Decent tape measure and spirit?

[big-all]

if you want an accurate measurement
measure up say 1m mark then measure down and add the two together
never ever use a bent tape unless within 12mm is good enough

 

[Roger928]

Measured a set of tall commercial doors last week using a hilti distance meter. Then transferred to cad and got the height wrong by about a foot short. Doors went to site and one of the guys then passed me the new measurements over the phone and I made a new set which were a foot to narrow this time. I questioned the width but he was adamant I was wrong.
Obviously I was wrong but not on the width. All very embarrassing.
That taught me two things. Never ever do a transfer from the original and never ever trust a guy over the phone with a tape in his hand whilst holding a phone.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

The guy at Screwfix said these two in a pack were popular. Only £10. .....Did I make the right choice.

They are "popular" because they are cheap (and let's face it we are a bunch of cheapskates in the UK - or "we like a bargain"). In trade use they don't last than long, though (tried them - they were more accurate than the Irwin equivalents, but lasted no longer). As to whether or not it was the right choice the question has to be, "Do they work for you?"

...always been curious, when people bend the tape when for example measuring the height of a door. Where on that bend do they read the exact measurement?

It's done to give a better view of the tape on a tall door and make estimating the height of an opening easier (there is a bit of experience and judgement in this) - but it still isn't wholly accurate and is why I've taken on board a Hultafors Talmeter tape and a Leica Disto (laser rangefinder). Adding two measurements together as B-A recommends works - providing your arithmetic is good (sadly, it often isn't in my experience of using other people's measures)

That taught me two things. Never ever do a transfer from the original and never ever trust a guy over the phone with a tape in his hand whilst holding a phone.

The latter I'd agree with wholeheartedly. The former, though? Using a rod is definitely transferring the measurement from the original and for centuries has been regarded as the way to go for precise, error-free work because there are only two transfers of a mark (original to rod, rod to material) with no possibility of transposition, misreading, keying-in errors, etc. Transferring measurements into CAD is another area where errors, often transposition of digits or just misreading of your own figures, or someone else's crabby handwriting, can creep in. Similarly I find that I need to be careful when using a laser rangefinder that I take the measurement between the right points (it's easier to get it wrong than many non-laser users would think), but whilst they are (use correctly) more accurate than any tape once you have a measure the same translation errors can occur. Every time a measurement is transferred between media (e.g. tape to paper, paper to CAD, CAD drawing to machine scale or different tape measure, etc) there is the risk of human error creeping in - the more times you transfer measurements, the greater the chance of an error occurring

I suppose that the old maxim of "measure twice, cut once" still holds true

 

[opps]

if you want an accurate measurement
measure up say 1m mark then measure down and add the two together
never ever use a bent tape unless within 12mm is good enough

Or use a tape that has an internal window for measuring internal lengths?

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tool-reviews/festool-tape-measure/

 

[opps]

as said above cheap (stanley,dewalt tapes from screwfix)or a decent laser measure
and stabila or true blue (empire) i find the fatmax levels rattly

I was never that fond of my 900mm empire level. The bubble could be difficult to see and I didn't like the slight bevel on the edges.

 

[ray.birch]

The guy at Screwfix said these two in a pack were popular. Only £10. The really wide fatmax ones were £24. Did I make the right choice.
Also, always been curious, when people bend the tape when for example measuring te height of a door. Where on that bend do they read the exact measurement? View attachment 142318

I played around with these in Screwfix the other day - they seemed fine for the price. However, with my Dewalt measure, I can easily extend it to 4 metres unsupported without it collapsing - with these, I think it gave way between 2-3 metres.

 

[Keithmac]

I was gifted a lovely Stabila 6ft spirit level by the father in law a fair few years back.

Dread to think what it cost but it's bloody useful!.