Question about those $40 'smart' measuring tapes at the home show

I went to a home improvement expo in Columbus last Saturday and there was a booth pushing these digital tapes that connect to your phone. The guy demoed it by measuring a window, and it showed the measurement on a little screen, and honestly it was kind of cool. But then I looked at the price tag and it was $40, versus a decent regular tape for like $8. I can't see how saving me from reading tick marks is worth 5 times the cost, especially when the battery dies and you're stuck with a brick. Has anyone actually used one of these for real work, or is it just a gadget that winds up in a drawer after a month?

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taylor_patel13d ago

My dad’s a framer and he laughed at that booth. Said he’d lose the phone attachment on a jobsite in ten minutes. But here’s the thing nobody talks about. Those tapes are for people who measure once a month, not every day. The real work is remembering your measurements. The phone app saves a list. So if you’re doing a closet or a window and gotta order glass or blinds later, that list beats squinting at a crumpled scrap of paper. Still not worth 40 bucks though. That’s a ladder or a good level instead.

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