We all use measure tapes from time to time, and we know they perfectly do their job.
The thing we ignore though is that they have some secret uses that will simplify our life in some particular situations.
Here are some standard measure tapes. They all hide some secret skills.
Did you know what this little slot on the end is for?
If needed, you can lock a nail or a screw to hold the tape measure in place.
Have you ever wondered why all measure tapes come with a serrated edge?
In case you don’t have a pencil with you, you can use this serrated edge to mark any material you are working on.
If you pay attention, the hook is always loose. It always bugged be and I always thought it was some kind of mistake by the manufacturer. Truth is it’s designed this way to measure corners more accurately: have you noticed the first inch (or centimeter) isn’t complete? The length it is short is exactly the same as the thickness of the hook, that will move inwards to measure inside corners, and pull outwards when it’s hooked to a surface to measure outside corners.
Have you ever noticed this mysterious number at the base of the measure tape? It’s just the length of the base itself, just add the number to the length you see on the tape measure to get the exact length.
Basically, it will make you avoid doing something like this:
Here is a video explaining all these tricks once and for all
(h/t)