When Accuracy Matters, Reach for The Ideal BlueView Digital Fish Tape
In the world of fish tapes, innovation doesn’t move as quickly, simply due to the simple nature of the tool. We have seen some development in terms of the tape material, pulling strength, and even motorization in the case of the Milwaukee M18 Angler fish tape. However, the Ideal BlueView Digital Fish Tape brings a new level of convenience to a seemingly ordinary tool.
Pros
- Digital display improves accuracy
- Carbon steel tape
- Long battery life
- Length automatically rounds up
- Lightweight design
- Onboard spare battery storage
Cons
- Premium price tag
- Digital display is hard to read in direct sunlight
Ideal BlueView Digital Fish Tape: The Big Deal
The Ideal 31-656 provides a live reading of the tape length as you feed and retract the carbon steel tape. It’s powered by two AAA batteries that give you around 40 hours of runtime, and there’s a storage slot inside the handle for a spare set of batteries. There are also an auto-sleep and shutdown modes that help conserve battery life.
The BlueView fish tape displays the length in 1-foot increments and automatically rounds up to the next foot to help eliminate cutting your wires short. If you happen to break the tape, the counter will automatically reset to 0-feet after you turn it off. Additionally, there are replacement tapes available from Ideal.
This tool is built to withstand exposure to lubricants, dirt, debris, metal shavings, and even extreme temperatures. Along with its resistances to environmental factors, Ideal tells us that this fish tape can handle minor drops while still maintaining its accuracy.
The beauty of this tool is that it can accurately feed wires, identify unseen blockages inside your conduit, and reduce material waste.
Ideal BlueView Digital Fish Tape Design Notes
Size and Weight
The 120-foot version weighs in at 4.9 pounds and the housing measures 16 inches from top to bottom.
Looking at the grip, there aren’t really any surprises. However, this is where you’ll find the power button and small digital display. With that in mind, I’d take extra care not to damage the display when storing the tool between jobs.
Ideal BlueView Digital Fish Tape Price
The Ideal BlueView Digital Fish Tape comes in two different lengths. The 120-foot model retails for $90.96, and the 240-foot fish tape is available for $122.49. Both come with a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects.
At the time of writing this article, Ideal does not have any non-conductive fish tapes that feature the BlueView digital display.
The Bottom Line
In my opinion, the Ideal BlueView Digital Fish Tape definitely stands out from the pack, thanks to that handy digital display. While the overall form factor didn’t really change, I think that’s a positive aspect because it makes for an easy transition from a more traditional fish tape. Although it does come with a premium price tag, the increase in accuracy and functionality are both major perks to me.
Specs
- Model: Ideal 31-656
- Power Source: AAA batteries (x2)
- Weight: 4.9 lbs.
- Tape Length: 120 ft. (31-656), 240 ft. (31-657)
- Tape Width: 1/8 in.
- Accuracy: +1 ft. over stated length
- Tape Material: Carbon Steel
- Tensile Strength: 1600 lbs.
- End Type: Formed Hook
- Runtime: 40 hrs.
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