Hi, I'm Steve Smith with Camper Van Freedom. Today I'm going through three measuring tools from my van build: the Komelon Self-Lock tape measure, the IRWIN carpenter square, and the seven-inch SWANSON Speed Square. The tape did the measuring I needed, with a drawback on longer runs. Both squares worked well for me.

The Komelon tape was an inexpensive option that worked during the build. It felt less substantial than more expensive tapes, and the blade did not stay stiff on longer runs. That was the limitation I noticed. Its compact case, retractable blade and self-locking format are different things to compare from how rigid the blade feels when extended.

The IRWIN carpenter square gave me a reference for corners and measurements on wood and other materials. I used it, it worked well, and I recommend it. The matching picture shows the two straight legs of this steel carpenter-square format. That shape gives a different reference-edge arrangement from a compact triangular square.

The SWANSON Speed Square also worked well for accurate corners and measurements on wood and other materials. I recommend this one too. Its seven-inch triangular body and board-edge fence make it a different shape to handle and place against a workpiece. These are two actual tools in my review, even though their product pages also compare them as alternatives to each other.

Distance and corner layout are related, but separate jobs. A tape establishes a distance between points. A square provides a reference for a perpendicular line or corner. The diagram shows that relationship without turning it into a measurement of a particular van part. This workshop footage illustrates measuring and a workbench setup, alongside the exact tools from my kit.

My drawer photographs show why the layout stage mattered in the build. The project moved from a measured timber frame to an assembled drawer with a base and rubber lining. Those stages changed the access around the frame. The open-frame and lined-drawer pictures are my actual project context, rather than a claim that every measurement in the pictures was made with one particular tool.

The Komelon page compares DEWALT ToughSeries and STANLEY PowerLock tapes. Their pictures show two other retractable-tape formats, with different case and blade-lock arrangements. They are buying alternatives here, not tapes I am adding a firsthand performance review for.

The square pages also include a Klein seven-inch rafter square. It keeps the compact triangular format, while the IRWIN carpenter square uses the longer two-leg arrangement. Klein is the additional alternative. My actual recommendations in this group are the IRWIN and SWANSON squares I used.

Thanks for watching. I'm Steve Smith with Camper Van Freedom. The three product pages, matching pictures and current Amazon buying options are linked below. My takeaway: the inexpensive Komelon worked for my measuring needs but lost blade stiffness over longer runs, and both the IRWIN and SWANSON squares worked well for me. Until next time.