Rant: my 20 year old Stanley tape finally gave out on a cabinet job in Amarillo
That tape measured every kitchen I framed since 2004, so when the spring snapped during a cabinet install last Tuesday I stood there like a fool holding 16 feet of loose blade. I drove to the hardware store and bought a new one, but the blade feels flimsy and the lock slips when I pull past 10 feet. Anybody got a brand that still holds up after a few years of daily use?
Did you notice how everything got cheaper right around the time your tape was made? I swear the tools I bought in the 2000s outlast anything on the shelf now. My old Estwing hammer is still going but the new one I got two years ago already has a loose head. It's like the companies figured out they make more money if stuff breaks.