About six months ago when we bought our house, I went out and I bought loads of DIY things that I thought we'd need for the refurb. I bought a tape measure from the pound shop..

And my husband, not knowing I'd done this, bought the Rolson 5m/16ft Tape Measure from B&Q for £3.99. At first I thought 'what a waste of money' but what we've done is keep the Rolson at home and keep the pound shop one in the car to use when we go to DIY shops and so on.

But when you can buy a tape measure for a quid, why would you spend four?

This review therefore is a bit of a comparison between a cheap tape measure and a pricier one because to me there is a marked difference and it's really up to the buyer to decide what they want and whether it is worth it?

**Price and Availability**

The Rolson 5m/16ft Tape Measure is available online at Amazon for £3.50 delivered and in high street DIY stores such as B&W and Wickes for £3.99.

**Looks & Build**

There's no contest between the Rolson Tape Measure and the pound shop one. The Rolson feels sturdy, well made and with a bit of weight behind it. It's styled in black (the cheap one only came in neon green or neon orange, I went for the green!) with a yellow button / lock and yellow tape. It looks like a proper workman's tape measure.

**Use**

The Rolson 5m/16ft Tape Measure functions well, the tape is smooth both extending and winding back, which it does with a snap, the button is easy to press and feels well made and the lock is chunky and easy to use.

The Rolson is so well built that we've dropped it from a fair height onto concrete a few times and it's been good as new with hardly any scuffs. The cheaper tape measure has a worrying crack in the plastic casing from a similar drop and I don't expect it to last much longer really.

**Accuracy**

It's extremely accurate, as you'd expect - maybe a half mil more so than the pound shop version but if you need accuracy then it's no contest, you need the relaibility of a brand name and Rolson delivers here.

**Recommend?**

If you need a tape measure to use once or to check some sizings, then you're probably OK saving the cash and just getting a cheap tape measure. But if you're a serious DIYer, you're doing a lot of decorating, or you're in the trade, then the Rolson 5m/16ft Tape Measure is for you - it's strong, it measures accurately and over 5m which is excellent, it's easy to use and most importantly it will last you. I'm glad that my husband bought one, otherwise we'd probably have gone through at least two if not three of the cheap ones, so it would have been a false economy for us.

Overall I recommend the Rolson 5m/16ft Tape Measure because even though you can get tape measures cheaper, I don't think £3.50 / £3.99 is a ridiculous price and you can clearly feel that the Rolson is high quality and will last you a long time. I think the adage buy cheap buy twice more than applies here.

Weigh it up, but as a stand alone product the Rolson is excellent.