That Tuesday my tape measure fought back and won in Phoenix

Had a rough one last week on a kitchen reno in Phoenix. I was measuring for upper cabinets, popped my tape out to like 6 feet, and the thing just snapped back on its own while I was reaching for my pencil. Nailed my thumb so bad I dropped my coffee mug on the tile floor, which shattered right into the gap I was about to fill. Then the shop vac died. Spent the whole afternoon sweeping up ceramic bits with a dustpan because my backup vac was at another site. Has anyone else had a tool just betray them like that out of nowhere?

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1 Comment

garcia.cameron5d ago

Is your tape measure one of those older Stanley ones with the worn-out spring? I had the exact same thing happen to me out in Mesa about two years ago, except it caught my pointer finger right when I was marking a stud. Blood all over the drywall, and I had to stop and wrap it with a shop rag while my helper just stood there watching. The worst part is I never trust that tape anymore, so now I use a laser measure for anything over three feet, but even those things glitch out sometimes. It really does feel like the tools know when you're already having a bad day and just pile on.