Marble Garden Gnome
Improved, or is it?
I work in the trades and have owned and used the older version of Milwaukee's 16 foot magnetic tape measure for a few years now. I recently decided to finally upgrade to the new "Wide Tape" version after seeing one at work.
I have included a few comparison photos of my old tape measure and the new one. As you can see, they have similar profiles and their overall size is the same, despite the wider blade on the newer one. The heads on the end of the tape are different shapes with the newer model having a less square shape than the older one. The magnet on the newer one is different as well. I will have to wait and see if this is a plus or a minus in the field.
The one thing I immediately noticed, and am not happy about, is the quality of the printed numbers and lines on the newer tape measure. If you open the photos to full size, you will plainly see that the printing on the newer tape looks faded and cloudy, like when your home printer is starting to run low on black ink.
The older tape's printing is a richer black, despite its' age, and this makes the numbers easier to see at a distance. Working in construction, I am not always measuring something that is close to me or in bright lighting conditions. So, I am a bit concerned about the clarity of the printed numbers and whether I will have issues with seeing exactly where my measurements fall. This is a serious issue to me and I have adjusted my review score for it. If anyone from Milwaukee ever reads this review, I want them to understand that this was not an acceptable way to cut costs.
I will update this review after I have some time with the product in the field.
