TAJIMA Tools Guide: Every Tape Measure, Knife, Headlamp and Ink Pot Explained

TAJIMA is the tape measure on the belt of Japanese carpenters and electricians: Japanese buying guides call it a popular tape measure brand (Mynavi), and it is the tape we have seen most often on Japanese job sites in our years in tool distribution (our experience, not a survey). This guide goes through every TAJIMA tool we stock and says what each one is for. Specifications come from our product pages.

Steel framingSef G3 Gold Lock Mag Claw 25

5.5 m x 25 mm, magnetic hook, 2.4 m standout.

View SFG3GLM25-55BL

Longest standoutGOATU G-Lock 25

5.0 m x 25 mm, thick rigid tape, 2.6 m standout.

View GAGL2550

ElectriciansDK-TN80 cable knife

Fixed hollow-ground blade, hammer end cap.

View DK-TN80

Layout linesPerfect Ink Pot EVO-S

Sumitsubo ink line, 15 m, auto-rewind.

View PS-EVO-S

Tape measures

All TAJIMA tapes we stock are locking tapes: the blade stays out until you release the lock. Wider tapes hold out farther before they bend (standout); narrower tapes are lighter in the pocket.

Rock: the simple pocket tapes

Lock, zero-point correcting sliding hook, shock absorber and a JIS Class 1 metric scale, with nothing extra. Pick by length and width:

• Rock-13, 2.0 m x 13 mm (L13-20BL): the smallest; for furniture, cabinets and the toolbag.
• Rock-16, 3.5 m (L16-35BL) and 5.5 m (L16-55BL): 16 mm wide, single-sided scale.
• Rock-19, 3.5 m (L19-35BL) and 5.5 m (L19-55BL): 19 mm wide with a double-sided scale, so you can read it from either edge.

G3 Gold Lock: the everyday site tape

Armored case, hook guard bumper, hardened hook, shock absorber, double-sided scale with 455 mm marks, strap and large belt clip; SK85 steel tape.

• G3 Gold Lock 19, 5.5 m x 19 mm (G3GL19-55BL): lighter body for interior work.
• G3 Gold Lock 25, 5.5 m x 25 mm (G3GL25-55BL): the all-rounder.
• G3 Gold Lock 25, 7.5 m (G3GL25-75BL): for room lengths and longer runs.

G3 Stainless Lock 25: for wet and outdoor work

The G3SL2555BL uses a stainless steel tape (SUS420J2, white) and a stainless spring that resist rust, with a case that is easy to grip with wet hands. 5.5 m x 25 mm, 2.3 m standout, 317 g. For plumbing, exterior work and anywhere the tape gets wet.

Mag Claw: magnetic hook for steel

A neodymium magnet (260 mT) on the hook holds the end on steel studs, beams, ducts and sheet steel, so you can measure alone.

• G3 Gold Lock Mag Claw 25 (G3GLM25-55BL): the G3 Gold tape with a magnetic hook, 5.5 m x 25 mm.
• Sef G3 Gold Lock Mag Claw 25 (SFG3GLM25-55BL): the same plus the Sef drop-prevention holder; 2.4 m standout.
• Sef G-Lock Mag Claw 25 (SFGLM25-55BL): G-Lock body with a full elastomer guard, Sef holder and strap, 340 g.
• Sef G3 Gold Lock Mag Claw 25, shaku scale (SFG3GLM25-55SBL): adds Japanese shaku-equivalent marks for traditional Japanese carpentry; made in China, 352 g.

GOATU: thick rigid tape for long standout

GOATU tapes use a thicker tape that TAJIMA says is 1.5 times as rigid as its standard tape, for 2.6 m standout against 2.3 to 2.4 m on the other 25 mm models above. The trade-off is length: 5.0 m instead of 5.5 m.

• GOATU G-Lock 25 (GAGL2550): 3-point riveted hook, elastomer guard, 326 g.
• GOATU Sef G-Lock 25 (GASFGL2550): with the Sef holder, 353 g.
• GOATU Sef G3 Gold Lock Mag Claw 25 (GASFG3GLM25-50BL): rigid tape, magnetic hook and Sef holder in one, 363 g.

Before you buy a tape from Japan

• Metric only. Japan's Measurement Act does not allow tapes in units such as inches to be sold in Japan (my-best), so these tapes read in millimeters and meters.
• 455 mm marks. The red marks are 455 mm apart (1.5 shaku; 1 shaku = 10/33 m, our calculation), which a Japanese guide ties to 2x4 framing (my-best). They do not match US 16 in (406.4 mm) stud spacing.
• Sef means the tape (or laser meter) clips onto TAJIMA's drop-prevention belt holder.

Electrician's knives (VARIX)

• DK-TN80 chisel knife: a fixed, full-tang knife with a hollow-ground, hard-chrome-plated blade for splitting cable jackets, a chisel-like tip, a deburring groove and an end cap so you can strike it with a hammer. For heavy cable and old installations.
• DK-FKMU folding knife: folds into the pocket; hollow-ground blade, elastomer grip and a wrench hole for snugging a nut. For panel and fittings work.

Neither knife is insulated; turn the circuit off first. Blade lengths and a side-by-side with the TSUNODA EK-72 are in our electrician's knife guide.

LED headlamps

• LE-E421D-SP: 50 / 200 / 420 lm, runs 21 / 13 / 9 hours, on the supplied rechargeable battery or 4 AA cells; IPX4, 118 g. The one to pick if you want both recharging and an AA backup.
• LE-E501D-SP: the brighter 500 lm version, rechargeable or AA, IPX4, 118 g.
• LE-M501D: 50 / 250 / 500 lm wide-angle beam with a magnet on the back, so you can also stick it to a panel door as a work light.
• LE-F501D: 500 lm wide-angle with a separate battery box, made for wearing on a hard hat.

Sef laser distance meters

• G03 (TSFLK-G03BK): 0.1 to 30 m, ±2.0 mm, Pythagorean and continuous modes, 2 AAA cells, 104 to 106 g. Enough for rooms and wire runs.
• G05 (TSFLK-G05BK): 0.1 to 50 m, ±2.0 mm, color auto-rotating display and a movable end piece for inside corners and edges. Comes with a case and strap.

Ink pots, saws and scrapers

• Perfect Ink Pot EVO (sumitsubo): snaps a fine ink line instead of a chalk line, with automatic rewind. EVO-S red and EVO-S black: 15 m of 0.6 mm line, 8 m auto-rewind, 11 ml tank, 122 g. EVO-M red and EVO-M black: 20 m of line.
• G-Saw folding pull saws: G-Saw 210 and G-Saw 240, 9 TPI, 1.0 mm kerf, replaceable blades; they cut on the pull stroke and fold for the toolbag.
• Scrape-Rite L-type scrapers: 200 mm and 300 mm, reversible replaceable blade (3 included) and a steel end cap you can tap with a hammer.

FAQ

Related guides

• Japanese Electrician Tools: 8 Brands to Know and What Each One Makes
• Electrician's Knife: How to Choose One, and the Japanese Denko Knife

Sources

• Mynavi, tape measure guide (Japanese)
• my-best, how to choose a tape measure (Japanese): Measurement Act, 455 mm marks
• Product specifications: each linked product page in our store lists its own sources (MISUMI, MonotaRO, Joshin, CAINZ, Sundrug and TAJIMA distributors).

Last reviewed: November 2026. Not affiliated with TJM Design Corporation.