In this review, we’ll be taking a close look at the Milwaukee Stud 25 ft tape measure which is one of their latest tape measures and is said to be the most durable on the market according to Milwaukee.
Disclosure: This a review. I am not paid to give a positive review. These are my opinions. Tool Craze cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information/specifications/features of any tool listed in this article. Manufacturer marketing claims may not always meet expectations. Tool Craze is not responsible if products do not live up to claimed expectations. Please do your full research before buying any products. Tool Craze is an Amazon Associate, and also an affiliate with the Home Depot, Acme Tools, Ohio Power Tool, Tool Nut, Lowe’s, Ebay, and Walmart and places affiliate links to these retailers. If you purchase something through a link on the Tool Craze site, Tool Craze may get a share of the sale.
Ethic’s Disclosure:
Milwaukee was kind enough to provide the Stud 25 FT Tape Measure at no cost for review. However as with all my reviews, I am not paid, sponsored, or obligated to give a positive review. This review is my opinion of the product based on my usage and knowledge and my review will reflect what I like and dislike about the product. My goal with this review is not to push/sell the product but instead to explain the good along with the bad so that you can make an informed buying decision and determine if this product is worth buying. This is a short term review and my thoughts are based on initial impressions. I can not comment on this products durability in the long term since it’s only been around for a short period after release at the time of writing. Buy it now links are provided for this product as a courtesy and convenience for you the readers and are also provided to help support the Tool Craze website so I can offer more free content. I will do my best to provide you with an unbiased review.
My Thoughts:
Milwaukee makes a lot of claims with their latest tape measure claiming that it’s not only their most durable tape measure yet but they go on to say it’s the most durable on the market. They also say it’s drop rated to withstand up to 8o foot falls. I have no way of testing if it’s the most durable on the market or if it can withstand such a fall as there are no skyscrapers in my city so we’ll have to take their word for it.
What I can test out was their claim of up to 10 foot standout and sure enough it can do it all thanks to the tape being wide although at exactly 10 feet any sudden movement will make the blade snap so view this more as a marketing claim that is true however pointless since it will snap with any movement and the blade swoops down too much be useful. I’d say the useful standout range is about 7 feet where you can confidently hold the blade out without worrying so much about the blade snapping at moments notice.
Milwaukee says their blade on the Stud tape measure is the longest lasting blade and is rip and tear resistant with what they call EXO360 blade technology. Again, I can’t test this but what I can tell you is that the blade itself does have some very nice thick armor on it which would make me believe that it’s going to be more durable than other tapes I’ve tried in the past. Locking the blade in place does not damage the tape with bend marks which means it’s a quality tape.
The blade appears to be very tough and other than that the blade markings are very basic. All you get is inch and fractions of inch with line markings that go as low as 1/16″. Other markings include the standard markings for every 16 inches and at every foot. Basically it’s a basic blade, there are no markings for numbered fractions like 1/4″ for example just lines which means this will not be the tape to hand to a newbie. I often have a friend help out from time to time and I can’t tell them to measure and mark 5/8″ as they wouldn’t know how to read it fast enough. For something like that I’d hand them a tape measure that actually has easy to read numbered fractions which this tape does not. Also none of the fractions go up to 1/32″ for additional precision measurements, you don’t get halfway point readings and the markings it does have are only on the front side with an empty side on the back. The blade hook is about medium sized however this does not seem like a flagship tape overall as it’s hook is not on the large side and while it does have what appears to be hooked tips to allow for front side hooking, the tips are not long enough to grip from the front side of the tape.
I noticed Milwaukee uses the same finger stop open slot on the bottom of the tape to allow the user to stop the tape at will with their finger friction and it works quite well. I always worried that this could cause injury like pinched fingers or friction burns however neither of those is present on this tape measure when using the finger stop. It works rather well without pinching and no issues with friction burn since the tape slows down smoothly when finger stopping. You can still use the integrated slide lock as usual if you’re more accustomed to this method of stopping the tape or when you want to lock it. But I found the finger stop to be faster and more useful as you can stop the tape on the fly and release at will without fussing with a slide lock. However I still prefer using auto-lock tape measures but that’s my personal preference. The clip hook is nice as it’s a sturdy wire frame clip and it’s held on by a single Phillips screw.
Final Thoughts:
Milwaukee sent me the 25 foot Stud model to take a look at and it’s priced at $25 and they also have a 16 foot model with the same name and features priced at $19.99. It’s a nice tape overall and really like the blade armor and the finger stop comes in handy. I’d buy one if I needed a sturdy tape that would be subjected to regular abuse on the jobsite however for me personally this is not a tape measure I’d be interested in, mainly because it’s not a self-locking model and the hook cannot be hooked from the front side of the blade which is something I use often when needed. Also because this tape measure only has line markings for fractions, it’s not a tape measure for the inexperienced person. I’d say this is a mid-range tape measure designed for serious abuse such as constant drops and even surviving insanely high drops and the blade itself looks to be very durable with it’s thick armor, more so than others I’ve seen in the past.
Available Models
(48-22-9925) 25ft STUD™ Tape Measure – $24.99
(48-22-9916) 16ft STUD™ Tape Measure – $19.99
DISCLOSURE:
Tool Craze does not sell this product or any product on the Tool Craze website. Also Tool Craze does not handle the sale of any item in any way. Tool Craze is an OhioPowerTool affiliate and an Amazon Associate. And places affiliate links including those from other retailers Tool Craze is an affiliate partner with. If you purchase through a link on the Tool Craze site; Tool Craze may get a share of the sale. Please refer to the About section for more info. Tool Craze cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information/specifications/features of any tool listed in this article. Please do your full research before buying any products.
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