DeWalt DWHT38130S Atomic Compact Series 30 FT TAPE MEASURE

The numbers and lines bold and extremely clear making it quicker to read measurements. The tape lock is smooth and easier to lock and unlock for easier use. Slightly bulkier than other tape measures but is still lightweight.

This has been a great tape measure to get to use. It’s not my everyday carry tape just because I don’t typically need a 30’ but when I do it’s great to have one on hand! The large hook on the end makes it an easy 1 man operation to check the length of long boards for example. Highly recommend!

My first thought was that this tape is beefy! It feels solid in your hand and is well made. It's not light, but then again it is a 30' tape. I love the fractional markings and it has a great standout that will let you really run the tape out to 10-15' by yourself with no struggle. One feature that I am not sure how I feel about is the finger brake. I use the brake on the bottom all the time for quick measuring. This tape does not have a mechanical brake, but an open slot for your finger to hold it in place. There is a guard to prevent it from hitting your finger, but I have had mixed results with using my bare finger versus wearing gloves. I do like the feedback you get with this method, but it's going to take more time before I decide if it's a feature I truly love. My only other complaint is the tape lock. It engages really well and holds the tape without any sort of slipping, but it's a little clunky to release it. I find myself having to press it in a couple times before it actually releases. Overall, I love the size and quality of the tape and it will see a lot of use!

Feels great in your hands. It has a nice rubber grip. It stands out quite a ways — twelve to thirteen feet. The numbers are easy to read and the marks are easy to see. It also has a well designed clip.

"Just a tape measure", I know, but a darn good tape measure, heavy, substantial, rugged and seems it will take a beating and survive. A unique feature that I REALLY like is the notched out area on the underside which allows control of the tape as it is extended outward or retracted inward with no pinched finger or blood blister. Not a serious wound but a pain I like to avoid at those times my mind is on something else. This feature also suggests attention to detail by a design team that actually use these things. The end of blade stop is affixed by three rivets to the wide, coated tape which has a sturdy backbone for extended reach. Along the top lateral length of the blade are the usual 1/16" markings, but along the bottom each 1/8" is numbered by either eighth, quarter or half inch which helps with "quick glance" accuracy. Well thought out. Well designed. Well built. Many extra features. Of my dozen and a half tapes, this is the one I will grab when I have serious work to do.

It is great to have a tape option a bit longer than the standard 25’ by most brands. The 30’ Atomic from DeWalt is a great option because, while it will reach longer distances, it isn’t as cumbersome as some other offerings in the market. The friction-braking gap underneath is an effective low-tech (read less likey to malfunction) bonus aspect that will help the accuracy of the blade last much longer.
However, I personally have become accustomed to all the additional features on many varieties of tapes out there. For instance, there are no markings on the bottom side of the tape blade, a useful feature in many different awkward-to-measure scenarios. The blade hook is large, but otherwise unimpressive. I would appreciate more angle in the hook or possibly texture for grabbing ability, also a magnetic option would be fantastic.
Overall the 30’ Atomic from DeWalt is a sturdy, longer-reaching great option when looking for your next tape. Perhaps a little lackluster as to feature innovation, though all-in-all that’s probably not a bad thing. KEEP IT SIMPLE.

This is a very compact 30' tape measure that is comparable in size and weight to 25' tape measures and also seems very rugged. The fraction measurements make for quick readings that allow anyone to read the "smart end" of it. The finger grip is a nice feature as it allows for easy use of your finger to use as a brake. The lock also works very well. The only downside I can see is in the advertised 13' standout. Any time I tested it, I could only get to a 9.5' standout, which is nowhere close to the advertised length and is far lower than other tapes on the market.

This measuring tape is robust, sturdy, and durable. I see it lasting through many projects while maintaining acting “like new” on the last project as it was on the first project. Even though it’s larger in size, it is not too heavy to hang on a belt or tool pouch.

Nice tape measure. Very solid build, it fell off the 3rd floor balcony on to concrete and only had a few scuff marks (pictured taken before the fall). The tape can be exted over 9 feet without snapping if you ever need that for some reason. The one thing I need to say, is i never realized how useful the little slot at the bottom is, for allowong you to slow down or stop the tape with you index finger. It is just feels a lot more natural than grabbing the tape measure closer to the front and slowing it down that way, especially if you have bulkier measuring tapes.

I'm guilty of buying a cheap tape measure because I thought, "Why spend more if you don't have to? They all do the same thing." As I've learned with other DeWalt tools, it's not just *what* you do, but *how* you do it. Start with a metal case covered by rubber at the key points so this tape can take a beating when you drop it. Put a large, deep clip on it so that it will stay attached to your belt or jeans waist. Make the tape really wide with sturdy metal so that it stays flat and upward and doesn't flop over when you reel it out over long runs. Make the numbers and markings large and bold so you can read the tape on the floor while standing. Use a quality thumb lock that engages solidly with a click so that you know the tape will stay in place. Finally, make it a 30' tape so that it's useful for everything, save a large landscaping project (that needs it's own dedicated tool). What you end up with is this DeWalt tape measure that will be the only one you'll ever need, and you'll never need to replace it, because it won't fail to retract or fall apart if you drop it, or have the tape bend and fold and stop being usable without someone else to hold it. The only trade-off is this tape measure is, of course, heavier than those cheap ones. That's *quality* you feel.