TOOL TUESDAY: Measuring Up

One of the tools which is often overlooked by many home remodelers is a measuring tool. Trust me, this guy is important..or you may find yourself resorting to my wife's favorite method which is using her "feet" when a tape measure isn't handy...she learned first hand this is not accurate, particularly when quilting, but that is another story.

I chose this tool for today's topic because it is a relatively inexpensive tool, but costs add up over the years replacing the broken / lost measures or time spent trying to get that cheap tape to hold firm for that measurement.  If you can picture that tape measure snapping while you are stretched out over a ladder then you know exactly what I'm talking about....GRRRR.  In addition, there is such an array of measures out there that it can be mind blowing when you walk into the nearest hardware store looking for something to measure with.

There are so many brands, styles and types out there that I won't cover every one, but will give you some pointers on advantages/disadvantages and my personal HOME REVIVAL ranking of some of the most common. To start with I'll discuss the most popular the standard retractable tape measurer.

A few of the brands most common are:



**Stanley- Regular- found at most stores- This is a good inexpensive tape that comes in all different sizes from 3' to 40'.  I like this tape for the price as you can buy a pack of four -12', 16', 25' and 30' at Lowes for $9.98.  But as a man constantly measuring, the weak blade snapping drives me crazy.

****Stanley -FAT MAX found at most stores - This a good tape measure, but does come with a price, about  $19.99 for a 25'.  This tape is mainly 16' -40'.  Due to the price this is definitely for the professional daily user where time is of the essence. The large blade provides an extended reach helping make each measurement that much smoother thus faster.  Several people including myself use these tape measures every day and love them.

*Lufkin - Found at most stores - This tape also is an inexpensive tape that comes in all different sizes from 3' to 40'.  In my past use its an ok tape measure, but after awhile seems to lose its recoil and fails.

***Tool Shop found at Menards - This is a another inexpensive tape with the 3'-40' range.  In my past use this is also an OK tape measure, but after awhile seems to lose its recoil and fails. I rated this a 3 star for the fact that you can go back to Menards when the tape fails and exchange it for another free of charge and during some of their sales you can purchase this tape for $4.50 and get a $4.50 mail in rebate - getting essentially a free tape measure!!!

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***Irwin found at Menards - I've only found it in the standard 25' length at $9.99. This is a good tape that has good reach and has measurements on both sides of the tape for faster/easier readings.  I've ranked this tape in the middle as it is good for the average user at a reasonable price.

In the end HOME REVIVAL'S Top choice awards go out to:
-The Stanley Fatmax /Extreme for the Professoinal or Daily Users for the "useablility".
-For someone who doesn't mind a little inconvienance, I recommend the Tool Shop.  Who can resist a FREE tape measure with a lifetime warranty!

*All opinions are my own and may vary from others