Black & Decker ATM100, Nice novelty, but not a..

Overall Rating22222

Nice novelty, but not a serious tool.

When I saw this product, it was an instant must-have gadget for me. After using this tape measure, it’s novelty quickly wore off. First of all, it’s heavy and bulky. The motor drive and four AAA batteries make it easily twice as long and heavy as a normal tape measure (how how long are tiny AAA batteries going to last?). Secondly, the motor drive seems very underpowered. It really moans and grinds once you extend the tape more than a yard. Another problem is that the retract spring is very weak (there’s a warning on the case not to retract the tape at very high speeds). It was disappointing that the motor drive only works to extend the tape, and not to retract it.

The biggest problem of this device is that it is still a metal tape measure that will frustrate endlessly as the tape bends, folds and collapses when you try to measure long or vertical distances. Basically, this is a normal tape measure with a battery powered motor strapped onto it. It would have been better if it had a digital readout.

Probably a nice toy for the suburban weekend DIY crowd, but the plastic case and underpowered motor make this unsuitable for professional heavy duty work.

Update (5/19/2012): This item is currently on sale here for the lowest price I’ve seen.

The featured review for this product, Black & Decker ATM100 25-Foot Auto Tape Measure Tools & Hardware, was written by Navarro L. Parker.

The average rating for this item is 2 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.

Related posts:

  1. Black & Decker MB-850, Black & Decker Cordless..
  2. Black & Decker BL550, Whiny at best
  3. Black & Decker NPP2018, Works fine… don’t forget..
  4. Black & Decker HL18B, A Neat Handy Light.
  5. Black & Decker, Great Product

Reviews (3)

Scott L. Keller

February 19th, 2010 at 5:13 pm    


Overall Rating22222

Great Toy!
Being a professional woodworker, and a tool junkie, this was a no brainer purchase. Of course, I was pretty sure going into the acquisition, that this was not going to be the smartest purchase I ever made regarding tools- Boy was I right! This thing weighs as much as a belt sander, but without the power needed to extend the blade to any usable length. The case is bulky, and not real easy to move around small or tight areas. It’s not the tape you would want on your belt for any length of time- the weight, extreme size, and overall bulkiness is just not comfortable. I thought that leaving it sit on my workbench and using it for general measuring might prove useful, but it just got in the way. Now it sits on a side table next to my reclining chair and I play with it during TV commercials. It’s actually quite fun to run the tape out and in, as long as you don’t have expectations of it being real useful in a shop environment. Overall, the idea is very clever- too bad the design is so gosh darn huge.


jzukowski

February 24th, 2010 at 8:37 pm    


Overall Rating22222

Heavy, short, and flimsy
One word, heavy, describes the product. Not something to clip on your belt to carry all day. Given its size, was surprised only 25′. Have tapes twice as long that weigh half as much.
Tried to measure a floor and by the time the tape got to the wall it curved so much that the measurement was useless. Thought this could be useful to do more with one person. There is a nice release on the bottom that recoils the tape w/o the battery.


Navarro L. Parker

March 7th, 2010 at 8:50 pm    


Overall Rating22222

Nice novelty, but not a serious tool.
Rated 2 stars.


Leave a reply

Overall Rating

Name *

Mail *

Website