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Lowe’s has launched a new Kobalt 25-foot tape measure that features a built-in LED worklight.
The new Kobalt tape measure has a wide blade with 12′ standout and 15′ reach specs.
Lowe’s says that their new Kobalt tape measure is the most compact design wide blade tape measure in its class. It is unclear whether this is among 25-foot tape measures, or only 25-foot tape measures with built-in LED lights.
The light is said to be “strong enough to light up any dark environment, ensuring an accurate measurement.”
The Kobalt tape measure is bundled with a USB charging cable.
Lowe’s description says that the tape features “lightning fast battery charges,” although they don’t specify the approximate charging time.
A full charge allows for 3 hours of continuous runtime.
The tape has a 1-year warranty.
Price: $21.98
Discussion
This is not the only traditional tape measure to feature a built-in LED light. Komelon also has a 25-foot LED Light tape measure, and Milwaukee has a mini 10-foot model.
At the time of this post, the Komelon has been discounted to $15 at Amazon. The Komelon is also said to be compact, and “the size of a standard 16-foot tape measure.”
The Kobalt design is a bit different than the Komelon, such as with a wider LED lens and a covered USB port. The Kobalt blade is yellow and the Komelon is white.
Komelon does not have published standout or reach specs for their LED tape. The Kobalt has an “extra wide” blade, and although they have published standout and reach specs, we don’t know the width of the blade.
I wish that Kobalt elaborated a little more in their Lowe’s listings. For instance, how wide is the blade? They say the tape has an “impact resistant case [that] holds up to the toughest of job sites,” but are there drop-resistant height specs to back this up? How fast is “lightning fast” battery charging?
From what I can tell this far, it looks like Lowe’s and Kobalt did their homework with the new LED Light tape measure. It delivers a little more than its closest competitor that I could find – the Komelon 25-foot tape – and the $21 price seems reasonable.
While this might not be something I would buy for myself, I like that it seems thoughtfully designed.
