FastCap Square N Tape Review

The FastCap Square N Tape, invented by Tom Noon, is a small plastic square that you attached to your tape measure. The Square N Tape is 3″ wide and provides a 90° straightedge, notches at 1.5″ and 3.5″ for ripping 2x2s and 2x4s out of larger boards, a mark at 1.5″ for single-stud layout, and angular markings at 22.5° and 45°.

You can attach the Square N Tape to a tape measure with the pre-applied self-adhesive disc, or ample amounts of hot glue. On the front of the square is a white erasable notepad area.

The Good

The Square N Tape worked exactly as advertised. We received two samples, one to attach to our own tape measure, and one that came pre-attached to a FastCap PS-25 Pro Carpenter tape measure.

The smooth plastic body slides along boards with ease, and the notched V-grooves are easy to find with a pencil. Small grooves that indicate 1.5″, 22.5° and 45° marking locations were also easy to find and align as well.

The FastCap PS-25 tape measure is a decent tape measure, so most of the Square N Tape testing was done with the pre-attached combo. Using the Square N Tape was pretty easy and with a really short learning curve. After getting used to it, the combo did prove to be more convenient than pulling out a try square or speed square to make short right angle markings.

The Not So Good

There are two downsides to the Square N Tape. First, all 4 of our 25′ tape measures were too big to mate with the Square N Tape without modification. I don’t even see how hot glue can be used to create a strong and aligned match-up. Our 16′ Stanley PowerLock might fit, if I can find it.

Unfortunately, the useful height of the Square N Tape does impede the unlock action of the FastCap tape measure. Well, it does not really impede the lock itself, but it makes releasing the tape with one hand quite a physical challenge. Bringing in a second hand to help support the tape is a quick remedy, but the attachment shouldn’t interfere with normal operation of the tape measure.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, the Square N Tape is a handy device, and it does have potential to be a real time-saver. However, I could not attach it to any 3rd party 25-foot tape measures, and could not get comfortable with the FastCap tape measure and Square N Tape combo.

Despite its flaws, I still like the Square N Tape, or at least just the Square part. It feels relatively sturdy, does everything it says it can, is incredibly lightweight, and is made in the USA.

I sent a note to the inventor, describing my difficulties matching the Square N Tape to 3rd party tape measures and using it comfortably with the FastCap tape, but have not received a response. I thought that maybe I was missing something or handling the Square wrong, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

The Square N Tape is a neat and useful design, and although I personally could not get comfortable with it, your experience might be better. It’s priced at $6 separately or $15 with a FastCap tape measure.

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