Showerthought: My tape measure hook was bent for like 3 years and I never noticed

I was measuring a spot for new shelves in my garage last weekend and kept getting 1/8th inch differences between inside and outside measurements. Took me way too long to realize the little metal hook on my Stanley 25-footer got bent at some point. I just bent it back with some pliers and now it's actually accurate again. Has anyone else dealt with a wonky tape measure hook and thought they were just bad at math?

2 comments

2 Comments

caseywest13d ago

That 1/8th inch difference happens with a lot of metal hooks because the slot they slide in actually has some play. The hook isn't just bent, it's also slightly loose in that little rivet channel, so calibrating it with pliers is only a temporary fix.

faith_price713d ago

Never really thought about it that way before, but yeah that makes total sense. I was one of those people who just grabbed the pliers and thought I fixed it.