Lufkin Measuring Tape Shockforce Nighteye 30mmx5m cminch

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  "Let me start this review by letting you know that I am primarily a woodworker no"

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  Let me start this review by letting you know that I am primarily a woodworker now days. Furniture and cabinetry projects are what I work on most often. I have built houses and done other heaver construction projects in the past and still do occasionally. So my review is based more on using this tape measure around the shop and not out in the field.
  
  This is one of the easiest tape measures to read I have used. I love the big numbers and high contrast of the black on yellow. The increments being along both edges is a huge plus. Especially for lefties like me. I also really like that the tape has markings on both sides. This comes in handy for those weird to measure spots. I do wish the smaller increments were numbered because most of the time I am working with 1/16ths and counting the marks can be cumbersome.
  
  The hook is great for most applications. It hooks solidly top, bottom and from the sides. This helps when you work alone most of the time. The only issue I found with the hook is that it big. There are times when I could not get it into the smaller spaces that occur when doing fine work. The hook is held on with 4 rivets instead of the usual two or three. I feel this will help retain it's accuracy with use. Time will tell.
  
  The accuracy is very good. It is a match for any of my other tapes and only by comparing it to my precision rules did I find any differences and they were within a pencil line width. That's good enough for me from a tape measure.
  
  Let's talk about the blade. It feels strong and I like the coating. I am able to easily mark it up with a pencil and then wipe it clean. The stand out is amazing. With little effort I was able to get almost 13 feet!. Of course it wasn't very stable at that distance, but way better than anything else I own. At 10 feet it was steady as a rock.
  
  And that leads us to the two cons I found. The amazing standout came because of the amount of curl in the blade. At 7 feet it almost makes a half circle. This creates two issues for me. One it can be difficult to get the edge to lay down so I can mark the measurement and often times caused the hook to spin off and I would have to reset it. A lot of my work is under 6 feet so this is not a deal breaker for me but it did cause some problems when breaking down larger material. The other problem this curl causes is it does not allow the blade to retract by itself when extended past 7 feet. Anytime I have the blade out more than 7 or 8 feet I have to help it back in. Again not a huge problem and sometimes it helps to not have the blade come flying back.
  
  Overall this is an excellent tape measure. I would recommend it to anyone. If you are in the trades or just a DIY'er you will not be disappointed with it. It is easy to read, accurate and durable. 

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