How Accurate Are Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh Measuring Tapes? Here's What Owners Are Saying

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There are few items in your tool box that see as much use as a measuring tape. So it's important to make sure that the tape you use is accurate. The old axiom to measure twice and cut once is only as good as the tool you use to do your measuring, after all.

Harbor Freight is a retailer that's known for producing a range of budget-oriented tools and products from various house-owned brands. Those who are looking to procure some of the company's higher-end products should look at the Icon, Quinn, and Doyle-branded tools, but many craftspeople who go to Harbor Freight are looking to get the most affordable option available. When it comes to most of the hand tools sold by the retailer, the Pittsburgh brand is going to be the cheapest option.

Just because a product doesn't have a big price tag doesn't necessarily mean that it's less effective. The Pittsburgh brand is widely regarded as being a solid option for cheap, yet sturdy starter tools. This has led many to wonder about the measuring tape options in particular. One of the best ways to find out about products like these is to see what the people who already own one think of its performance. It seems that some of the tapes' users have had some negative things to say about the products' durability, but there have been very few complaints regarding accuracy. What's more, Pittsburgh offers a range of options with different widths, lengths, housings, and retraction mechanisms.

So, what do owners have had to say about the accuracy of Pittsburgh's measuring tapes? Nearly every model has an aggregated user rating between 4.6 and 4.8 on the Harbor Freight website, ranking them among the best Pittsburgh hand tools sold by the retailer. "I keep these everywhere. In my welding truck in the house shop and vehicles," said one reviewer about one of the standard yellow tape measures. "I like them because they are cheap and accurate. Nothing worse than ruining a good tape measure. Ruining one of these doesn't hurt as bad." Another user commented that the printing on the models with the ABS overmolds was particularly useful. "This tape has printed increments, vs. just lines," they said. "Makes it much quicker and more accurate to use."

It seems that users have had similar experiences with the open reel models as well. "I have purchased a few of these tape [measures] and keep [them] in my truck," said one. "It is perfect for measuring conduit runs and also for laying out site work. I have found it to be accurate and easy to use."

It's worth noting that some users have been critical of the build quality, durability, and overall feel of the Pittsburgh tapes, but accuracy is one factor that is almost never called into question. "I never had a problem with the accuracy," said a Reddit contributor regarding the quality of the tapes. "They are not super well made, but back when you got a free one every time you went to the store, they were great. I still have one in almost every room of the house, in every car, in every toolbox etc."

Now let's take a look at some of the options available. There are currently no less than 11 different kinds of Pittsburgh measuring tape sold by Harbor Freight. Three of them are the basic safety-yellow retractable QuikFind tape measurers. These come in 16 ft. x ¾-inch, 25 ft. x 1-inch, and 33 ft. x 1-inch varieties and range from $2.99 to $5.99 in price. Then there is one, 25 ft. x 1-inch QuikFind Duralock Tape that comes in a chrome-plated case that goes for $5.99. But the biggest step up in quality comes in the orange and black retractable QuikFind tape measures that come with a layer of ABS casing to help protect the device from damaged when it inevitably gets dropped or struck. There are four of these available in 12 ft. x ½-inch, 16 ft. x ¾-inch, 25 ft. x 1-inch, and 30 ft. x 1-inch sizes, priced between $1.99 and $5.99. All of these feature automatic retraction and a thumb-slide locking mechanism.

The options listed thus far have been the kind of pocket tape measurers that most of us probably think about when picturing tools for basic measuring and cutting, but Pittsburgh also makes three larger measuring tapes that are available for those in need of something bigger for landscaping, construction, and other large-scale outdoor projects. Two of them are open-reel models with a built-in retraction crank. These are 100 ft. x ½-inch and 330 ft. x ½-inch and cost $12.99 and $18.99 respectively. Finally, the last model is a simple 165 ft x ½-inch tape with an ABS case and a manual rewind that goes for $13.99. This selection certainly offers users a wide range of choices for projects of various types and scales.