You would be hard pressed to find a tool box or pickup truck floor that doesn’t have at least one tape measure in it. We need them on most every job site but they are NOT all created equal. Fortunately, Crescent Lufkin has created the Lufkin Shockforce and Lufkin Shockforce Nite Eye tape measures. These tape measures were designed to help us to complete projects and to last through the often abusive process.
Tale of the Crescent Lufkin Shockforce Tape
Lufkin Shockforce tape measures were designed with the goal of raising the bar for professional grade tape measures and I am here to tell you that they completely measured up (pun intended). Some of the distinguishing characteristics include:
• Diamond-coated end hook grabs material from every direction and prevents slippage
• Narrow blade technology offers reduced weight when carrying a tape all day on the job site
• Matte nylon blade provides extended product life and glare reduction
• Optimized drum and spring design provides a compact case design that fits comfortably in the palm of your hand
• Survives a 100′ drop for real life, on the job durability
• Dual-sided blade print with vertical quick read scale on underside for overhead and hard to reach measurements
• 14 feet of unassisted standout
• Steel tether point offers increased safety capability when working at height
• Steel tether point can also be used for scribing and drawing arcs during layout
Sub-Brand: Lufkin
Series Name: SHOCKFORCE
Magnetic: No
Belt Clip: Yes
Auto Lock: No
Blade Width(s): 1-3/16-in
Blade Standout: 14-ft
Warranty Limited lifetime
Lufkin Shockforce tape stands tall
The claim that the Crescent Lufkin Shockforce tape can withstand 100 feet drops onto cement peeked my interest to say the least. In fact, even though it is completely against every fiber of my ‘treat your tools well and they will treat you well’ approach to life, I actually threw the Lufkin Shockforce tape measure off of my garage roof to test their claim.
With a genuine wince of pain, I let it fly and threw it up into the air – approximately two stories high – and watched it come crashing down onto my driveway. The tape took a couple of healthy bounces before rolling to a stop. I knew what it was thinking, “what was that for?” followed by “now what would you like to measure next?”
The Lufkin Shockforce tape measure was absolutely ready to go after I had rather rudely ejected it from the rooftop. You can see that one of the four rivets holding the simulated diamond coated end hook was loosened, but the tape still works just fine.
Lufkin Shockforce Readablity
The matte finish, blade width, number size, color contrast and dual sided features of these Lufkin Shockforce tape measures are noticeable improvements over standard tape measures. As you can see in the side-by-side comparison, the Lufkin Shockforce tape measures are clearly easier to read. This is true from a distance, up close and as the daylight begins to fade as we are still working.
Regardless of your age or strength of eye glass prescription, the readability of the Lufkin Shockforce tape measures is sharper and easier. The double sided tape, patent pending, helps when you are working alone or when you are holding the tape and need your partner to call out the dimensions. It just makes sense.
Standout Statistics on the Lufkin Shockforce
While it is technically true that the Lufkin Shockforce tape measures have a 14 foot standout without collapse or crinkle, it should be noted that there is a substantial sag in that standout. At 7 to 9 feet, the tape measure was keeping a fairly rigid line. As the photos attest, at 14 feet there was an arc with approximately a 2 foot fall.
Having said that, many other tapes would have folded completely leaving a crease or tear in the metal tape that would adversely affect the ability of the drum and spring to work at all.
You Get What you Pay For
You could buy several cheaper model tape measures for the cost of one Lufkin Shockforce tape measure – $27.98 at Lowes’ – but the difference is clear. The Lufkin Shockforce tape measures have a standard 3 inch add for the length of the body, are more compact, and easier to read. And let’s not forget, as shown above, these are designed to take the abuses of professional grade job sites as well as the everyday DIY-er.
I genuinely put the Lufkin Shockforce and Shockforce Nite Eye tape measures through some rigorous situations. These ranged from excavation for a retaining wall in which the tape was used, abused and temporarily buried in the gravel, to intentionally throwing it two stories into the air down onto the driveway. I am pleased to report that they are still going strong and I will no longer be intentionally throwing tools off of roofs – although they may still accidentally make a rapid vertical drop from time to time.
