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Nice novelty, but not a serious tool.

When I saw this product, it was an instant must-have gadget for me. After using this tape measure, it’s novelty quickly wore off. First of all, it’s heavy and bulky. The motor drive and four AAA batteries make it easily twice as long and heavy as a normal tape measure (how how long are tiny AAA batteries going to last?). Secondly, the motor drive seems very underpowered. It really moans and grinds once you extend the tape more than a yard. Another problem is that the retract spring is very weak (there’s a warning on the case not to retract the tape at very high speeds). It was disappointing that the motor drive only works to extend the tape, and not to retract it.

The biggest problem of this device is that it is still a metal tape measure that will frustrate endlessly as the tape bends, folds and collapses when you try to measure long or vertical distances. Basically, this is a normal tape measure with a battery powered motor strapped onto it. It would have been better if it had a digital readout.

Probably a nice toy for the suburban weekend DIY crowd, but the plastic case and underpowered motor make this unsuitable for professional heavy duty work.

Update (5/18/2012): This item is currently on sale here for the lowest price I’ve seen.

The featured review for this product, Black & Decker ATM100 25-Foot Auto Tape Measure Tools & Hardware, was written by Navarro L. Parker.

The average rating for this item is 2 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.