When the guys from Apex Tools, distributors of Crescent Lufkin, offered a new measuring tape to check out and proceeded to share specs and info on the new Shockforce 8m and 10m measuring tape, I took on board the ensuing conversation with a grain of salt.
Every company is always going to talk up every new product it releases. Let’s face it, that’s their job, right? The testing that unfolded the following month was nothing short of ruthless.
The tape itself states being rated to survive a 30m drop onto concrete. Now, 30m might not sound like much, but 30m is 98 feet and 5 inches. That’s well above and beyond what you would ever experience in terms of actually dropping the tape on a residential work site. After mounting the tape to the drone, I dropped the 8m Shockforce tape 31 metres onto the asphalt carpark floor, and the tape bounced heavily. Other than the clip flying off, the tape was in impressive condition. The centre joins on the side that had taken the bulk of the impact had opened up about 0.5mm, and that was barely noticeable. We were impressed. The tape had held up extremely well.
Out of interest, we decided it was time to dig out a top-of-the-range competitor’s tape to repeat the 30m drop test. The tape exploded on impact. There were hundreds of pieces. It was only then we realised just how well the Cresent Lufkin Shockforce tape had performed.
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Other features that stood out were the diamond-coated end hook which grabbed on extremely well, even onto metal. The tape itself has a nylon coating which provides 5x lifespan to the tape and numbered markings, and on the underside there’s a scale showing vertical measurements. The size and weight of the tape make it a great fit for a tool belt or for hanging from a waistband or trouser pocket, and there are two crash bars on either side of the lock button to protect the mechanism.
All in all, the Crescent Lufkin Shockforce tape measure feels amazing and is without doubt the toughest tape I’ve used or tested to date. A 4m standout was impressive and it even perfectly survived a 150-metre drop onto the local footy oval.