Crescent Lufkin 1-3/16" x 25' Black Widow Black Dual Sided Tape Measure - L1025B

Great tape! You may want to use the tether to attach this to your belt as after several people commented on how cool this tape was, it "walked away" from the job site after only 2 days! I ordered 2 more in January with a 2 day delivery. It is now 2 months later and the delivery date has been adjusted multiple times. The product is available on other web sites, so not sure what is going on. There is a newer version available but it is only printed on one side.If they are available, I highly recommend.Update: I finally got another one. I had it for a few months until this one too "walked away". I really like these tapes, but they are a magnet for sticky fingers. I normally wear out my tapes (kinks or breaks/ lettering coming off), but these are problematic. Everyone who sees them comments on them and wants one. Unfortunately, someone wanted mine a bit too much...twice.

The best tape measure ive ever bought even after a few pet-peeve cons. Love the black high-visibility tape. Ive dropped it a few times on concrete with no problems. Good standout. I have accidently extended these beyond the 25' mark to the point were i could see the tape attached to its retraction mechanism, AND THEY STILL WORK. People in the construction trade know this is rare. Most tapes fail to retract if you extend to far.Cons: the tape retracts freakishly fast and I fear could easily slice a finger while slowing it down if you're not careful. For as big as the hook end is, it truly sucks at grabbing on metal surfaces over long extensions (i work with aluminum product). However, having to take readings dozens to almost a hundred times a day, I have found the black tape with neon green/yellow writing to be faster for me to read and comprehend small fractions than the conventional yellow taoe with black writing. Last con: lack of different sizes.Update: there are now different sizes. The tape measure stopped retracting properly after 6 months of heavy use. Because of this, i decided to buy a fat max tape. Huge mistake. It got wet, was laid out to dry, and the yellow tape with marking peeled off within a week of purchase. This does not happen with lufkin. I have gotten it wet numerous times and the tape simply only shows slight rust stains on the edges of the tape. Nothing peels on a lufkin.

I like the look of the bright numbers/letters on the black tape. The belt clip is super strong and never bends out of place. It's rubbery and feels like it would survive a large fall. I like how the end-clip has a top & bottom. It functions well but I find myself really babying it. I don't even know how it happened, but the tape already has a kink at the 12" mark. Knocking off a star for this because I honestly do not know how this happened since I have been so careful to take good care of it. My only guess is that it happened on recoil, so if that's true, it's unavoidable. The unit is self-coiling so there is no way to control the windup speed without running your fingers over the tape itself. The button is lever-type that just holds the tape in place... there is no throttle; either it's holding the tape or it's fully released and sucking tape back.

The yellow on black background makes this tape easier to read, and the tape itself feels textured so that is less likely to slip through your finger tips. Although I have not had to stand out the tape as far as 10 or so feet, being able to is always reassuring. I’m very pleased with this purchase.

I love this tape. It's the first one I've had that I haven't creased within the first month. It's really easy to read. The tape itself seems thicker than normal with a nice feel to it. My coworkers all ask where I got it. They love how easy it is to read. The only thing that could make this tape better is if it had the fractions on it. But since I know how to read a tape measure, it's not a big deal. Highly recommend. Based on other reviews, it seems like they've upgraded the tape to make improvements, because the one I have had for the past month doesn't have any of the other issues people were complaining about. The numbers don't fleck off, it sits flat, it hasn't creased (altho I do try not to let it snap back). It does extend up to 10'. I'd buy it again.

I’ve ALWAYS been a big Johnson (they stopped making those) or a fat max guy. I’ve aleays made it a point for every guy on my crew to carry the same brand and model tape when calling out measurements... this tape makes seeing the tic marks so much easier.I purchased tapes for my entire crew and they didn’t complain. But they did say I was getting old. As long as I can still perfect my craft every day and be certain to see the tics, I don’t care what others think! It doesn’t have the strength of the fat max for stand out and the blade starts to weaken close to the hook if you let it reel back too fast & too often, but it’s held it’s own for a several months so far. I’ll continue to purchase this tape until Stanley makes one like it stronger!

At first I was very excited. Yes, the green markings on the black tape are easier to see, however, I have noticed that I am misreading my tape with some frequency. This could be due to the fact I have been using a standard Stanley 25' for the past 7 years.It was also stated to have a longer standout but the tape seems to break around 7'The foot takes some getting used to but I can see how it will be handy when I finally do.All in all, it's a solid tape. If you are in the market, I would recommend.

The tape measure is nice. I purchase this tape measure to replace an old tape that is lighter and easier to read. The tape with the neon green lettering on the black is very easy to read. Easier to read than the traditional tape. measure. Finally, the tape fits comfortably in my hand.I bought a second tape after the tape cracked in a few places from wear after less than two years. First time it has happened to me a tape cracking like that and found out the hard way when it cut my finger as the tape was feeding back. I really do like this tape that is so easy to read and the price was right. In fact, most contractors that see the tape are amazed by the clarity of the tape that is very readable. For the cracking a very low 4 rating.

Good quality. Use this for work and does its job well

I chose this one because I was tired of springs breaking in my Stanley tape measures after very little use (without abuse). As other reviews have mentioned, this one extends really far, and slightly farther than is claimed by the company. I have not dropped it, and don't intend to, but the drop tests I've seen the results from are encouraging there. Especially since I need to be up on a tall ladder for our ceilings. I've had it for quite a while now, and have yet to have any problems. The coating is great, the numbers are highly visible for those of us who hate wearing reading glasses that can get steamed up while working, and I love the colour contrast. I'm not a professional, but rather an occasional hobbyist who hates using garbage tools, and this things seems brilliant so far. I needed a tape measure that extended really far without flopping for ceiling measurements I was doing, and it works very well for that.

The head, while lacking a magnet, is well equipped with grabby corners but doesn't do much good when the body can no longer stand erect like grandpa's willy.The unit took too much of a beating when it retracted. Shedding its own material until the first few inches + head snapped off a few days ago. It got caught on a doorstop while I was retracting it, from about 4-5 feet away.I got about a good six months of use with this unit. Six months may be good for some but this was while I was rotating between 2 other tape measures.If you were more of a casual handyman around the home and you want to look cool with your black-out tape measure that is good in low light settings, then great. Otherwise, if your tools take a beating on the regular then you're better off with Milwaukee or Stanley FatMax or [insert your favorite here].

As soon as it kinked once, it never stood out past 3 feet again.Broken 6 months later with regular every day rough carpentry work.Like the high vis, but wouldnt buy again at this price point.If it was half the price, itd be a good deal.

I really liked the tape, smaller body for easy in an out of touch, easy to read like they say. Tape is very thin, kinked at 9" first day an now curls when trying to extend. A month in an it rip where it kinked