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| |  | Large Appliances | Home » » » » Stanley 33-725 25-Foot Fat Max Tape Measure | | | | | | | Features: | |
• Tape rule with first 6 feet reinforced with BladeArmor coating for maximum durability
• 11-inch tape standout; 16-inch and 19.2-inch stud center markings simplify framing jobs
• Mylar polyester film extends the life of the entire blade
• Heat-treated spring provides long life and smooth blade recoil
• Stanley's limited lifetime warranty; measures 1-1/4-inch-by-25-feet
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 7.25 inches | | Product Width:
| 2.13 inches | | Product Height:
| 4.63 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.5 pounds | | Package Length:
| 6.6 inches | | Package Width:
| 4.2 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.1 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.25 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 48 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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 Good tape, but don't pull too farSep 02, 2010
Owned this for 5 years and liked it, though in retrospect is was a little heavy for daily use. Finally one day I pulled too far and once you do that the tape won't ever go back in. A serious design flaw if you can cripple a product so easily and fatally. Beware!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Another product chiseled...Feb 12, 2010
I have been in the trades for over 30 years and I have been buying FatMax tape measures for as long as they have been on the market. "Stanley" has once again changed the design and manufacturing specs on another one of their tools... and not for the better. This has been happening in several other tool lines as they now own many. The tapes are only slightly better than a standard tape now. The steel for the tape is thinner than it used to be and the clear protective coating on the first several inches has also been changed... it is just some clear tape that peels off unlike previous versions. WAY disappointing. It got 3 stars because it is still OK but I can see these tapes not lasting very long and there is no rebuild offered. I purchased a couple of these because I use them all the time.
Stanley has definitely chosen to build with lower quality materials. We all know profit is important but it is really sad that companies think this is a good direction. Building with lower quality means profits can be increased because the materials used for production cost less and the product itself will not last as long. These tape measures are spendy as it is and when the quality declines so will my return business.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 carpenters choiceDec 30, 2009
I can't imagine there's a better tape measure on the market than this one. at first i thought it was a little bulky but i was won over by the sheer durability of this tape measure. I use my tape measure on all jobs, from measuring baseboard inside to measuring boards in mud. this tape measure has seen every environment ranging from cold -35 degree canadian winters to blazing hot summers. it has had mud, water, snow, fine dust, and nearly every construction adhesive known to man on it's blade or in it's case and it still snaps back after 3 years and it still stands out over 10'.It has survived 30' drops, it has had debris thrown on it, it has been hit with a hammer, it has done what no other tape can do. it carries all the battle scars to prove it. buy it.
could be a great tape, just barely average as it isDec 01, 2009
I like the idea of the FatMax, because I work alone. I wanted the long standout that this tape offers. That it does very well, certainly better than any other tape.
There are 3 things that make this tape an aggravation to use.
1. The severe curvature of the tape makes it very difficult to see the fine markings, both when measuring and then marking stock for the cut. You really need 3 hands to make that work, which certainly defects the purpose of buying a tape because you work alone. Rolling it to try to get accurate readings will often throw the hook off of the piece you're measuring.
2. The bottom of the tape body isn't flat and constantly falls over when you're trying to mark stock, usually throwing the tape off of the work and/or disengaging the tape lock.
3. The tape lock is simply far too difficult to engage completely. If you don't get it fully locked, the slightest jar will release it and then you have to scramble to catch the tape as it rolls up.
I usually use one of 3 other measuring devices, the Bosch DLR130K Digital Distance Measurer Kit which is terrific for anything that doesn't require you to hook a tape. Otherwise, I'll use a Lufkin AL725 1-Inch x 25-Inch Auto-Lock Power Return Tape Measure or a Komelon SL2812 Self Lock 12-Foot Power Tape. Both the Lufkin and Komelon are self-locking, which I find to be an indispensable feature. I don't know why that feature isn't standard on every tape made. Neither of those tapes have the issues with tape curvature nearly as bad as the FatMax.
Having said that, the FatMax is almost always in my toolbag. That long tape standout is also a huge feature that I use a lot. That's why I gave 3 stars instead of 1. If they'd put an auto-lock and a flat bottom on the FatMax and then charged double the current price, I'd buy 2 of them.
Not very durableOct 12, 2009
I do carpentry for a living and I go thru 2-3 per year!! Same thing happens every time. The blade gets bent during the coarse of normal use and then develops a fracture at the bend, usually right near the tip, then it tears off. 22 feet of wasted tape! Sometimes this happens within days of purchase and sometimes it is months, but it ALWAYS happens. Stanley used to have a lifetime warranty and you could buy replacement tapes, not any more on either of those. For such a premium over other tapes that really stinks. This is by far the most common tape on all of the job sites with any trade contractor too. It does perform better than anything out there regarding reach out and smoothness but I can't get over the lack of durability. Remember those old silver box stanley's? I know some guys who have been using those for 15 years and still use them. This would definitely be a 5 star product if they could make them more durable. It is upsetting because when you read the package they claim to have all this new technology to make it the most rugged tape ever. I can't baby these things at work, they need to be tough. All that said, it is still the only tape I like to use. They look like you could run over them with a truck, huh? An empty wheel barrow ran over the tape laying flat and created a bend that tore 2 days later! Maybe homeowners would never have a problem. They should sell them with a velvet case.
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