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Nothing fancy. Just a basic 25 ft tape measure because my 10 year old Harbor Freight one finally broke.
Nice! I got a new one a couple weeks ago because one broke and I couldn't find my other couple. Of course, immediately found them after the purchase. So it goes.
It's the only way to find lost items ... Buy replacement.
I've tried performing a symbolic ritual where I pretend I got the replacement and then go to put it in the perfect place. Never works. But when I get the new one, the place I pick that time is the place ei left the old one.
Do not -i repeat not - put stuff in the perfect place!! It's the only way to never find it again the next deccade. Please trust me on this one.
I'M NOT LISTENING. I now have 12 tape measures.
Real recommendation: go clean up. Not the project you need the missing item for, but a tangentially related project/area. Same type of project, different place. Or same place, different type of project.
Travel buckets for tools are a trap.
Wait. You only keep one tape measure around at a time? We buy one every time we can't find all the others.
Somewhere in my house is some corner where 35 tape measures have accumulated, because of some weird natural flow
Little teeny tiny reels, lost sewing measures, half a broken yardstick (I miss the big square ones) and three 50 footers cause one rolled under the toolbox in 2016 and another got left in the attic in 2020
Oh and that one size screwdriver I always need right at that moment. Those always end up there too. Instead of right back in the drawer where I 1000000% put it last time.
There's some sort of tide that pulls at them
Yep. I buy about 3-5 depending on sale price each time.
I have an extra always clipped to my miter saw
I have one in every tool bag of mine
I feel like everyone should have at least two
Huh, I thought all Kobalt stuff was blue.
Lowes carried a neon yellow selflock Komelon. They got phased out at the time I noticed the neon Kobalts showed up. Maybe a year ago.
Ah, they're pulling the good ol' Amazon Basics move
Same SELFlock^TM logo though. Maybe private labeled as opposed to copied. I don't know how to figure out who has the TM to see if it's licensed from Komelon or if it comes from a separate entity entirely. Or if it's even a real TM. The case is distinctly different, as the Komelon was a rounded comfort ergo whereas the Kobalt pictured is a manly knobby grippy thing.
In my part of the world, KOBALT stuff is always blue colored, or so I thought. This yellow is closer to what DeWalt typically uses. What is this world coming to?
DeWalt yellow is quite different. I'd say that is closer to Ryobi green than it is to DeWalt yellow.
Kobalt pretty much mainly has blue livery here, too. I thought it was a Stanley when I first spotted it, so I guess they're diversifying.
Ay I just got a new set of steel calipers to replace my shitty plastic ones... yes they're still harbor freight I'm not that fancy.
Everyone likes to crap on Harbor Freight tools, but for casual work they last me at least 8-10 years in most cases. Considering they cost 1/3 or 1/2 the price of bigger brands, I'm fine with that. It's not like any tool you can by these days, especially power tools, are heirloom quality like the tools our dads or grandpas used.
Harbor freight is also one of the only places you can get tools that isnt donating the money from your transactions to shitty political campaigns.
They don't make campaign contributions as a company, and their higher executives have only donated to a couple democrats. Compared to the politics of most tool/hardware stores thats kinda incredible honestly
How far out can it go before cracking?
Pro tip: buy one with a magnetic end on it. Fantastic for grabbing those bolts or nails or whatever you dropped in a tight space that your hand doesn't fit.
The only downside to this (funny enough) is if you're measuring metal a lot. The end sticks to shit all the time and is a nuisance imo if you just need a bunch of quick measurements. If you're doing wood mainly, the screw/nail pickup thing you mention is really handy
They also collect a ton of shavings when you use them for metal, which gets to be a pain in the ass.
I've never figured out the little slidey tab on the end. Why does it move around?
It moves a tiny bit so that when you use it either push or pull, it reads correctly (think pushes against an inside corner vs hooked and pulled an outside corner). The little slop makes up for the thickness of the metal.
What I'm hearing here is that I don't have to think about it
Before the neon Kobalts selflocks, there were Komelons. I got the 25ft Komelon and don't really like it. I haven't tested the Kobalt, but the Komelon retracts too easily. The "lock" is meant to toe the line between holding itself extended and being easy to extend. It retracts if it's pointed up or if extended into the last half of the range.
However, I picked it for the color. I have a knack for leaving it in odd places. Same neon yellow. Quite findable. Besides, I don't buy duplicates of tape measures. I have 8 unique tape measures at home so I vaguely remember where each one last was
This one seems to hold its place pretty well, but there's also a lock switch if you need it to really stay put.
Oooo the lock switch is nice, then. Komelon only has the release button. It also took time to wear out. Perhaps this thread will lead to the 13th tape measure
I've gone down to a 16', was standing in harbor freight looking at new ones to replace the one I (actually didn't) lose. 16' is 2 boards which is the most I measure frequently. Now my tape measure fits comfortably in a pocket or if you use the clip it doesn't feel so weird and bulky. But I don't build houses.
Does it flock its elf?
The one I have I got a yard sale for $2. I hope it lasts 20+ years...