Oftentimes,ย when out in the field, it can be difficult to measure plans to verifyย dimensions. With the new Johnson 1819-0025 25โฒ PlanReader Architectย Series Power Tape, you have both 1/8โณ and 1/4โณย architectural scales built right into the bottom of the tape. Withย larger, easy-to-see numbers on the top side of the tape, you can doย your regular measuring and layout work. When you need to go back toย the drawing board to check some dimensions or verify the size ofย something on the plans, flip the tape over and you have the twoย most common architectural scales at your fingertips.
Johnson 25โฒ PlanReader Architect Series Power Tape Features
Atย first glance, the Johnsonย 25โฒ PlanReader Architect Series Power Tape appearsย much like other measuring tapes on the market. The blade is 1-1/16โณย wide and is covered with a protective nylon coating called Blade-Gardย that is supposed to extend the life of the blade by making it moreย abrasion-resistant. The numbers on the top side of the blade are extra large, which makes for quick, accurate reading of the numbers.ย
Flip the tape over, and on the bottom, you have both 1/8โณ andย 1/4โณ architectural scales that run for the first 10 feet of theย tape. Just for fun, that means that you can measure 1/8โณ scaleย prints out to 960 feet or 1/4โณ out to 480 feet! We donโt knowย what kinds of projects Johnson Level expects people to be working on,ย but theyโve definitely got you covered. The overall body of the tapeย measure is made of chromed impact-resistant plastic, with the entireย outside perimeter covered in a thick black rubber overmold.
It looksย like it can handle a significant dropโฆ or two or threeโฆ and keepย working. When held in the hand, the blade lock sliding button isย perfectly positioned for easy control with your thumb. The blade lockย worked well, was easy to move, and held the blade firmly until the lockย was released. The overall size of the 25โฒ tape is comfortable toย hold in your hand, and the spring loading on the tape retraction feelsย authoritative. While it is not in the specifications for the tape measure, we found that the maximum blade stand out was, on average, just a few inches over nine feet.
Testingย and Use
Havingย worked at an electrical and mechanical engineering consulting firmย for over 10 years presented many opportunities to use a tape measureย like this โ of course, it didnโt exist when I needed it! Often, weย would be called onto the job site to either do field work, drawย as-built plans, or resolve conflicts that had to do with theย coordination of the building trades. Almost all the plans that ourย company produced were done in either 1/8โณ or 1/4โณ, which equals 1ย foot architectural scales (which, we agree, are probably the two mostย common scales used today).
So when we would show up on job sites, weย would have a roll of plans under one arm, a tape measure, and ourย architectural scales in the other hand. The idea of being able toย combine a regular tape measure and the architectural scales makes soย much sense! What we really liked about this new Johnsonย 25โฒ PlanReader Architect Series Power Tapeย is that it is still a full-fledged tape that you can use for all yourย regular layout and projects. It has a sturdy build quality that makes it feelย like it will hold up well in any application.
Conclusion
Theย Johnson 25โฒ PlanReader Architect Series Power Tape is one of thoseย tools that just makes so much sense. Anyone who has been in anyย facet of the building business has undoubtedly run into situationsย where they had to go back to the plans to check a dimension or verifyย something. Also, if you are on the design side of things, it can beย handy just as well to be able to measure something out in the fieldย and then sketch it to scale using the tape.
For our Value rating,g weย gave this tape measure a solid 7/10 since it offers good value in itsย newfound versatility. For our Performance score, we gave the tapeย an impressive 8/10 because of its robust build quality, combined withย features that just about any contractor or designer can appreciate.
