A quality tape measure is a must for your tiny house build. It’s one of the most used tools in your toolbox, and a cheap tape measure will only result in frustration.
The optimal size for a tape measure is 25-feet. Any longer and it gets a little bulky, any shorter and it’s too small for some of your measurements. The tape material of shorter tape measures is also thinner, which means it can’t extend out as far before it collapses under its own weight. This makes them harder to use.
We tested 7 tape measures from Dewalt, Milwaukee, Stanley, Komelon, and one from Harbor Freight just for the heck of it. Besides the one from Harbor Freight, they all worked very well and I would be happy to use any of them daily. But since we are trying to find the best, AND the best value, we picked the Milwaukee 25 ft. Premium Magnetic Tape Measure. It is well built, durable, easy to read, comfortable to hold, and bright so it’s easy to find. It’s just an all-around great tape measure for a good price.
