Crescent Lufkin has come out with a new line of Shockforce tape measures, which they say will set the new standard.
The new Lufkin Shockforce tape measures were designed after extensive research to determine what users wanted most. The focus was on durability, time-saving, and enhanced printing for greater legibility.
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There are two styles, Shockforce, and Shockforce Nite Eye, which the latter featuring a high-visibility light-on-dark color scheme. The green markings on a matte black blade are said to be easily read in any light condition.
Both Shockforce tape measure styles have metal “roll bars,” which help to protect the lock button against impact drop damage. The tapes are drop-tested to 100 feet.
The new tapes are described by Lufkin as being compact, measuring 3″ long across the bottom. But that won’t hamper functionality – the 25′ tape measures have a 14-foot standout, which Lufkin says now leads the industry. They also say the new tapes have “class-leading ergonomics.”
The large end hook design is also noteworthy, with a simulated diamond coating and 360° shape for “50% more gripping power.”
Not only all that, there are vertical markings on the back of the blade, for even greater versatility.
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And, they’re tether-ready for working at heights, with a thru-hole tether attachment point. Or, use the hole as a pivot point for scribing arcs.
Lastly, the blades are finished with a durable nylon coating, which Lufkin says provides best-in-class blade protection and 5X the blade life compared to uncoated blades.
Available Sizes
- Crescent Lufkin Shockforce
- 16-foot, L1116
- 25-foot, L1125
- 35-foot, L1135
- Crescent Lufkin Shockforce Nite Eye
- 16-foot, L1116B
- 25-foot, L1125B
- 35-foot, L1135B
- Crescent Lufkin Shockforce Metric
- 5m/16-foot, L1116CME
- 8m/26-foot, L1125CME
- 10m/33-foot, L1136CME
To sum up all the features, here’s Lufkin’s one-paragraph summary:
Shockforce brings new meaning to the term high performance with a full 14 feet* of standout and the ability to survive a 100-foot drop. Add in a diamond coated 360-degree end hook that delivers 50% more gripping power, a two-sided blade with vertical markings on the back, and class-leading ergonomics and you have a tape that’s destined to be the new standard for trade professionals.
Price: $30 for the 25-foot tape
Buy Now(16′ via Acme Tools)
Buy Now(25′ via Acme Tools)
Buy Now(25′ Nite Owl via Acme Tools)
First Thoughts
Here are some of the marketing claims:
The toughest tapes to ever hit a jobsite.
Superior impact protection.
Easier inside measurements (even 3″ body length).
Industry leading 14 feet of standout.
Class-leading ergonomics.
If Lufkin can make good on all of these claims, the Shockforce could very well be a leading tape measure on the market, challenging Milwaukee and Dewalt stakes to the claim.
I’ll reserve making any judgements or presumptions until I can get a test sample in-hand to test the claims for myself.
As a final note, the belt clip isn’t shown in press or product imagery, but is shown in the promo video as a typical spring steel clip (as opposed to a wire clip). Here’s that video if you’re up to it:
salmon
Is it better than a 25′ powerlock? Almost certainly.
Is it so much better than a 25′ powerlock that it is worth switching? Not in the least.
Tape measures were already perfected decades ago.
Chris
Tapes have definitely NOT been perfected… Maybe for basic uses, but I feel like this one addresses some issues, like a big, grippy hook, that I feel is lacking in most tapes. Among other features.
Not to mention it looks cool. If only nearly every crescent product these days wasn’t made in China we’d have a home run.
Richard Turnoski
Every time, be it Milwaukee, Lufkin or any brand for that matter claims they’ve “perfected” any product, I laugh. That is marketing lingo and while I don’t blame them for doing what most companies do, this is still laughable.
What isn’t laughable to me at least is how this once exceptional brand/series of brands used to be be manufactured in the United States of America. If Crescent/Apex wants my money, manufacture the products in America. I’ll gladly pay more, as this is critical we put AMERICANS first. Not other countries, as these same countries never put American interests first.
While I am not entirely thrilled that the Stanley/Dewalt PowerLocks aren’t completely 100% made in the USA, but at least some of the components have domestic origin.
Stuart, if Lufkin or any of their representatives really want to know what users want, keeping Americans employed is pivotal. Perhaps they’ll listen to you, as I can almost guarantee you, no one of significance will ever give me or the average Joe any time. Or they’d give me the same old corporate line I’ve heard for the last several decades “I’ll tell that to my boss” or “duly noted”.
Stuart
Not Lufkin, but when talking to other brands about this topic, I’m often told that a brand cannot build certain tools here, or have them built here, at marketable prices. It ends up being a question of being able to produce and sell tools at competitive pricing, or staying out of the product category entirely.
The question is this – who will buy more tools, customers for whom pricing is a more significant factor, or customers for whom country of origin is a more significant factor?
I can get honest answers, but also run-arounds. I gave up asking Home Depot why they can’t show country of origin online in the same way Home Depot Canada does.
Altan
I would not mind about the origin of the products too much as I really don’t feel like I belong to any country, not the country I came from, not the country my ethnic origin belongs to and not the country I live in… specially when it comes to quality of products, Some call me/can call me homeless about this topic which they do and actually made me call myself homeless when I introduce myself and it is becoming a habit now 🙂 What I care about the products I am trying to buy is the quality, it can be made in any country basically, but mostly we get better quality goods when the origin is Western countries or Japan, but not always! I have bought a lot of German products also which I was not happy with the quality, specially a lot of German made DeWALT and Völkel HSS drill bits and DeWALT HSS Co drill bits and the tip was not symmetric at all, they can use better quality steel in Germany but the grinding quality is not good, If you buy Solid Carbide drill bits from Gühring and check the tips you will notice the tips are absolutely symmetric, so that means it is possible to keep it symmetric, for me if the tip of a drill bit is not symmetric that means that the life of the drill bit can be decreased up to 50% as it can just grind the hole with one side (with the side of the tip which stands more closer to the surface we want to drill), Dormer and Presto drill bits are better about this issue.
I do believe we should support the quality more than the origin and if we support the origin it should be for the purpose of quality not some nationalistic or economic reasons, I do believe in long term quality products make less waste and it is good for the environment.
Michael Drake
Well said Richard!
Michael Drake
These are made in China. I will keep my powerlock.
Bruce
Dropped tested at 100ft and teather capable? Somebody isn’t following their OSHA overhead work guides…
Nice looking tape measure. Those of us that like steel work over dead tree carcasses like a magnetic tip.
Wayne R.
Just like so many other things with interchangeable parts, why don’t these things offer something similar? And yes, losing a needed end would suck.
Wayne R.
“More gripping power” – that’s a painfully silly phrase.
Julian
There’s plenty enough heavy duty tape measures for framing, roofing and other rough construction. What’s not really present in the marketplace is a range of high precision tape measures in the 12-16′ range with well designed, accurate – non-sloppy – tips and specific features for inside measurements.
Years ago – I think it was Big Johnson made some tapes and I’ve not seen the features duplicated since. Specifically, it had very distinct pointer arrow cursors on either side of the blade right at the base of the tape measure for allowing really accurate inside measurements.
I use the old-fashioned folding wooden rule sticks with the slide out brass rule currently for when I need absolute accuracy for inside measurements, but it’d be great to see some innovation in a well-designed 12-16′ tape measure for those fine carpentry uses.
I wish I bought more of those Big Johnson tape measures, I haven’t found one since that fulfills that promise of ultimate accuracy within a coil-style tape measure.
All these ridiculously fat tape measures with the stupidly huge tips – who needs more of those?
RKA
I wish they would spend more time on this type of tape measure. I would also like to see a soft closing mechanism added that would prevent the deformation of the holes in the tips (and the subsequent errors it causes). Something similar in function to a soft close drawer slide…slows the recoil down rapidly in the last 6-12” so the tip doesn’t slam into the housing. I’m always babying my tape measures and it seems they are adding more spring to the recoil so it winds up even faster than ever.
Robin
Who needs more? Metalworkers. We don’t measure tape life in months or years, it’s weeks or days. A lot of structural shapes need a large hook or they won’t catch the corner radius
OldDominionDIYer
I love my 25′ Black Widow, and will be very interested in the independent reviews to find out how it performs against the latest competition and against their own lofty claims. Could be a real beauty.
Mike
The profit margins on tapes must be astronomical. It seems like every company has a never ending stream of tape updates.
fred
Not only that – but tapes are almost a “consumable”
Folks drop them = break them or lose them on the jobsite – so there seems to be a big demand for new ones.
Chris
I want a 25’ tape that can stand working outside in the dirt and mud on the farm. I get about a month or two out of a tape (regardless of brand) before its spring wont return since dirt has built up inside it. Perhaps one that instead of a solid case has just a skeleton so the dirt can fall/rinsed out.
MacLean
Amen
Adam
You may want to think about one of their real tapes. They gave a squee-gee to clean the tape off on wind up, and they wind up quick. They have both open and closed real.
I’m on a farm, and standard take measures just don’t stand up like you hope they would.
What exactly are vertical markings? Just like every foot kind of thing. I would like that for quick reads
Stuart
Vertical markings are rotated numbers on the backside, useful for measuring things like door frames and other vertical geometries. It’s not essential, but can be a convenience.
Ian M
Komelon inox tape measures, you could keep them in a bucket of water and the spring would still work. When laying drains in the rain you can wash all the dirt off and it keeps going. Haven’t had one fail yet but have lost a couple
Craig
But they cant stand out more than 3 feet
Matt Jones
“There are two styles, Shockforce, and Shockforce Nite Eye, which the later featuring a high-visibility light-on-dark color scheme.”
I believe you meant to say “with the latter.” Just a friendly FYI!
Stuart
Thank you, *fixed*!
Joe framer
Milwaukee is not a big player in the tape market except for fanboys. Dewalt makes some good tapes, the 30′ is great for guys learning to read fractions..
…..The FatMax is by far the popular and most used in construction/framing. Noone uses 25′ tapes in construction. Minimum of 30′ is needed.
At 30$ for a Lufkin, that’s a premium tape. The hook sucks . The two prongs sticking up will be bent or broken in no time. Leaving a jagged edge to get cut on.
……The problem always is the same. College educated, engineers, marketing wanks designing tapes , instead of the people who actually use the crap out of them….
Whiskey and Wood
Your prejudice is showing, milwaukee is a very big player in the tape market and makes very good tapes. Their blades are excellent, the first iterations had clips that were too stiff, they’ve updated that. The new stud series has an excellent finger stop point that is very useful. Only thing for me is that they are too bulky in anything over the 16′ size. The fatmax is still king, but how long will that hold out with all the updates coming out? The Lufkin black widow I really liked, but the tape was too too easily bent, so hopefully this isn’t just the same blade in a new body, otherwise it will probably flop.
Joe framer
I can only go buy the hundreds of construction workers I see everyday not carrying Milwaukee tapes..guess your one of the few
Stuart
Tradesmen around here like them too.
Andy
Almost every trades person I see uses Milwaukee tapes. Some of the old timers use old Stanley Powerlocks. Can’t remember the last time I saw a FatMax outside of Home Depot.
Shrugs
There were four engineers that spent over a year designing these, I know one did constrcution all through college and still does it on the side to this day as did one of those marketing wanks….youd be surprised how many of the the people at Apex were tradesmen before they do what they do now.
Weebat
Amen Shrugs. Thanks for the support!!
Lazy Guy DIY
The Milwaukee premium 25′ is still my go to. I’ve tested and used the Stanley’s, Lufkin Black Widow and the (allegedly) indestructible DeWALT and each had their pros and cons. The DeWALT was my favorite for a while until a short drop off a short table killed it. Despite being rated for 75′ drops. The Lufkin black widow tape is a show stopper that I only use in content because it looks good, but the tape measure itself it pretty flawed. I’m looking forward to seeing the upgrades.
Gordon
Ah, there it is. Right on time too. You should just change your name to Joe. We all know you’re a framer because you keep proving you don’t read. It clearly states that they come in 16, 25, and 35 ft versions.
No one uses 25′? Are you serious? I’ve built a half dozen houses from a small ranch up to a 4500sqft, multi million dollar mansion with my 25′ PowerLock. Most other guys carried 25′ too. A 50ft reel tape was far more effective for the long distances.
Kent hanson
I’ve had two lufkins and both were so bad that I would never consider them moving forward. I use Milwaukee and Stanley’s with different styles for different applications.
andrew
Was given a SBD craftsman which is essentially a fatmax in red. The print is not as consistent as other brands, some spots where the printer looked like it was running low on ink and thats consistent with others I have seen. Did not really like it at first but the white background grew on me. If I did more work outside may have a different opinion but inside its just easier to see for my eyes.
Adam
This would be perfect if it had a magnetic hook. I have a hard time finding a 25’ tape with good standout, markings on both sides of the tape and a big magnetic hook. I have a older version of the Milwaukee tape that barely retracts now but haven’t found a suitable replacement.
Nabeel
Fifth year into my Plumbing Apprenticeship and I’ve been using a FatMax since the beginning. The only con I know of the FatMax (and maybe all tapes) is it gets trashed doing ground work. A cold, rainy day in the PNW and some dirt was an automatic death sentence for my past tapes.
Greg
I own remodeling company for kitchens bath and basements. We all use the Milwaukee 16 ft with the 2 wire clip. Its easy on pockets and holds up great. When it breaksbi takenit back to home depot where i bought it for a replacement. They have never said anything to me about returning it. I dont abuse it and use it likenit was intended.
Michael Drake
Unfortunately these are MADE IN CHINA.
I will keep my Powerlock, cost of those are still made here in the US.
Toolfreak
Pretty funny they double branded it with Crescent and Lunkin logos. I know the marketing stuff they put out said they were consolidating the brands like that, but it’s still odd to actually see. Makes me wonder if they will be branding stuff as Gearwrench/Crescent/Lukin eventually.
I do like the look of the Nite Eye color scheme, but would rather they keep the green theme on the outside too, instead of the orange, despite the logo for Crescent/Lufkin being orange.
That said, like mentioned above, I haven’t been impressed with any Lufkin tapes, ever, and am probably not the market for these anyway, but if I were, I’d like to see a self/locking tape with a lever release on the bottom, not more of the same freewheeling tape with a front slide lock. Just too much of a pain to lock and unlock repeatedly when a lever lock is so much faster.
Patrick McIntosh
Think back to when Irwin changed their brand names from Vise Grip to Irwin, the reaction from end users was terrible so they then re-changed the name to Irwin Vise Grip. The CEO of Irwin who did the brand change is now the CEO of Apex. Makes sense really he saw what happened at Irwin and decided not to make the same mistake.
Patrick McIntosh
You need to come to Australia and buy the Australian Made Lufkin tapes. They are still the best regarded tapes in the building game. Sure the Fat Max came and did some huge damage to the Lufkin market share when they were first released but after a while tradies got sick of their pants being down around the bottom of their behinds due to the weight of the Fat Max tapes. Lufkin have created tapes that are the same size and weight as the old fashioned narrow tapes but with the standout of the hugely wide Fat Max tapes. Being made in Australia is important to some of us but not as important as being made in the USA is to you guys, which is a shame really. In fact most people have no idea that there are any tools still made in Australia. When they are told Lufkin tapes are made here they look completely stunned. As for the rest of the BIG brands, Milwaukee, Irwin, Empire, Hart, etc etc, they come and go, they create mayhem for a while and then seem to slip off the face of the planet when people realise they most of them are not up to the Lufkin standard.
Chip
Fencing is probably as hard on tapes as farming is.
I go thru roughly 6# 25 fatmaxes per year.
I’ve tried DeWalt,Luftkin,powerlock,older craftsman,Komelian.
Either poor standout,or bad coatings have dissuaded me.
As of now the Milwaukee feels like the rest in the store,the stud is to wide for my little hands.
There are always improvements to be made, however they will have to prove longevity without my $.
Btw the BF fatmax 2 packs,seem to be made at quitting time on Fridays.
Have had multiple not retract out of the package.
I try to clean and oil weekly,but not very faithfully.
hangovna
The tape itself is super thin, one crease when you’re attempting the 14′ standout and it’ll be permanently destroyed, then will soon rip. Then it’ll wind up on itself and you’ll have to warranty or throw it away.
David
I had chance to see this tape in Orgill show and hangovna exactly explained what I experience. The blade material was super thin. by the time it was 13ft blade was bowing so much. I wish tape measure stop coming up these non sense tapes.
hangovna
Exactly so it’s chasing the numbers game, but in real life senarios, it will fail wayyy before a Milwaukee stud – which has a thicker steel and thicker coating blade (but with less standout). The more standout you achieve, the more the tape needs to curve and the thinner it needs to be to overcome the physics of gravity. Users should really be tethering the tapes to themselves at height not only for safety, but to keep the product from breaking from that failure mode so the drop test marketing numbers would be a mute point.
Ricard
After two months the blade is cracking at the rivet i’m a cabinet maker for 30 years never had this problem before
Steve the Gullible
See, that’s why I read these posts. Who knew you could get worked up over a tape measure. Got a drawer full of ’em but I never tried throwing one 75′ in the air or working on a skyscraper. Just measure with them. I’ll also admit they weren’t a big part of my working history, just another tool.
The What?
There’s no such thing as a perfect tape measure because the pros and cons are based on individual personal preferences. Like myself, I don’t like skinny blade tape measures with the exception of my fastcap lefty righty. And I prefer 16′ tapes for all day use because they’re more comfortable to use and also that residential building materials don’t exceed 16 feet. So I generally have no use for a 25′ tape unless I’m measuring for siding and there’s no breaks on the side of the house. But even then I’ll use my 100′ reel tape or my rolling measuring wheel tape. Anyways, the whole drop test thing is ridiculous. Tape measure housings are made of glass fiber reinforced plastic which is strong as unicornhorns. It also means that it ain’t gonna break because there’s not enough weight inside of it to deaden the impact when it hits the ground. Standout is pretty ridiculous wank also. People don’t use the standout to pull measurements. The tape snaps every time you go out more than 8 to 10 feet. They either have a helper or they make a mark or attach something within reasonable distance that they can see to pull from. Or if they’re smart they’ll use a laser and just attach something to shoot to get the measurements. Although on a bright sunny day that can be a pita cuz you can’t see the dot. But the marketing wank trash that these brands invest so much time in coming up with is just pitiful. Roll bars? Gripping power? Wtf are they talking about?! And with a tape measure named shockforce nite eye, which sounds like the name of a glow in the dark transformer, they have already dismissed themselves to be considered as a serious candidate to be used by a professional. Crescent isn’t helping Lufkin with product presentations like this.
Stuart
“There’s no such thing as a perfect tape measure because the pros and cons are based on individual personal preferences.”
So you would agree that the more options, the better?
rbern
I feel with no magnetic end they have eliminated electrical trade maybe even plumbing/hvac my first johnson 16ft magnetic was a game changer and will/would not ever own a tape without mag end. Just in tight spots in the lift when u drop a screw or coupling that mag tip is a lifesaver
Stuart
Give them time. They’re launching 9 tapes at once. Maybe they want to see how well the hook performs in the field before finalizing a magnetic hook design.
Fred mertz
Or scavenge a rare earth magnet, stick it to the hook and now you have solved the mystery of ‘how hard can it be to make a mag tape?’.
MikeH
I purchased a 16′ regular version and was unimpressed. It did feel great in my hand but the blade and retracting mechanism left a lot to be desired. The accuracy between the front and back graduations was off almost a 32nd. Being static, you could work with it but you shouldn’t have to. The blade retraction is another story. Many times I’d retract the blade and it wouldn’t retract fully. About 4″ stuck out. I could push it in and it would pop back out. I had to extend the blade about 6′ and let it retract quickly to resolve. In order to get the rated Stand-Out, the blade is concave to the point of being a semi-circle. The edges of the tape were nearly verticle. I couldn’t just tip the tape over to get the blade edge against my work piece, I had to lay the whole thing on its side. Not user friendly. Even with the curved blade, it still broke at 12′ 10″ — every time. Not too shabby but not 14′ as advertised. I contacted the seller and they sent me another. Same issues! Except the Stand-Out was only 9′ 10″ — every time. That’s serviceable but nowhere near 14′. I’m a bit weird. I don’t like any belt clips except FastCap’s clothespin style. *And* as it turns out, the FastCap belt clip screws onto the Shockforce perfectly! I don’t care if it’ll withstand a 100′ fall. Haven’t tried it. Don’t intend to. I try to keep as close to the ground as possible. So, if they fix the accuracy and retracting issues (and offer a clothespin style belt clip), I’d sing its praises.