We (myself and Ben) were talking about the new Crescent Lufkin Shockforce tape measures yesterday (read more about them here), and I went looking to see what user feedback has been like.
On one of the product pages, I came across this promo image for the Nite Eye hi-viz version of the tape measure.
Advertisement
But this morning, with the browser tab still open on my computer, I found myself wondering – what is it supposed to show?
In the product image, the Lufkin tape measure is resting on a rather large block of discolored steel that looks to be waiting to be cut by a horizontal band saw. Is that the saw’s table? Is the unsecure (or ar least unclamped) tape measure what’s being cut?
There’s freeze-frame lighting, and what are those silvery flakes flying around on both sides of the image? Coolant spray or metal chips? Both? Maybe coolant on the left, chips on the right?
A photo like this takes a great amount of photographic skill and/or editing to achieve. And it does look quite good. I appreciate product images that stray from white-background norms. But I don’t “get” it.
To me, this product image says “badass tape measure in a completely impractical work environment.” It also hurts my sensibility.
I’ve been working with a test sample, and so far the only thing that has bugged me, aside from this product image, is that the belt clip was a little wiggly and had to be tightened.
Advertisement
Buy Now(16′ via Acme Tools)
Buy Now(25′ via Acme Tools)
Buy Now(25′ Nite Owl via Acme Tools)
If you happen to catch one of these tape measures at the hardware store, give it a go. I like that the 25′ Shockforce tape feels closer in size to a 16′ tape than the monstrous 25′ tapes that other leading brands have come out with. I like the ergonomics so far.
Nathan
first thing that comes to mind is you can clearly still read the number on the tape and make out the hashes.
So perhaps it’s meant to be “even in the dark and dingy environment this tape is easy to read”
Otherwise horribly staged photo in work terms.
Meanwhile despite this I do sort of like the idea of the light color writing on a black coated tape.
Corey Moore
I believe this implies that the tape measure will actually operate the bandsaw and other high intensity industrial tasks, telepathically or otherwise. Even if this tape won’t actually cause autonomous construction/operations to happen just by existing on site, your positive remarks bode well for me, as I’m planning on purchasing a pair of this exact tape in the near future. I’ve found myself in another kick to phase out some more of my more background tools for the best versions I can find at present. The shockforce certainly seems premium and checks many boxes on my tape measure wishlist. My DeWalt XP’s have been serving me well for some time, but they were an opportunistic purchase, at times seem perhaps heavier than need be, and have recently collected some amount of sand/fines which is beginning to irritate me when returning. Unsure if the hi vis version is worth it for me, but I’m cautiously optimistic about it’s ability to replace my daily tape measure. I’ll have to verify if leaving out on site will spontaneously cause machines to operate.
Jarf
That was hilarious!
Cr8on
I think it’s showing that it can withstand a band saw.
Kyle
The shiny chips give the impression they are flying around but I think it’s just how a bunch of chips look when they are stuck on all the surfaces of the saw (from the last time it was used). Somewhat of an optical illusion due to the chips being shiny.
Mnoswad
I don’t comment often, but when I do it’s to agree with the obvious. Kyle is correct on this one. Chips stick to surfaces covered with cutting fluid. This is a static image.
Evadman
This is what I came to say. The metal isn’t flying around, it is just not-clean equipment. Easy to see that nothing is moving when you look in the ‘free space’ above the steel block between the 2 sides of the bandsaw. It’s all just aluminum, or extremely fresh steel, stuck to equipment by cutting fluid, lubricant, or similar.
Perhaps the focus plane of the camera is giving the impression that the waste material is moving?
Big Richard
I’ll give a third agreement with Kyle’s assessment. That’s how our band saw looks at the end of every day, before cleaning.
Toolfreak
Fourth agreement here, although I would add this seemed obvious to me as a photographer and bandsaw user at first glance, which made the comments in the article kind of weird to read.
Sal
It looks legit. On the right hand side, you can see the hose touching the blade to cool it down. They probably turn it on before cutting steel like this. Everything seems to be “swishing” towards the left. So the must have pressed the trigger momentarily to get this shot. There is a lot of metal debris on the left coagulated by the water.
Garth
First thing I noticed was that the saw blade is installed backward.
Logir
Winner winner chicken dinner
james ouzts
Yea that’s what I saw. Still confused.
Johnny
Looks similar to our Cosen saw. Ours runs the way pictured ?♂️
A W
The “table” looks like a large piece of metal positioned to be cut by the bandsaw.
Clark
The pic shows a tough looking tool in a tough but attractive environment. It displays the easy to read tape with a tight curved profile and ( in my opinion) the fact that it would be easy to lose in a poorly lit area. This isn’t the only source featuring this tape today. I would say the image and promotion is a success.
Kizzle
You’re overthinking it. It’s just some marketing person’s idea of a badass image.
Altan
I would not look at a tape measure if it is only in Imperial even if it is made of Gold!
Mike
Agree. Just recently got a metric/imperial tape measure and dealing in mm is so much easier. Even if most/all USA plans specify imperial, when it comes to measuring the real world and cutting things to fit it, I find the metric scale better.
Altan
Are you an American saying that?! Of course is easier to deal with mm, because mm is 1/10 of cm and we have ten fingers and we use Decimal numeral system in mathematics in daily use, so our brain is already adjusted to that decimal thing, When I say 1mm I know it is 1/10 cm, when I say 3mm I know it is 3/10 cm, but when I say 17/64″ I have to think for a while… also in metric system it goes like mm, cm, dm and m, and each time it becomes 10 times bigger which is easy to analyse with a brain which is used to decimal numeral system, but in Imperial system Inch becomes foot which is 12 inches and then foot becomes yard which is 3 feet, it does not follow a clear system, I understand why Imperial system has come up with yard and the reason is to create a measuring system close to Metric (1 yard is approximately 90cm (2.5 x 12 x 3) which is close to 100cm or 1m) as you can see the creator of Imperial system has tried to adjust to Metric system partially, historically it has been proven also, the use of Imperial system has been reduced now just to USA! I only buy tape measures which are only metric (both sides/edges)
Stuart
“as you can see the creator of Imperial system has tried to adjust to Metric system partially”
Nope!
The yard predates the meter by centuries.
Altan
I know, Metric is very new, But Foot (30cm) which actually looks like a foot size is and sounds very medieval. I was just joking, I am just trying to convince Americans to give up from Imperial system. But you agree with the logic in Metric, right? I have mentioned about this issue a few times here on toolguyd and most Americans (including you) have kept quiet, reminds me a Persian saying “keeping quiet is the sign of approval!”
Probably the creator of Imperial system knew that a few centuries later one would come up with a new system (Metric) which will have more logic in… How about this excuse?! 🙂
Sal
Nice catch Stuart. I love watching bullshitters getting caught, lmao.
Altan
Sal, you also keep quiet about the logic in metric, should I repeat that saying again?!
You just make me laugh, also I don’t take your comment serious as I believe the ones who just enjoy others getting caught have some sort of mental issues rather than trying to have logic, to improve something and being creative. If I was going to think your way I would ask you to document your IQ level and then compete in a discussion with me…
Stuart
There are benefits to both.
Fahrenheit, for instance, is better for environmental temperature measurements since it offers greater resolution.
Why does the UK also still use miles per hour for road speeds?
5 cm is ~2 inches. 100mm is ~4 inches. Little conversions I can visualize.
I can visualize 2 oz of water. But 60 ml? *shrug*
When I start a new batch of pickles, I weigh out the salt in grams, it’s just so much easier.
Split 19 inches and 27/64ths in half. Thirds? What’s the center of 7 feet and 11-11/16 inches? Yes, metric would make this so much easier.
We learned basic metric units in elementary school and were told that the country would eventually change over. I don’t know if or when we will ever change over. Any changeover will take years and incredible amounts of money. Eh, if it ain’t broke, there are other things that need fixing.
So you’re saying that you’re making things up and stating them as facts on purpose, for the reason of “joking” and “convincing Americans to give up the imperial system?” Sal’s description of this as “bullshitting” seems highly accurate, and you did get called out on it. Lying or making things up is not creative, it’s harmful, because some who read your comment might believe that metric came first and imperial after.
Altan
Two units in Fahrenheit is almost a unit in Celsius, we use half units also like 22.5 Celsius. However I did not address specifically about Fahrenheit or Celsius, I was talking about the Meter and Yard in general.
UK still uses Yards and Miles as they just try to resist against Franco-German Metric (made by French and spread by Germans) like you Americans! Here in UK in construction inch is used only for door size, nothing else.
1 litre (10cm x 10cm x 10cm) of water is 1 Kg of water, that is where the Kg comes, water freezes at 0 Celsius and boils at 100 Celsius.
I do those visualizations a lot, it is not complicated if you accept inch as 2.5 cm. But the funny thing is when I see SDS+ drill bit stamped as size 12.7mm and not 1/2″ or Hexagon Screwdriver bit size 1.27mm, I already know this is not Metric and is 1/20″. Is it the hidden way of Imperial pushing Metric?!!! If I use 1.27mm hex screwdriver bit to unscrew something I know this product is made in USA or at least the brand is American.
Changes always consume lots of money, but it is for one time, Now the world pays non stop for having two systems, any factory wants to make drill bits should set up two different lines, one for the US and one for the rest. Is it not extra expense?! I know there are a lot of things that need fixing.
As much as I remember I have not joked like this before here on Toolguyd, This joke particularly about Yard and Meter is not going to hurt anyone I believe, But we both (all) know the fact that Metric is with more logic in, as you mentioned you have been told in school that US will finally convert, you can check the Maps for Imperial vs Metric since 1800 and you will see the trend is in the favour of Metric, Joking like that is not going to change the fact of having more logic in Metric. We are not always creative here, but I look at the total outcome. I don’t think that this joke was harmful to anyone here, when I feel that there would be some concerns about saying harmful things I would already not joke in that way.
MichaelHammer
Metric is superior in every way. There was a feeble attempt to switch in the 80’s, but then the republicans realized American businesses make way more money selling us two of everything. Yaaaay! We’re the best, we’re number one!
Altan
Good comment!
Boggsy
Making money is easier in metric too, because there’s 100 seconds in a minute, 10 minutes in an hour, and 100 hours in a day.
Not to mention a circle is 1,000 degrees. Celcius.
Altan
How do you know it is 10 min in an hour? Maybe it is 100 min in an hour?!
I am not a fan of Sexagesimal system for time, Sexagesimal system has a deep root in Sumerian (today’s Iraq) history as you can see Arabs are still using this system and their year is not 365 days and it is 355 days because they accept a year as 12 (60/5) full moons not 12 full months. That 12 has become a base unit for everything related with time even in Western world, In Western world a lot of things have been copied from Semitic (Jewish, Arabic, Phoenician) or Sumerians. Latin, Greek and Cyrillic alphabets and numbers have been mostly copied from Phoenician and partially Hebrew and even today you can see a lot of similarities between Arabic and Latin, Greek and Cyrillic alphabets and numbers, probably second, minute and hour have been copied at the same time.
I personally would make a day 20 hours (10 hours day and 10 hours night), each hour 100 minutes, and each minute 50 or 100 second.
A circle is 360 deg. because it is 60 x 6 accordingly.
Frank D
Same here.
No matter the merits whichever tape brand & model has, I will not pay a premium for ANY imperial only tape.
Jeffrey
There are two kinds of countries… those that have been to the moon, and those that use the metric system.
Altan
Your answer has been deleted but probably after you saw it 🙂
Brad
I see a Cosen COSEN SH-460M Hydraulic Mitering Saw preparing to cut stock metal.
Somebody left their expensive non-waterproof tape measure on the stock.
The tape measure is brand new (not dirty and not a scuff) but already defective as it can not roll up all way anymore. (What would one have measured 3″ for that cut? More like a foot)
Not a drop of water is on the steel or tape measure.
What?
Corey Moore
Blade lock is down, so your presumption of defective is due to oversight lol Understandable, given your hyper awareness of pretty much everything else that could possibly be drawn from this picture. No sarcasm, that was impressive lol
MattF
I find the speculate highlight on the left corner of the metal block distracting.
Similarly the black hole shadow at the intersection of the tape and body by the number 3.
That black hole has me a little stumped on the lighting setup.
Toolfreak
I see a not so very good tape measure designed by a not so very good company that is trying to use photography as a way to get people to want to buy their product.
I kind of like the yellow on black tape, (although it would make a lot more sense if Stanley did that with their yellow tapes), but man, just as a consumer I find it incredible all this time and money can be spent by a giant company on designing and creating a new tape measure and…you get stuff like this. Stanley’s LeverLock is a better design even though the quality is poor.
Then again, I have never really found Lufkin tapes to be very good in the past decade or so. I expect the company or name will eventually go away and be completely replace by Crescent branding.
Travis
Funny also that the end of the bar appears to be milled (too smooth to be saw cut)- it isn’t every day I square up stock on the mill before I saw cut it. Lol.
Jim Felt
A relatively inexperienced marcom or account executive heard or created some buzzwords around this new product and conveyed them to their photographer.
None of them demonstrably had a clue what anyone would use a tape measure for and no one wiser had any oversight. Or cared.
We should be lucky someone didn’t tell them it “might” be waterproof.
Robert
I actually had the misfortune of acquiring one of these tape measures. It looks great and the markings are easy to see. Had it out on a job building a deck, and within literally 45 minutes of using it the last 6 inches of the tape got caught on a joist, twisted and kinked. I then had a neat looking paperweight. My “who knows how old it is” Fat Max worked great after that.
David Zeller
I must be rong, since all the other eagle-eyed people didn’t comment on this, but to me, the hook on the end is not in-line with the tape. it is turned towards the camera. Look at it’s lines compared to what should be parallel lines on the case; they aren’t. The face of the hook doesn’t appear to be perpendicular or parallel to anything, really. To me, anyways.
Ian
UK still uses miles because of public perception, they are considered British and not continental, but unlike when everything else went metric, that was a cost incurred by the manufacturer. Changing all the roads over to miles would be a government cost.
Similarly beer and milk is still sold in pints, not litres, partly due to a sense of Britishness, but also everyone feats they would get ripped off. A pint is 568ml, and if went metric would be sold as 1/2L (500ml)
Altan
Milk is sold in litres also,
https://www.abelandcole.co.uk/guernsey-milk?bvstate=pg:9/ct:r
https://www.abelandcole.co.uk/guernsey-milk?bvstate=pg:9/ct:rhttps://www.abelandcole.co.uk/guernsey-milk?bvstate=pg:9/ct:r
I can find more links.
Altan
Britain has adopted Metric in 1965 I think, but Metric was never not fully implemented as I believe they were aware of Brexit, They knew one day they will have Brexit in case if they join EU, at that time UK was not an EU member.
Stuart
EU wasn’t established until 1993…
Altan
I know, what I meant was this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union#/media/File:EC-EU-enlargement_animation.gif
I also don’t mean anything Non Franco-German is not good, I like the AC 110V that in US and Canada you use rather than using 220V-240V used in Europe, For safety reasons, so here North America wins, I should also admit that the UK electrical plug and switch system is the best and that can be copied by US and Continental EU.
Stuart
Let’s get back to talking about tape measures.
Frank D
Fwiw, the EEC ( or EEG in Dutch, CEE in French, … ) European Economic Community, preceding and forming the basis of the EU, was founded in the 50s and the UK joined in the 70s.
Altan
Yes, I know, if you check the link from Wikipedia that I attached here you will see the map showing the dates that the countries joined in EEC and then EU. I think UK did join in 1973. However I will not continue to write about this as Stuart asked us to get back to the tape measure.
Frank D
True, true!
Thom
Tape measures and coolers are 2 things I tend to impulse buy when I shop in stores. I have a lot of tapes and of the 4 or 5 Lufkins I have I use them the least. I like a tape reel that sits flat when extended and the Lufkies either sit nose down or when flat the tape is at a non flat angle.. Is it just me being picky or does it bother anyone else?
RC Ward
Just a rigged up photo to make their product look cool. Nothing to get exited about.
The What?
Sure, it’s a cheesy promo pic with too much photoshop editing that makes absolutely no sense, but there’s no need to analyze it. But being that it’s called nite eye, they should’ve just taken the pic in a room with the lights off with the tape extended to show its worth the money and that it’s name holds water. They’re promoting it can be seen in any lighting conditions. Well no lights is the only appropriate conditions that I can think of that will prove this tape is worth the money.
Patrick McIntosh
Two things, Yes America made it to the moon, well done. However there are two kinds of countries, those which use metric and that one which doesn’t. As for the image, it’s a take on the Terminator movies! It’s showing Arnie in one of his disguises, indestructible, tough and good looking.
Altan
You should see the answer before it was deleted :))
Patrick McIntosh
????
Patrick McIntosh
Well that seems off!