime guarantee on them.
whoops..
I should mention that the regular Stanley tapes aren’t nearly what they used to be. I break them fairly regularly now but I owned my first one that I bought 20 years ago for 5 years before the blade developed a crack.
Just cheaper material for the blade these days, I guess.
I have a weakness for slick looking stainless steel gadgets. But I have a little OCD about measuring tools–I will stick with Stanleys thank you very much.
It doesn’t even have metric. How tech is that?