Where can I get a quality tape?

[abram godshall]

Looking to buy a QUALITY tape to use in the woodshop (about 12 feet is long enough). What tape do you recommend and where did you get it?

Thank you in advance,
Abram Godshall

[michael gates]

Fastcap tape measures are the best bang for your buck by far. They are very common throughout the industry. They come in 16ft and have a built in pencil sharpener. They come in a variety of styles.
The old Standby is the one you probably want, its the black one. I use them every day, they stand up extremely well and are easy to read. They are very well priced too.

Probably easy to find online, Almost any cabinet hardware supply store would have them.

[Neil Brooks]

+1 on FastCap, but I prefer the FlatBack.

For ME, if I'm using it for layout, it's much easier to make my mark EXACTLY where I want it.

There's (some) room for parallax problems with a tape whose mission in life is to extend out a few feet without buckling, by its convex (curved) design.

It's never a HUGE issue ... until you use a FlatBack ;)

[Mike Konobeck]

+1 the FastCap Flatback. Don't think there is real competition in this space.

[glenn bradley]

I have a couple Fast-Cap tapes and they are well made although bulky. I have a couple of these (http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32562&cat=1,43513,43003). They match my steel rules beautifully and for the price, you can hardly go wrong. They even read right to left so I can actually measure something and then mark it with my right hand . .. what a concept. I have some nice older Stanleys that I use for things longer than 10 feet, which is rare.

[mickey cassiba]

Looking to buy a QUALITY tape to use in the woodshop (about 12 feet is long enough). What tape do you recommend and where did you get it?

Thank you in advance,
Abram Godshall
Assuming you mean a tape measure, I've got a Lufkin 16' I've been using for nearly 20 years. I had to replace the blade a couple years ago because I couldn't read the numbers at the end any more. Can't remember where I got it, probably one of the big box stores.

[Bill Huber]

This is my go to tape in the shop, it is only a 12' tape but I find that is all I need for 99.9999% of my work.

The thing I really like about the tape is that it is self locking, that is when you pull it out it stays there until you push the button. Most tapes you pull out and that to lock them, this one you don't.

http://www.amazon.com/Komelon-SL2812-Self-12-Foot-Power/dp/B000BQ7WGI/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1301154310&sr=1-7

[keith micinski]

I also use that little 12 foot Komelon and like it but I would like a flat tape and also one that doesn't have the sliding hook. I rarely use a tape to butt up against things and I always feel like that sliding hook could eventually lead to inaccuracies after being opened and closed for a while. I do like the self locking feature of that tape also.

[Callan Campbell]

Plus 1 again on FastCap. Smaller than my 25 foot tapes, built-in sharpener, and I use the green fractional tape, and have the Metric/Imperial tape as a back- up if I'm using Metric Dimensions.

[Ben Silverman]

The Blind Man's tape from Lee Valley. It is available in both Left-to-Right and Right-to-Left versions.

[Myk Rian]

I went to HD and tried out every tape they had before choosing one. It all depends on what features work for you.

[Matt Meiser]

Fast cap for bigger scale measurements. Anything precise, either a Woodpecker rule or not measured at all but rather marked off of the pieces it fits to.

[Jerome Hanby]

+n on the Fastcaps, I've got the story board one (never used that feature) and the lefty righty (that is my go to tape). Good value and they match up with my other measuring tools. That erasable surface on teh face of the body has saved me a ton of running back when I forget a measurement (or can't find the scrap of paper I write it on).

[Jeff Monson]

I use the green fastcap for most everything, I have a yellow one for some occasional metric measurements. Hard tape measure to beat.

[Jonathan Spool]

Another vote for the Fatcap Flatback

[Ray Newman]

As Myk Rian said, go to the store and look at every tape on display. You will soon find out the tape (s) that fits your hand and is the easiest to see. Also examine how robust the tab is at the end of the tape. Some are pretty flimsy and can not be straightened without breaking if dropped and bent.

I have a circa 1997 16 foot Starrett that I will swear by. Before I bought it, I tried and looked at several different tapes. None were easy for me to see. I found the Starrett, then went back and bought two more. Now I am down to one. The remaining unused tape is a “reserve“, as I do not think that Starrett makes this model any more -- it‘s US-of-A made -- and is still the easiest for me two read despite changes in my eyesight.

If you only buy one, sooner or later you will need to replace it and you will find it will be replaced by a so-called “new and improved” model, which may not be the case.

I only use this tape in the shop. By keeping it in the shop, it does not wander off and become lost. I keep another name brand in the house and another in the truck.

[Dar Lounsbury]

Fastcap. I have several different ones. I agree with Ray, shop tape stays in the shop, one in the truck and an odd one in the house. Also keep a cheap 25 footer in the garden shed for yard measurements. They never swap around. FatMax is good but big and heavy. Like buying shoes, you have to try them on.

Dar

[John Sanford]

I'll give a thumbs up to the Fastcap tapes, I have the green one. I also have a pair of the Komelon 12' tapes, I love the self-locking feature. Finally, there's the Centerpoint tapes, which unfortunately only go down to 16' in length. A great tape for, well, finding the center.

My dream tape would be a Fastcap Centerpoint self-locking.

[Brian Kincaid]

Never used a fastcap, but I did throw out all my old tapes after I realized there were +/-~1/16" errors on all of them from the 1-12" to the 1'+ marks. I bought a Starrett mag (google starrett L1-25). You might be able to find them local at an ACE hardware, but I had to buy mine online.

-Brian

[Mike Schuch]

You guys talked me into ordering a couple FastCaps. With shipping they were cheaper ordering directly from the FastCap sight than ordering through Amazon or any of the woodworking supply places. And they of course had all the different tape options.

http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/ProCarpenter-c12.htm

[Pat Barry]

I've got Stanley and Lufkin and they all work great. I don't have any problems measuring with any of them.

[Mikil Phelpson]

I bought a Big Johnson tape a few weeks ago based on this review (http://www.thewoodnerd.com/reviews/bigjohnson.html). Without a doubt, the best measuring tape I've ever used.

[Jim Andrew]

Having worked construction for 30 years, I use Stanley. I just look for tapes that don't have 32nds. As I can't see well enough to mark that close. 1/16" I can see better.

[Paul Steiner]

I use a powerlock stanley 25' tape the standard one not the fat max. I have always found it reliable and never had any problems. One thing to consider other than measurement how it fits on your belt/ in your tool belt. To me it seems like most tool belts that pocket for a tape are designed for a stanley or lufkin 25'.
A few years back I have a tape that had a magnetic belt clip, I loved it. Then it erased all the data on the flashdrive in my pocket and it was gone.

[Mikil Phelpson]

Paul,

You can safely go back to your magnetic holder. Flash drive are not based on magnetic storage, so magnets don't affect them.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/116572/busting_the_biggest_pc_myths.html

[Sean Nagle]

The best tape I've ever had was a Starrett 3/4" x 12' that I bought some 15 years ago. Since then I've bought a couple different Starretts and have been very disappointed. The printing isn't the same quality as the old tape. Starrett also doesn't offer the 3/4" blade any longer. I found the 3/4" to be the perfect width for woodworking. 1/2" is too narrow and 1" is too wide. Also, the 12' length is also perfect for woodworking. No need for 16' and 25' lengths.

I just ordered to couple of the FastCap tapes to try out after reading this thread.