Review of the Stanley FatMax 25′ Tape Measurer with Reinforced Blade Armor Coating
Although some of the FatMax tool line that Stanley has reinvented are a regurgitation of tools that hardly needed improvement in the first place, the FatMax tape measure is indeed a great achievement in the tape measure field. While I personally tried the 25′ FatMax tape measure, there are different sizes and designs for all your measuring needs.
First and foremost, I was certainly impressed with the tough exterior of the tape blade. Stanley promised that my tape has 11′ stand out but I found my tape would nearly stand out to 12′ before breaking. That’s a great improvement over a conventional tape measure which has an average stand out of 6′ to 8′. With that in mind, it was easy for me to take measurements without the help of another person for most of my measuring needs. I was especially impressed with its ability to stand out above my head in an upside down position. I did find however that after a few months of using the tape it did lose some of its stand out distance.
The hook at the end of the FatMax tape measure was very ingenious. It has hooks at the top and bottom of the blade. This allowed me to make even more measurements that would normally require a helper holding the end of the tape, saving me time and money. I found I could actually place the tip of the hook into cracks of stud’s way above my head to take measurements that I would have had to use a ladder to measure.
The case of the tape was extraordinarily strong. As I used the tape over a few months in heavy construction conditions, the FatMax fell off the roof and onto the concrete slab a few times with no damage whatsoever. I have had several tapes in the past fall from just a few feet and slip open or break the hook off.
With that said, there were a few design flaws I found on the Stanley FatMax 25′ tape measure. First, it was the weight of the tape measure. It is much heavier than a conventional tape measure. As I carried it around in my pouch all day, it felt cumbersome and awkward. It took some getting used to. I normally like to carry a 30′ tape but these were even heavier and bigger than the 25′ tape measure.
The blade armor at the first 6″ of the FatMax tape measure was unimpressive to me. It was designed to protect the blade from breaking as the all do over time. All of the tapes I have ever owned break at around the 4′ mark. If they really wanted to make the tape exceptional, Stanley could have covered the entire tape blade with the blade armor.
As a carpenter, the Stanley FatMax tape measure is an essential hand tool for framers and trim carpenters alike. If you love tools and do a lot of woodworking or home improvement projects, then this tape is for you. For the average homeowner who rarely uses a tape measure it would be impractical and they do cost more money than most other tapes.
