Accessories

FatMax Rules!
Another great Stanley FatMax product! I especially like the FatMax line for its easy to find yellow and black scheme ... stands out in my tool bag, plus the rubberized grip makes it comfortable to hold as well as use. The viewable filler door is great too! No more opening the door and spilling chalk everywhere to see how much is left. And finally a place to store the clip end so when you pull it out of your bag the clip doesn't catch on something extending the string and putting chalk all over your other tools!

Too many tools, too little money.
What most of the reviewers say is true.
-Difficult to wind when loaded with chalk. Stanley's claim that it will hold a 4 oz bottle of chalk is correct, but you won't want to use it that way. The chalk gets in the plastic gears. It works best when the level of the chalk is low enough that the chalk falls away from the gears.
-The string is tough but leaves a fat line. When I originally got mine, the string was tangled up inside. I had not expected a problem with a new tool (always the optimist), so I immediately filled it with 4 oz of chalk. When I couldn't get the string out, you can believe me that I pulled hard to "resolve" that problem, and to my amazement nothing broke. I had to take the new reel apart to fix the problem.
-I will be using my old Strait-Line reel.

Nice first try, make some changes and come back
I snap lines for siding on houses, that means a lot of lines. I used to carry about three boxes so we wouldn't need to stop often, so when I saw the fat max held 4 ounces of chalk I gave it a try.

I'm on my third one. First, the string is great. Braided cotton. We need to pull very tight and I'm not worried about breaking this string. It does leave fat lines but with red chalk I've snapped fourteen lines without having to re-chalk (red chalk seems to work better, but it is semi-permanent).

My first box is my personal one, with blue chalk, used mostly for 4X8 sheets of plywood so I didn't notice most of the problems with that one.

My second was so hard to rewind that I had to take it back. My third (and last) is between the two. Very hard to rewind. I basically have to hold both sides of the reel to wind it up. When your winding up 30-40' of string this is really irritating. I found if I don't fill it all the way it works better. But what is the point of something this size if I can't fill it up all the way?

The lock worked great until I ran a full load of chalk through it. Now I can't get it to work at all. Not that I really liked it anyway. You locked it and it doesn't lock until it pops into the gear. So if I'm on a ladder and I think it is locked, let it go to snap the line, it runs out until either the lock actually stops it (never anymore) or it hits the ground.

Flip out handle. Not good either. The idea is good. It doesn't catch on anything but it is hard to get out and easy to try to open the wrong side. Also, it tends to pinch the gears and jam the rewind. I haven't lost a pin yet but I see one working it's way out.

Size and feel. I'm in construction, I carry a lot in a my bags, the size doesn't bother me at all. The shape is excellent. I love how it feels in my hand. The screw on tops means I don't have to worry about it slipping open and spilling in my bags.

Stanley, keep trying. I'm going back to the cheap reel. At least when I break those it doesn't bother me. They work the way they are supposed to until then.

In Agreement
I agree with the negative comments already posted:
1. The rewind handle is tough to pop out.
2. The pin doesn't stay in as well as it should.
3. If you load it up with chalk, it tends to jam.
4. When loaded you still don't always get good, even distribution of chalk on the line.
5. The line is an inexpensive cotton (as most are) and tends to give a "wide line" under certain conditions (mostly long snaps).
6. It's just too big to fit neatly in a tool belt. Anywhere.

Some good, some bad points
Well, I haven't broken it yet, that's the good thing. I like the kind of string they use and it seems to pass through the tip easy enough.
Things I like about this chalk line:
- sometimes quick rewind
- good hook...not all chalk lines have a good hook
- good string
- nice grip...well, ok, its got rubber on the sides, a bit of an overkill to mee

Things I don't like:
- Its huge...most chalk lines are much smaller and take up less space in my belt.
- that pop-out rewinder handle...takes too long to get it out
- the lock...doesn't work consistantly...most lines you can just set the handle and it locks, not this one
- the gears don't like to work when you first fill it up...maybe it can take 4 oz of chalk, but it won't rewind with that much in it!