What are your thoughts on 40ft tape measures?
Shown above are 40-foot tape measures by Komelon, Milwaukee, and Stanley FatMax. I’m sure there are more.
I’m fairly certain that 25ft tape measures are still the most popular among most tool users. 16ft tapes are popular with some – including myself – and 30ft tapes also seem to sell well. Some brands have 35ft tapes.
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But then there are 40ft tapes, which take thing further.
The thing is, most if not all of the longer tape measures I’ve seen have similar specs to 25ft models. The 40ft Milwaukee, for example, has the same 15ft “straight standout” and 18ft reach as their 25ft tape measure in the Wide Blade family.
I’m clumsy with larger tape measures, and I also don’t like the added size and weight when most of my needs are in the 0-10ft measurement range. I learned a long time ago that 30ft and 35ft tape measures aren’t for me.=
I prefer 16ft tape measures, but use 25ft tapes at least half of the time as they generally offer better standout and stability. For longer measurements, I will typically reach for a laser distance measuring tool, such as the Bosch’s GLM100 (see it at Amazon).
On the other hand, a 40ft tape measure might take the place of a couple of distance measuring tools, saving space in your tool bag. Taking a longer measurement in one go will save time compared to taking it in steps.
Do you consider these longer tape measures impractical, or are they an indispensable part of your tool kit?
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Or maybe you weren’t even aware tape measures of this size existed. In that case, will you be adding any of these to your shopping list?
Hoser
You saying that you like 16 foot and 25 foot tape measures and that they seem to be the right tool for you is like saying that you like to use 10 mm sockets. That’s great if the bolt head is 10 mm, but if it’s any other size you need a different tool. Same with tape measures. You don’t just have one tape measure for every job. Ever tried to square up a wall before you stand it up with a 16 foot tape measure? It’s not going to do it. It doesn’t matter which tool you want to use, if it doesn’t do the job, get the right tool.
Dave
He is saying most of the bolts he needs to tighten have 10 mm heads, so he prefers to use a 10 mm socket, rather than the largest available adjustable wrench.
I’m the same way. I will grab a 16 ft every time, simply because I prefer how it feels in my hand.
Stuart
Pretty much. Some people use 1/4” ratchets with 10mm sockets, others 3/8” and even 1/2”.
You have the option to use 1/2” extra long ratchets with 10mm sockets. But do you prefer it? Need it? 3/4” drive?
But if you need leverage and reach for say a 1” socket, 1/4” and 3/8” won’t do.
40ft tapes are similar. Do you need one, prefer it, or avoid longer tapes?
At say 30-40ft, I’d rather have a 50ft reel-style tape than spring-retract 40ft.
Bonnie
More like how often do you tend to use a 1″ drive with a 10mm socket, or just stick with 1/4″-1/2″ heads.
John
Well of course but that’s the whole point, to talk about what tools work for each of us. Do you use 40′ tapes, and if so for what application? For the work I do, for measurements over 25′ people would use lasers for interior work or surveying equipment for outdoors.
Steve L
I rely on these in order of use
9’ tape
65’ laser
25’ tape
165’ laser
My 25’ Fat Max is already big and chunky. 40’ is too large?
eddiesky
The bigger they are, the harder they fall…from the roof, from the ladder, from your belt, from clipped to your pocket…
I have mostly 25′ tapes. Never had anything longer except survey reels. I did inherit some Luftkin reel tapes (50′) but only used outside when helping a friend with forms/cement work.
I have (got through Stuart’s links) a Bosch green laser…which is amazing, live measures over older generation I gave away.
Bonnie
If I’m measuring something that long I’m going to be reaching for an open-real tape measure, a measuring wheel, or a laser all before fighting with a 40′ traditional metal tape measure.
But I’m mostly a DIYer with a background in landscaping and small home construction for family members.
Jared
My thoughts exactly. I’ve never owned a 40ft tape – those must be behemoths.
OldDominionDIYer
My absolute first go to is a Stanley 12ft 3/4 inch wide tape measure, it’s small, compact, light weight and handles most tasks, now I have 16, 25 and 35 foot tape measures but I always go the the 12 footer first unless of course I know I’m going to need something longer. I have a 100ft tape reel as well and a Bosch laser measuring tool. I still reach for the 12ft Stanley first, it sits in my center console of my truck.
fred
I just looked at an inventory from 2010 for our remodeling business. We had 71 tapes listed. But more or less may have been in actual use- and some guys might carry personal favorites that they owned. Of the 71 – 39 were 25ft – 13 were 16 ft, – 5 were12ft and 6 were 30/35ft. We had none at 40ft – but 8 at 100ft and longer. Today that may well have changed with laser measuring becoming more common. Stanley brands dominated what we had back then – with a few other brands (Komelon, Lufkin and Starrett) representing minority shares.
Leo B.
I’d get a self retracting reel-type 50’ tape before a 40’. Little lighter, smaller blade. Seems to work better for layout and squaring vs carrying a 40’ hand tape all the time. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
MM
“I prefer 16ft tape measures, but use 25ft tapes at least half of the time as they generally offer better standout and stability.
Exactly.
16 foot does 99% of what I need. I don’t want to carry anything bulkier or heavier than a 25 foot. And on those rare occasions I need longer it’s usually a *lot* longer, to the point that 40 feet wouldn’t be sufficient. I have a 300 foot fiberglass reel tape for those few situations.
I’d imagine there must be some situations these are great for but I don’t have any need for them.
Scott K
I typically reach for my 16’ first unless I know I’ll need something longer in which I case I either go for my 25’ or LDM. I do have a 35’ tape but it is really clunky and heavy. I can’t recall needing to measure that far inside and so my preference is a 300’ reel for longer outdoor measurements. 5’ isn’t that much longer but thinking about how heavy the 35’ is, the 40’ seems uncomfortable to use.
Skylar
My framing bags have a 25′ tape because I’m often dealing with measurements around or above 16′. I only break out a 35′ when doing a long wall layout or cutting TJIs.
My trim bags have a 16′ tape because sticks of trim are almost always 16′ or shorter so I don’t need a longer tape most of the time.
Stabila tapes are not as chunky as Fat Max tapes, they have numbers on both sides, and the clip is much better.
Matt_T
My most used/EDC are 6′ x 1/2″ Lufkin Control series. They come in a jar of I think 25. Keep 25 footers on the van for when I need more reach.
Longer measurements I’ve got a 100′ wind up tape when I need to be accurate. I can pace off distances close enough for estimates. Most longer measurements I take are greater than 40′ so I don’t see me getting hardly any use out of a 40 footer. And FWIW most longer measurements I take are outdoors so I don’t think a laser would work for me.
BG100
I use 25′ tapes 99% of the time. I have a fat 35′ in reserve. I’ll use a 16′, but they tend to be flimsy and reaching out on a ladder in the breeze is a bummer. Any longer than a 35′ and I’m using the fiberglass reel.
I haven’t had much luck with 40′ tapes. They pick up some dirt or moisture and then they don’t retract all the way, or get stuck halfway out. They just don’t last.
Grog
“reaching out on a ladder in the breeze is a bummer”
Made me laugh out loud, I could feel the disappointment in my bones.
Kingsley
Are they metric and imperial measurements? In the UK all tape measures and rules haves both, but when I’ve visited the USA. I’ve been surprised to find somethings to be only imperial measurements.
Even though the UK was fully only teaching metric when I was a kid 40 years ago, I use both.
Lots of engineering in the USA is now metric.
mm are great for precision measurements, like building a door frame. Inches are great for medium sized stuff.
Matt_T
In the States the majority of tapes sold at retail are standard/imperial only. You can get dual marked and metric tapes over here but you might not find one on a shelf.
I’ve used dual marked tapes when working with a mix of standard and metric equipment but don’t really care for them. The scale you need is always on the wrong side of the tape!!!
fred
Yep – but you can find tapes with specialized scales.
Examples include – Architect scales, Board-Foot, Brick Spacing (including modular), Center-Finder, Diameter, Engineer scales (10ths instead of 16ths), Loggers and Timber Framing. Fastcap even sells tapes that are blank – for use like a story-pole.
Bonnie
Have had a few tapes with decimal inches (as in 10th of a foot) mixed in with my normal ones. Threw things off once or twice before I wised up.
fred
Here is one example:
https://www.amazon.com/Komelon-SL2825IE-25ft-Self-Measure/dp/B0016A72F4
And another decimal tape used by loggers:
https://www.ustape.com/product/spencer-3-8-wide-combination-logging-tapes-decimal/
MM
My favorite ruler has three scales on it: the usual 1/16ths, 1/12ths, and 1/10ths. The 12th’s and 10th’s scales are useful but it has thrown me off before when I wasn’t paying close enough attention to which I was using.
This ruler also has a 4th scale which I never use, it is marked in units of 5/32, which has some purpose in printing or form design which I am not aware of.
fred
Tp MM’s point – there are probably as many sorts of rulers as there are trades and hobbies. I’m guessing that obsolete styles also abound. I’ve seen old ones for business and computer forms that probably are no longer used. Printers and Typesetters also had specialized rulers. I have several for bike repair and model railroading. My wife has a batch of odd-scale ones for needlecrafts. Back in my school days – hand drafting was a thing – and I still have my K&E engineer and architect scales. I’m sure that there are even more types that would surprise me.
Phranq
I have a 35ft Stanley that I used in the 90s when I was a full time framing carpenter. I haven’t used it since. I also have a 50ft and a 100 ft Stanley that I have used more regularly. Used both of those on a fencing project a couple months ago. They are all useful to have, but I keep the 16 footer in my tool belt, and a 25 in the tool bucket that goes on every job with me.
Droid
I keep a 35 in my toolbox for marking and squaring longer walls. Far more accurate and much less clumsy than the real type tapes.
Tom M.
I know a few roofers who were really upset when Home Depot stopped carrying the 40ft Fatmax tapes. That being said, it’s definitely niche. I’d imagine that’s why they stopped stocking them and allocated the shelf space to other options instead.
Kaspar
I work at a home improvement box storr for a undisclosed tool company. With that said we sell a lot more 35ft tape measures than you would think. They are very popular so I imagine 40ft would be too
Dan
I’ve got a number of 16′ Fat max and old Fat Max Extremes that I grab 99 percent of the time. When the need arises, I’ve got a couple 25 footers. I’ve got 50 and 100 foot manual wind tapes in the drawer that I probably havent touched in 10 years. A 40 footer seems like it would be too bulky for my liking and if I regularly needed more than what a 25 footer can handle, I’d probably get a laser.
s
for work, i really prefer 25′. 16′ is in a lot of situations, is just not enough. it’s also easier for me to add to 25′ as a nice round number, in situations where i need room dimensions, and either dimension exceeds 25′. 16′ of course is possible, but the math needs a little more thinking for me, where i find the interruption/limitation of 25′ less intrusive.
but otherwise, i use 16′ tapes around the house, as all my projects are smaller than that, and the compact size means i can be a lot more leisurely about carrying it. where a 25′ tends to be larger and bulkier, which tends to make the situation to use it more serious, and generally requires a tool belt most times.
Nathan
I’ve never seen a 40 so news to me. I get the squaring a wall.comment but like I eone else said I’d probably reach for a 50 reel.
Another Bob
25’ Stanley I like for most stuff. 35’ fat max back up. Vintage 100’ lufkin white clad metal tape. Hand winder that’s ancient but compact and thin. Comes in handy. Also 300’ and 500’ Fiberglass reels for survey work.
Here’s a tip for anybody doing landscaping bed layout: use 100 foot fiberglass reel tape. Lay the tape out on the ground exactly how you want your edging to go then use that as a guide for your spade. String line works on straight areas, but this excels on curves.
Adam B.
Interior only? Cabinets/ trim/ light installs etc.- 16′
General/ Every day construction/ remodeling- 25′ (the do-everything tape)
NO POINT IN EXISTING? 30′
Niche- Specifically used for measuring roofs for quotes- 35′
Would have used had I found one with a blade I liked- 40′
(the extra length would have been nice, especially since a lot of the pole sheds we also did are built in 8′ increments- annoying to come 1′ short all the time or have to break out the big reel tape)
Big tape for long roofs/ pole sheds- 100′ small steel reel tape w/ pocket hook
Bigger tape for REAL sheds/ shed layouts- 300′ fiberglass reel
Chip
I’ve got a complete mishmash of sizes, with 12 or 15 total tapes, all clipped to the top edge of an open top tool box. I seldom pay attention to which one or length I’m grabbing when working in the shop. All I know is that when there is no longer a tape measure available on the tool box, it’s time to clean up the shop 🙂
I do have a Bosch laser for longer distances.
ElectroAtletico
45 what? I stick with no more than 25ft. If that’s not enough I lay down a pencil mark and move down to measure again.
After my last FatMax met a sad end under the tire of an F150 I moved on to a Hercules 25ft and I just don’t see myself changing – apart from the fact I’m the only guy I see hauling one in their tote bag (along with a small, keychain Ryobi in 10ft/3mtr in case the damn metric system rears its ugly Eurotrash/Can-idiot head).
Walt Bordett
As a lifelong DIY who is now 77yrs old, My favorite tape rule is a Stanley metal cased 12 ft 3/4 wide rule. It is small, fits my hand and the case is an even 2 inches, so inside measurements are very easy. I also have several 25 ft rules which are handy for bigger jobs. I would hate a 40 ft rule, but i understand that some users will prefer them for certain jobs.
Don’t forget about the utility of an 8 ft folding rule with inside measuring extension.