Nowadays I work mainly in metric. I'm right handed. Using a steel tape
measure on a board or similar I'll hook the tape over the left hand edge
and pull it across to the right.
On all the imperial metric tape measures I've ever seen the Inches scale
is always runs along the top edge and the metric scale runs along the
bottom when running from left to right.

But when using a tape measure surely most people use the top scale for
accurate measurement ? Same as using a ruler when measuring a line on
a piece of paper. So why are the inches always still on top ?

O.K. so why not buy a metric only tape measure instead ? Except that all
the metric only tapes only have the scale on only the one edge - again the
bottom edge which is most inconvenient. They compensate for not giving the
you the imperial scale at the top by giving you bigger numbers. Basically
the metric only tape is the combination tape with the imperial scale
removed from the top edge of the printing plate.

Gold medal for prize chumps must go to B&Q. They do a nice two sided metre
rule in aluminium with the two scales on the two edges metric and inches.
Except the inches are at the top on both sides, they're identical.

Full marks to Wickes - theirs seem identical in every other respect including
price except the metric is on the top edge on one side.

Its just I've never noticed this before and was looking to replace some
steel tapes.


michael adams