The Best Tape Measures of 2021

The mylar polyester film on the Stanely FATMAX's tape shrugged off the sanding I used to simulate wear, leaving barely visible scratches on its measures. In addition to this protective film on the tape, the FATMAX has an additional clear plastic layer on the first three inches of tape, providing it with additional protection. Compared to other tape measures that had the paint completely worn off the aluminum blade of their tapes, the lack of damage to the FATMAX was really impressive. The lines printed on this tape measure's blade are large, easy to read, and include extra markings for studs for construction users.

The FATMAX's ranking was hurt by the fact that its hook has a smaller surface area than our main pick's does, making it more difficult to keep it in place while measuring.

The Milwaukee 48-22-6625 comes with some helpful markings on its measure. After the first foot, the markings continue in inches, fractions of an inch, and feet. However, this tape measure's many faults make it hard to recommend.

Its hook was smaller and shorter than both the FATMAX and the Lufkin Black Widow and its tape was thinner. This made it more difficult to hook on to edges while measuring and when its tape is extended, more prone to bending. Additionally, after drop testing this tape measure, I found that extending or retracting the tape caused it to make a wheezing noise. This speaks to a potentially poor build quality.

If you like the way Milwaukee marks the 48-22-6625's measuring tape but can't stomach its faults, check out the MulWark MLK-53752. The markings are similar, marking out feet, inches, and the fractions for each inch. It features a magnetic hook and, like the Lufkin Black Widow, The Mulwark's measures are also printed on the bottom.

However, I was annoyed by the MulWark's rubber wrist strap: It was stiff and kept poking me as I used the tape measure. If you buy the MulWark, consider cutting off the strap. It makes this tool a lot more pleasant to use.

If you prefer a tape measure with minimal measurement markings, making room for larger, easier to read numbers, the Craftsman Chrome could be right for you. The black-on-white print on its tape is large and easy to read, with red accents to highlight each foot along the tape. The tape's hook is identical to the one found on the Stanley FATMAX and Dewalt DWHT36107. However, the tape itself isn't as thick as either of these tools, causing it to quickly droop and bend, once extended.

You should know that, during durability testing, the Craftsman's case presented a new scuff or dent each time it was dropped, presenting an argument against its long-term durability.

As advertised, The AmazonBasics Big Button has, well, a large button to lock its tape in place after making a measurement. While the button held up well in testing, the sound that the spring that holds the button in place made, each time I locked it, made me wonder about this tool's build quality. I liked that the end of the measure hook is ribbed to help hold onto edges and has a comparable hook depth to our top pick. That it did well during drop testing is another feather in its cap.

However, I found that its measure markings were confusing to read, with inches and feet printed next to each other, identifiable only by a difference in color and font size. While I appreciated that the Big Button's tape also includes markings for measuring in centimeters, the additional numbers only added to the confusion.

The Stanley Powerlock has a lot in common with the Stanley FATMAX: the blades on both tools stood up well against my abrasion test and feature similarly styled easy-to-read measurement text. I liked the fact that the body of the Powerlock measures exactly three inches, in length. This makes it possible to easily use it as part of any measurement you're taking—an incredibly useful feature in tight spaces.

Unfortunately, the Powerlock can't match the FATMAX, or our main pick, where durability is concerned. After drop testing, its chromed body showed a number of scratches. That said, its tape and lock button still worked just as well as before I beat it up. I was disappointed to find that while the Powerlock's tape looks similar to the FATMAX's, it's slightly narrower, making it more difficult to read.

The print on the Komelon Gripper's tape is relatively easy to read; it includes fractions for each inch as well as a colored number for each foot, after the first foot of the tape. However, unlike our main pick, the Gripper's tape is only printed on one side. This tape measure passed my drop test with flying colors, coming out the other end of it without a single mark on it.

The Gripper's name feels like a bit of a misnomer: the hook on the end of its tape was smooth and shallow, making it challenging to hook it onto the edge of the box I used during testing.

Despite Dewalt's reputation, their DWHT36107 tape measure didn't test well.

The DWHT36107's thin blade makes vertical measuring difficult as it folds over on any length longer than three feet. If the tape folds over, the hook can't engage the edge of what you plan to measure. I was disappointed to find that my abrasion test took the paint (and the markings) right off of the DWHT36107's blade, stripping it down to bare aluminum. Finally, its thumb lock slows down how fast the blade of the tape measure can be extended but doesn't lock it in place.

The main thing that the Kutir 56-7525 has going for it is that its tape comes with markings for both metric and imperial measurements. After drop testing, the Kutir started making purring/whirring noise inside its case when moving the blade. However, the retraction and extending the tape measure continued to work just fine.

The main issue with the Kutir is the movement of its blade when it's supposed to be locked in position. The tape rolls back, slightly, into the case when the thumb lock is engaged, changing the measurement. Additionally, the hook on the end of its blade doesn't hold on edges when taking a horizontal measurement.