I swore those new fish tape reels were just a gimmick

For years I used the same old metal fish tape that came in a basic coil. Saw a guy on a job in Tempe last month with this fancy plastic reel that auto-winds. I laughed and said it looked like a toy. He let me try it on a tough pull through a cold air return. That thing fed so smooth, no kinks, and the crank handle made retrieval a joke. I ate my words and bought one the next day. It cut my time on a four-unit apartment complex by at least an hour total. Why do we get so stuck in our ways with tools? Anyone else have a tool they hated on until they actually tried it?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_zara2mo ago

But what if that old metal tape is just more reliable long term? All that plastic feels like it would crack in the cold or if you drop it.

evanc592mo ago

Hold up, you're missing the point. Modern plastic tapes are built with crazy tough stuff now, like fiberglass reinforced nylon. They're made to bend in the cold, not shatter. A metal tape's blade can kink or rust, and then it's totally useless. That heavy metal case is just extra weight to carry around all day for no real gain.

joel_clark372mo ago

Totally get that. Had a plastic one snap on me last winter, just taking it out of the truck. The metal ones are heavy, but you just can't kill them. Feels like a real tool.

the_elliot2mo ago

My last plastic tape died from a sad look.