STANLEY Tylon 8m/26ft Pocket Tape Yellow/Black, 0-30-656

Solid weighty tape measure. Good length at 8 meters but also wide, 2.5cm, making it easy to read.

Stanley is something of a household name in the field of all kinds of tools, and Ive found their instantly recognisable yellow and black colour scheme has become an indicator of a certain standard of quality. Im happy to say that this extendable metal tape measure lives up to that reputation. Sporting the traditional yellow & black Stanley livery this item has a very robust and durable plastic and rubber casing held together with metal screws, and measuring 8cm x 8cm x a surprisingly hefty 4.5cm width. It is also rather weighty - in fact it has about the same dimensions as my dual steel tape & laser measure and weighs even more. This I assume to be the result not only of the superior and more robust build materials, but also of the length and width of the metal tape, extending as it does to 8 metres (26 feet). It has the same width as my laser measure because of the Metres and Feet/Inches measures marked on either edge of the tape. The tape itself is Tylon coated for protection, though I cant imagine this contributes much to the weight. The markings are clear and precise, and it is accurate; indeed over longer distances it is more accurate than my laser measure, albeit only marginally. The terminating metal tab is configured so as to allow it to be used to measure externally or internally, taking the width of the tab into account for more precise measurements. It extends freely and smoothly It also features the standard belt clip on the back. At only 3.5cm long it wont clip fully onto wide belts but the clip is stiff enough to secure it nonetheless, and while the clip is held by a central screw, it wont accidentally and annoyingly rotate around it if it loosens, as it is cleverly recessed to prevent that occurring. Having said all that, it does fall a little short of perfection; a minor irritation for me is the lack of carrying strap/loop or even a suitable hole to utilise one of ones own, but the major irritation is the stiffness of the locking tab, which requires undue pressure to lock and release, and when it does release it does so very suddenly with a jerk, thus exposing the user to the danger of having fingers caught by the metal tape as it spring-zooms back into the case. To be fair, this is all too often a property of spring loaded retractable metal tapes in general and not specific to this particular brand or model There is however a halfway position on the switch that allows one to keep the tape in position without actually being locked, just by keeping ones thumb held in position as a kind of brake, and this I find particularly useful for making fast, smaller measurements which dont require the tape to be greatly extended. Overall, I have to say that this product is as well built and efficient as I have come to expect from Stanley, and at the currently advertised price of £7.90 I deem it particularly good value for money.

I’ve had this tape a few weeks now and I am a roofer. It’s perfect. Tuff durable. It’s fallen from 15-30 meters at times and still works perfectly. Great buy

Useful tool

Great

Excellent well made tape measure at very good price

Have tried a lot of the more expensive Stanley/Milwaukee etc. Keep going back to this. Best value for money tape out there

All good does what it should

So easy to use especially for someone who prefers to measure in cm/mom/m instead of ft and inches. Fits in my handbag and has helped me measure spaces in my new house reliably

This is a sturdy measuring tape. The lock feature is easy to use. My only complaint is the clip at the end. When measuring the clip doesn’t hold onto whatever I’m measuring it just comes off. That’s a pain because I have to have someone hold it down when it’s supposed to hold on it’s on.