Komelon PSE55E 5M/16' Metric Self-Lock Tape Measure, Yellow/Black

I am a licensed electrician and plumber and obviously have used a few tape measures in my career. Recently I have gotten into welding and fabrication as a hobby and possible a new business. Using the metric system over SAE has actually helped be more accurate and consistent as well as save time. The rest of the world knows this already... This tape has both SAE for materials and hardware here in the US but metric on the other half, top and bottom sides of tape, make measuring easy. I have looked everywhere for a solid tape. This beats the usual common brands by far

I have had this brand before this, a smaller one but finally left it out in the rain and it died. Replaced with this and I simply love it. The auto stop push button release is still as great as my old one but this has a crazy vivid easy to read color and print. The print is on both sides of the tape which I've never seen, and it has a double sided... catcher? foot? hook? Whatever holds the tape at the end of what you're measuring. Would unquestionably buy this thing again.

I have written about this before - I now have three of these. One for the shop. One for home. One in the toolbox to carry around. All in all - the best tape I have used in years. Oh, I like other tapes too. But all round I love the auto hold on this. Just a good, useful tool.

I sometimes need to measure things in both Metric and Imperial units, and this does both. Easy to read, even in low light. Vertical measurements are printed on the back. It locks automatically, and a push button releases it. It is well built and has a good price.

So I didn't really understand what the "autolock" feature did. I just needed a nice tape measure (don't need the bulk of 25') that was easy on the eyes. I first heard about these on Concord Carpenter's review. All the tapes I have works by pulling out the tape, *then* locking it. But with these, when you pull out the tape, they stay locked. When you're up on a ladder, with a drill in your hand, sometimes you have to fight the tape to get enough tape rolled out. But with these tapes, you just pull on it, then pull on it again. You don't need to lock it to pull out more tape. The retraction is nice and smooth as well. Finally, I didn't realize that there was measuring tape on the back. That would explain why the hook is on top and bottom of the tape. But the back of the tape has the numbers written vertically. So when you're measuring height, the numbers are shown in the correct way. It's a small thing until you get used to it and realize how much better it is. I highly recommend this tape.

I like the clear markings. Product feels solid. 1 year in and the locking mechanism no longer works. The mechanism is such that I can't manually lock, it slides closed when you let go of the tape.

I have purchased several Komelon tapes before and appreciated the quality. But this model is very, very nice. The materials feel very high quality and the action of the mechanism and recoil is very satisfying. The tape is marked with both metric and imperial on both sides which is a thought addition. All in all probably the best tape I’ve ever held in my hand.

Retraction mechanism works better than traditional manual lock-type . The imperial and metric markings are very easy to read. As a plus, it makes it easier to convert from one unit to another. The thick gauge of the steel tape makes reaching out better than bargain tapes. One other thing… the measurements are printed on both sides with a twist. The white side shows the dimensions for vertical measuring. A small detailed but well appreciated. I’m buying a couple more in case I lose this one!