Lufkin Nite Eye Tape Measure: Maybe my new best friend. Dense. Compact. Durable. Seems dialed in. 

HAHAH Doc, your tape measure collection looks like mine, Always on the hunt for the best...I am an electrician in the construction field, so Many tapes for different jobs...I use my 30ft stanley fatmax for laying out loops in the roadways, I use my 25ft lufkin nite eye/25ft milwaukee wide blade magnetic for room layouts (they are to heavy for all day use and carrying) but MY GO TO is the 16ft Milwaukee wide blade magnetic! - Just broke my last one...If they made the 16ft wide blade in STUD form, I would NEVER buy another tape again! Great video!

Good vid and will check back in with channel but drove me nuts the constant slapping of the tape end against the housing. Old timey carpenters that I grew up with taught me to not allow that slamming as it wears the rivets prematurely introducing error in measurements. They must have corrected me more than once when I was younger as it stands out to me like a shot in the dark now. Slow it down as the tape approaches the end with your finger and let it lightly come to a stop on said finger. Food for thought for those who read comments and maybe don't know. Keep up the good work and thanks for showing some new tape options.

I fell in love with this tape about a year ago. I've gone to the 35' one because it's the same size as my old 25'. The only feature I wish it had is the wire hook like the Milwaukee's. Those seem to hold their tension better for me.

The 35' nite eye has been my daily driver tape for 2 years, definitely more robust than other tapes I've had in the past. And the diamond coated blade makes a huge difference

I bought one last week love it!

The gen 2 is significantly better than the 1. Added blade protection for the 1st 7 inches, added a tab onto the clip so you can open it as your putting on your belt. Then they made the hook slightly skinnier so it doesn't stick out as far when retracted so it won't get bent if you drop it

Good looking tape measure.

Just my thoughts. The Milwaukee 16ft tape with autolock is my go to.. Anyhow thanks for another great comparison video Doc!

A few years back, I picked up an Irwin tape at a local lumber yard. That was a well made tool with all the features - wide, reenforced blade with marking on both sides, magnetic, good pocket clip, and a piece of graphite (? pencil lead?) in the heel to mark a measurement. I think someone on a jobsite liked it more than me, though. Sadly I haven't seen one like it in quite a while.

I picked up a 2 pack of Nite eye 25' tapes on sale for $20 at Lowes last year. Clip needs more of a bend at lip. Well built heavy duty tape, easy to read.

Had bought this tape thinking it would be great while getting measurements doing baseboard every day at work. Ended up snapping the end off from tight corners and trying too squeeze the tip in tight corners. Ended up going back to tapes with a smaller tip but just my own reasoning

A tool that I use often as a industrial electro/mechanic, is "pince de pêche Xcalibur 7.5po", very slim profile and locking "ratchet" handle, very useful for strong grip on small things, like settling a wire in a terminal, official use is to remove hook from fish

Been using 5M Stanley Leverlock for about 4 years now. I haven't seen your model before, the plastic looks alot cheaper then the blockier/squarer version I have. Never got on with the small buttons and find the wide paddle real easy to use.

I appreciate #1 It is metric only or Imperial only - In my opinion any measuring tool that has 1 side dedicated to metric and 1 to imperial is pure trash, just chuck it in the nearest bin where it belong. - if I want to measure in 1 scale I'm not going to change that when I look at the other side of the tape, square, ruler, etc. #2 Standout - This tape has the best standout of any tape I've ever used by a fairly wide margin, if you're measuring upwards/height especially this is a really great feature. #3 Rugged - Hard to break, nuff said. #4 Easy to read - The 'nite eye's' a good feature. #5 The double-sided hook, nice and large, locks on pretty good with that rough surface they've treated it with. All in all I reckon its easily the best tape measure available right now. Had 1 disappear and get run over a few times by heavy equipment, actually not totally destroyed but the tape was bent. Good enough to buy twice, that says it all I reckon. Note Milwaukee tape measures are really terrible, that finger holder allows massive amounts of dirt in. It doesn't survive 2hrs on a muddy civil jobsite. I had 1, remember I didn't like the magnet. Reckoned it was too big for my pocket (this is why I prefer 8m/25', not 10m/35'.

LUFKIN does makes the best tapes. I use the 16" shockforce with magnetic tip. After 20 years working in concrete construction it is my favorite tape measure brand.

That's the first time I ever hear of a tape measure being anemic. Nice video.

Great video… apparently I am not the only one who has a s-ton of tape measures. As I have aged, I have started using the Komelon 25 foot LED LIGHT. It has a white background with black numbers. Rechargeable.

Hello again Doc Thank you for another Great Video. So which measuring tape will go with you on the trip? Again thank you

Thanks for the video

Great review

Great video!

Hmmm... Lufkin states "100' drop tested", which might be true. However, unless I missed it, I didn't see anything about said tape actually surviving such test. Thats an important 'detail' in my book. BTW, if you get in the habit of never letting tape blades 'snap' back in the case, it will extend their life. Snapping back unnecessarily subjects the hook rivets & blade holes to some very high loads. I end up dividing a lot of oddball lengths into equal sections. Metric tapes & rules makes doing so ezpz & quick. Edit: Typo.

I really like the Milwaukee auto lock for metal fabrication in the shop, but other auto lock tape measures haven't been as good in my limited experience. Also I preferred it for sign and graphics for whatever reason, maybe less frustrating in my use.

Doc you need to add the Milwaukee auto locking tape measure to your tower. I’m partial to auto lockers myself. Stanley fat max auto locker (and standard) don’t seem like they have a strong retraction mechanism to me. The Stanley lever lock I thought was ok for what it is. The Milwaukee is the best auto locker I’ve found so far, but would happily accept the “last best” one!

Been using mine for a few weeks now and the first thing I did minutes after buying it was grab a knife and shave off the rubber on the back that blocks the clip and grabbed a pliers to bend the clip out a bit so it's not such a fight to hook it on my pocket

So, they designed a tape measure for use in low light areas and decided to make the housing black?!? If anything they should have left it the traditional Lufkin bright orange. I think the aesthetic of it definitely looks cooler but practically it's going to be way harder to find the where you set the tape measure down in the dark.

That stanley lever lock the button is to lock the lever in the up position so the tape retracts like a normal tape measure, squeeze handle, push button while squeezing, and release lever

For me I’m a cabinet maker and I like the chrome stably 25ft tape measure a lot except one thing. I always crimp the tape at the 1” mark and eventually it ends up ripping at that crimp. I just got myself another new one and it took 2 days for that crimp to develop. It’s from retracting the tape and the rivets sometimes catch and then it bends real hard. I like the chrome Stanley because I don’t like the big wings on other tape measures it gets in the way for a lot of the things I do and I like the size and weight of it.

I’d be interested what you think of the Hultafors Talmeter tapes with the pull-out bit. I had a nice one for years but I could swear the newer one I got from Amazon is a fake.

What is your opinion on Swanson tape measures?

I bought 2 of these. One a few months ago and another yesterday. The first one I bought I had dropped from 2 feet and the whole locking mechanism broke and just ruined the whole tape. I did like the actual tape a lot so I went and bought another one hoping it won’t break from a 2 foot drop when though it’s rated for 100’. I’ve had an old shitty Milwaukee that someone traded me for my new one and there has been time I’ve just thrown it from 15 feet off the ground with a hard throw and it never broke. It ended when I pulled it all out past the 25 feet

The thing with crescent lufkin tape measures, they are easy to find when they are discounted. Very cheap as well. Just picked up a set of 2 shockforce for 10 dollars total. I own 2 Nite Eyes and various other lufkins. Milwaukee needs to release the Stud measuring tapes without the magnet. Whatever they have in store at the Depot, they don't meet my preference. I always just go with the Stanleys if I ever need to get one at the Depot.

I’ve just noticed for the first time your old Lufkin has the metric system on top of the imperial. WoW. Where can I find such a tape ? And with the inches in tenth…

For those on metric, the Bosch tape measure is excellent and my go to tape. Festool’s tape is great for shop work. Otherwise I also like the Milwaukee 5m tape

The klein tape measure is my absolute favorite.

There is a new version of that tape nite eye G2 I think it just came out. It's got some improvements

Nite Eye with magnet is an instant buy for me.

This tape kinked on the first day! So bummed that I got a 2 pack. Got a fat max right after.

I've always enjoyed tapes by Fisco. Now owned by hultafors but still made in England (at least the ones I own). The video flex specifically might interest you though not for any of the reasons in the video, assuming a thin 3meter tape is of any use to you. It's what I tend to keep in my pocket around the shop.

metric and imperial, a magnet, a wide blade and a the size of the tape written on the side of the tape is the mix of things I need in a quality tape measure. I still haven't managed to find one

Outstanding

I like the idea of that dark tape, as you said, great in low light....But what surprises me, is that no one has put a light on the case that would shine down on to the tape. The technology is out there... Little button to turn it on when you need it in poor lighting situations.....

Just paused the video, for a quick search,, do they do this with a metric AND imperial blade,, I can't find it if they do,, they're either one or the other, 😢 (seen it in the yellow blade, mm +inches,,, but not in the black,, )

Idk if that the problem with the lufkin it has grate retraction that the head tends to brake off…after the third lufkin I gave up

You are missing my favorite set of tape measures with unique features... Fastcap. I have the Lefty/Righty (reads both ways), Story Pole (you can mark it up as a story stick) and PMS-Flat (lays flat, excellent for woodworking and cabinet making). All have fractions broken/written out for easy read (1/16, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, etc.). Check them out.

I used two lufkin nite eye (metric) over a period of 1 year, although very nice, very readable etc etc they are nevertheless very fragile, especially the first 7 centimeters which wrinkles and makes it very fragile

Would you happen to know if the Lufkin Nite Eye is available with metric markings too?

At one time, Lufkin occupied a rather substantial industrial complex in Saginaw, Michigan. They mostly manufactured precision tools, not unlike Starrett and Brown & Sharpe. In fact, I have their 520 surface gage on granite as I type. Kinda sad what happened to such a prestigious American company. BTW, Doc, ever use a Kant clamp? Take a look if you haven't. Might find it interesting.

You should check out Project Farm's tape measure test. I believe his favorite was the DeWalt

A tape measure designed for low light applications should be a brighter color. Easy to read numbers isn't any good if you can't find the tool. The black looks fine, but it would be much better with some lime green imo.

Why is the building on the package being blown up?

I used only Lufkin’s in the ancient 1970’s I still carry my ancient little 12’ Lufkin If I’m in a store w out a tape measure & need to measure something, I just go to the tool isle & borrow one Many times if I borrow someone’s vehicle, I will buy a tape measure & leave it in their vehicle Home Depot had a sale on Stanley fat max 2 packs before Christmas so I bought 2 packs; kept one for myself & gave the other 3 as presents I will buy that lufkin nite eye just for the larger numbers & contrast

I've been doing some deck work recently and it gets a little dewy in the morning. All this tape needed was a little bit of water and ALL the paint peeled off the back up to 100 inches. I love this tape, but that is unacceptable for 40 bucks. It seems like someone needsd to solve the issue of durability when it comes to tape measures.

Love all my lufkins, and my black widow metric tapes are the best. I kinda despise marketing pushing something being rated for unsafe work habits though.

A nice tape....probably beats my free Hobo Freight tapes all day long. LOL I do like the color contrast way better. That alone makes it better than most. My eyes are crap these days.

Is it available in chrome? If not that would be a dealbreaker for me, I work outside and having the ability to reflect sunlight , Substituting as a powerful flashlight,can be a Great advantage.

Gotta go for the standard 25’ Stanley fat max. Get them on sale 2 for $25. Made in USA. Time tested

No love for DeWalt tapes? I've always loved them and I've used fat max and Milwaukee but still like DeWalts the most. I've had one Lufkin and it worked great but cracked the case and it's the only tape to of done that to me and I dropped my DeWalt from the same height and didn't break it.

From my perspective as a normal sized guy, unless you have gorilla hands, most of those look like they would not be for someone that uses a tape measure all day for work. I’ve still had the best luck with Stanley’s standard chrome 25’ it’s easy to handle and pretty durable overall. I tried they’re Fat Max which a lot of these look similar to and was just too big to comfortably use all day. Clipping it on your belt felt like you were carrying around your whole toolbox on your hip.

Na I got one hoping it would have been a better experience then the other Lufkin taps I've had and it didn't even last a day before the blade kinked and the coating started coming off

I bought this tape measure it was on sale at Lowe’s pretty flimsy the first 2 inches got bent up right away the stand isn’t good not a bad tape but will only be a back up for me i prefer the fatmax all the way for price and stand out the pocket clip on the Milwaukee is awesome though

I find that most of the time with magnetic ones the magnet isn’t strong enough anyway

Bought the Lufkin blade broke real fast liked it though maybe lasted a month

I love that tape measure but vgc gave it a thumbs down lol great video doc!+

My nite eye sarted rusting after using it in rain/snow.

Stanley FatMax, 12 ft., 16 ft., 25 ft., and 35 ft. Got rid of Lufkin, never bought a Milwaukee. Got an old Craftsman though that belonged to my Dad, probably 50 years old.

No autolock??

I’m a big Milwaukee fan but I absolutely hate every tape measure they have ever made. And I’ve tried em all. I think I might like this one though

Hook is a quarter inch too big imho, also the hook bends from looking at it . Good tape tho I fw them

3:30 squeeze the lever then push the red button to hold the lever..

Why do we have to modify brand new tools?

I have a video on my instagram and I Ran a 16’ over with a lull and it still works

Thomahawk t1 Ol my, 270 bucks but it’s cool!

Man I wanted this! But don't need another chinese tape😪

That Caterpillar Lufkin is incredible. I work in aerospace and we use 1/10 and 1/00’s far more than the traditional fractions seen in construction. I have some 1/10 rules but not a tape. Guess I have a new ‘unicorn’ to look for at flea markets

Tape measures are like tooth paste, 10 different "flavours" from the same brand... But I only have one mouth!

Komelon inox I had for years a lufkins, never Milwaukee tapes like red army likes

Calling the stud durable is the complete opposite of my experience. It's got a nice belt clip though. Belt clip being the main downside of the standard fatmax, which is the most durable tape I've tried.

I bought one and hate it. Reading the numbers is great and I wish other tapes would go to this color. The retraction of the tape is horrendous. If the tape is extended to 18’ or so it doesn’t want to retract. It’s a 35’ tape and has only been used once. Very disappointed with this tape

👍

I’ve had 2 of these for work, they don’t last long!.. the tape itself breaks easily… found Stanley FatMax is better, the Crome one

the most important things for a tape measure is width, basically pick a wider one, and better pick lighter one if you moving a lot with your tape, never pick those slim or skinny one,some expensive one maybe slightly "durable" , to me i wont pick those expensive big brand name, expensive doesn't better, a brand name called knight ,white and blue casing,thats the most cheap and reliable tape measure i ever used, for a heavy user 24/7, because cheap,sometimes forgot your tape or lost it in work site,then get an other one, but good or bad depend on whats use for, if just for home gamer , pick a cheap one i guess, all about the width, wider always better,i guess everyone know how annoying those tape width too slim and not wide enough.

My Lufkin was awesome looking and comfortable to use…but I broke after very little use and a small drop from my table saw. Won’t buy another…

I've owned one it works well and I liked it alot but it isn't as durable as a fat Max

It won’t survive 100’ I dropped mine off about a 8’ scaffold and it won’t retract anymore.

I don't think the yellow stanley is a traditional Fatmax

Fastcap !

From a guy that puts tape measures through their paces: I cant stand any of the tape measures you showed in this video. The Milwaukees have good blades, but the housings are over-engineered, bulky, complicated, clumsy. The wire clips suck. The tips suck. The Shockforce has HORRIBLE retraction and often wont retract at all when pulled out some distance. This issue has been publicized, and seems to fall on deaf ears. The only one that doesnt have this issue is the mini pocket version, which is really nice. They are all consumables and wear out. I find Fatmax is still king in availability, functionality, durability. YMMV depending on use, or as in the case of these, not used at all.

OOh! You just want one don't you.

Give Sola Big T a try

Try one of these and you won't go back to all that junk. Tajima GS-16BW GS Lock Standard Scale Steel Blade, 16'X1"

You should check out @parklancustom’s video on the Gen 2, if this tape, the original one (in your video) has some serious durability issues here the video link ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qwrLzvPTwk8.html, t

man, I would just hate to have to use inches and feet for anything - the metric system is so superior! boggles the mind that the US is so stubbornly attached to our old Imperial cast offs

Lufkin used to be the best, but they eventually became just like any other Cheap import junk. Maybe this tape measure isn't bad, but I can't buy an imported product from a brand name that used to belong to a respected American manufacturer of top notch products.

I hate that Lufkin tape. Use it for a while and it retracts like crap

show me one tool you own that shows signs of actual use

Saw project farm and Milwaukee tape measures are definitely not one of the best.

No to that tape. Dont need to watch the video. The fault is visible from the thumbnail shot. The blade has 0 ability to grab from the side. And if its relying on one of those addons to do so, its still trash. Stanley is my go to tape measure. The 16' autolock fatmax is hands down my favorite tape measure. Milwaukees autolock is okay too. I prefer milwaukees action with the button, but i need a wide blade for diverse use. Wide blades also stretch further sideways, which im often doing. Normal tape widths like to roll on their side pretty easy.

how much money do you waste

No pros use 16 foot tapes