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gcrank1
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# Posted: 5 Jun 2026 11:56am
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Never thought about it but I see they are available with inch/mm. For some time Ive found myself using mm for measurements with a rigid ruler for smaller stuff so no fraction conversions and dbl checking that I did it right. A couple weeks ago I found out these are available inexpensively on Amazon so I bought a 12' (a good all-rounder size for me) and really like it.
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 5 Jun 2026 02:45pm
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Maybe it is because I am in Canada, I see ones that are metric only (have a couple), most common ones have both on them. I guess there may be some that do not have Metric but I am sure you'd have to look for them OR order from Amazon or similar.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 5 Jun 2026 03:23pm
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Have one for work, need to measure target distance for setting up blind spot monitors etc and its all in MM
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DRP
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# Posted: 5 Jun 2026 04:15pm
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46 years ago my boss and a large contractor imported the 7th newfangled european throughfeed molder into the states. I got an inch/metric tape, all the scales on the machine were metric, 40mm cabinets were just starting, the contractors spoke in fractions and I set up in thousandths. I've been through many tapes since then but unlike the others, that one always gets returned. Remember "We'll convert by '76"  .
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FishHog
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# Posted: 5 Jun 2026 05:22pm
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I'm one of those inbetween'er. Started off in Imperial, then switched to metric sometime in my early public school years, but with a very handy father teaching me in imperial, etc. Now I use a mix of both.
For some reason temps above freezing, I like imperial, below metric. Biking or running has to be in MPH, driving in km. Weight in lbs, mixing liquids in Litres.
But truth be told when doing any fine measurements, or multiple measurements the metric system is so much easier. Change is hard, but metric is just so much more logical. I'm 56 now and anyone younger than me is almost strictly metric. Anyone older almost strictly imperial.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 5 Jun 2026 09:07pm
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I have two Milwaukee tapes that are inch/metric scaled. My main complaint about them is that I am used to using an inch only tape and usually prefer to use the upper scale on it. The metric scale on the Milwaukee tapes is on the lower edge and I find that awkward.
However, on large stuff I use feet and inches mostly, that works okay. But I have developed a metric preference for project items sized under 24 inches.
I lived in Canada for nearly 40 years with the last 10 during the metric makeover. The last 41 years have been in NM. My units of measurements are a real mishmash. I have family and friends I communicate with in Canada, the EU and SE Asia. I use metric with them mostly, and USC (US Customary) for those here in the US.
Metric is easier for calculations and the C temperature scale makes more sense than F.
My kitchen recipe app is set to metric and I weigh ingredients like flour, beans, etc instead of cups of stuff.
Measurements can be confusing. A few days ago I reloaded some ammunition.... grains, not grams, of powder with some inch and some metric size cartridges. 7000 grains to one pound. 
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 6 Jun 2026 09:30am
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@MtnDon gotta be very careful with ammo reloading because you could end up with a "surprise" hehehe... not much room for mistakes there with potential nasty consequences... It sure as heck not like cooking where a little too much is just an oopsie...
I use both measurement systems "as needed" but far prefer Metric overall... Only reason I get stuck with having to use both is because our construction material is still in Imperial Measurements (2x6, 4x4 etc) but now metric measurements are appearing as our mills are switching for our export needs and that is starting to trickle down to us residents. That is starting to make things more complicated... Example, Simpson Strong-Tie brackets & bits are all Imperial and they don't make metric equivalents, but Reliable Industries is racing to fill that gap fast. In fact I just got a bunch of their decorative structural brackets,T's etc and they are less than 1/2 of the cost of the Simpson equivalent because they are a Canadian product (no duties/tariffs to inflate the prices). Everything is changing fast now as we are shifting our entire supply chain system away from US and the products are now starting to catc up & appear in retail here. TBH, I was very surprised (& happy) to see changes in our local lumber & building supply places this past month.
Thank goodness for my Arterial Bypass and other hardware they put in me in December, I am now able & capable of doing things again, now I'm on the enclosed cedar porch/screen room, slab is poured and the fun has begun... Feels great to be able to do things again after a 3 year forced hiatus. Just have to pace myself & take it easy (not easy to do).
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FishHog
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jun 2026 10:55am
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Quoting: Steve_S Thank goodness for my Arterial Bypass and other hardware they put in me in December, I am now able & capable of doing things again
That's great news Steve. Glad you are doing better
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jun 2026 11:08am
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Yeah Steve! Great to hear
I am Loving having the inch/mm scales to Quickly use whichever is most appropriate at the time. This is a win for 'user friendly' imo.
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jun 2026 03:19pm
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Quoting: Steve_S @MtnDon gotta be very careful with ammo reloading because you could end up with a "surprise"
Thanks for the concern. We, my son & I, are careful. We use his powder scale which is accurate to a single grain of the rifle powder we prefer. He has a powder trickler that releases one kernel of powder at a time. It is coupled to the scale and cuts off when the set weight has been reached.
Good news to hear you are able to do things you want to again.
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Steve_S
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jun 2026 04:57pm
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Thanks everyone, it is great to feel my feet & have colour in them, not get a Charlie Horse in my calves in < 20 feet of walking or Charlie Horses up into my thighs if walking more than 50 feet. YEAH up into my hips... NO ONE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE !!! Think a Charlie Horse in your calf is bad, nothing compared to when it goes up into the thighs to your hips. Last 4 years have been something, between the Necrotic Pneumonia and then my arterial collapses leading to being turned into apartial Borg but still kicking it and Dr's are still puzzling over that. Everyday is a bonus.
Boom Boom powder "demands the utmost respect" as most everyone knows, and it has zero forgiveness. I suppose you could always use Cordite but that comes along with other issues. I do not believe that it is available publicly which is probably the smart thing to do.
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razmichael
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# Posted: 9 Jun 2026 10:46am - Edited by: razmichael
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Slipping back into (sort of) the original topic of measurements - this video of an American comedian in Canada explains it all - and most, if not all Canadians will admit that it is so true... URL
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paulz
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# Posted: 9 Jun 2026 11:50am
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My cheapo HF or dollar store tape measures have both inch and mm. They also frequently break. I have one screwed to a base board outside so I can easily measure a log or whatever.
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 9 Jun 2026 12:43pm
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@razmichael ROFLMAO INDEED ! Comic Truths !!
Distance is always "time" as in it's 6 hours away not miles or km's. MANY OF US, even boomer geezers like me can do both and 50% use metric first while the others use a mix bit mostly imperial. I use metric mostly unless I am building crap because a 2x6 is a 2x6 in store, with fittings (think brackets and such) etc... and the fact that much of that "WAS" imported from the former USA.
That is changing now, as Canadian Producers of hardware like "Simpson-String Tie" type products are making both Imperial & Metric-measured items, and our Lumber Companies are now making Metric-sized & Labelled Lumber as we increasingly export out of North America to nations that are 100% metric. I suspect there will always be a blend in Canada, but the use of Imperial Measurements & Values is indeed dropping. It is mostly us older folks who grew up with Imperial & then the transition to Metric who are keeping it alive "for now". 2x6 is 50mm X 150mm but things get weird fast. Dr askes me height, weight etc and I tell them Metric and sometimes I get a "look" LMAO.
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razmichael
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# Posted: 9 Jun 2026 02:11pm
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@Steve_S I'm surprised how my 21 and 23 yr old kids still use a mixture despite them both being in engineering and computer science! I know what you mean about the medical staff expecting imperial - I have just finished over a year of Cancer Treatment and still see a mixture of both throughout the staff.
Years ago I was posted in England for a year and would sometimes tell the Brits I was driving somewhere for the evening and they would always say "but that's over x miles - are you staying the night" I would say "its only a couple of hours". These same people would say they going on a holiday and plan to land in TO and drive the next day to Vancouver. I carried a small map of Canada with a tiny overlay of Great Britain!
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 9 Jun 2026 10:59pm
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LMAO Raz ! Indeed.. We're just 5,514 kilometers (3,426 miles) wide from coast to coast. Our definition of distance/space boggles most, LOL. Just over there is an hours drive or 100km/60miles or so. I've driven coast to coast non stop with rotating drivers when I was younger... oivey ! by Day 5, everyone IS "surly", hehehe. I'm sure those Brits chuckled & reevaluated their plans & notions too. Can't imagine how they did with driving up here without previous experience... hopefully it wasn't during "dodge the deer" season. (remember where I live eh).
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