Customer Reviews

Tajima IR101S-1 INK-RITE Auto Rewind Ink Snap-Line

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I am an American carpenter living in Japan. Having worked on a crew here two months there are a few tools here that we don't use back home that are better than ours. This tool is by far the most recommended Japanese tool we don't use (along with their hand saws, small pry-bars, string lines, plumbob reels, framing squares, etc.). You have to watch a Japanese carpenter use it to know how it's used, otherwise it'll be hard to see the value. Tajima is the biggest hand tool mfr here and they are the standard for this tool. I was just at the tool shop today shopping for another one of these and there were 15 models on the wall, small and large, thin and thick line, etc. It is easier to use than a chalk line if you know how to use it and it works just fine for rougher work such as framing--but it is a god-send for finish carpentry. It is a tool for someone who cares about his precision tools, not for having your laborers play around with.

First of all it is used up to maybe 20' lengths. Any longer than that they pull a string line the entire distance, make a pencil mark every 20' or so, then pull ink lines in between the pencil marks. You would think it takes more time doing this but there are a couple other features that make up for lost time. Not to mention it is much more precise than chalk, to 1/64" or so ever 10' in my experience. The ink works better on uneven surfaces than chalk, such as OSB, various building papers, concrete, etc., as long as you keep it wet. Yes it will slightly splatter and you will get it on your fingers but you won't get dirty beyond the threshold of any woodworker I've ever known.

First of all the line end is always tied to a small wood spindle that has a heavy needle on one end (instead of a hook like our chalk lines on this Tajima for sale to the North American market). When they pop a line they wrap the string around the needle base once or twice and then stick the needle into the wood at the pencil mark. Then they pull the box to the other mark and hold the string on the mark with the end of the box. There are small notches you can see in the photo that hold the string at different angles depending on your position to the work you're doing. Or they get their finger dirty and wrap it around just like we do to get it taught. They push the button over the ink sponge to lock it for popping. For concrete they use a stainless sharpened nail that they lightly hammer into the concrete at the first mark. Tajima has made the mistake of copying our hook/nail catch. With our chalk lines I find myself constantly going back to put the hook back on the mark after it falls off, not to mention the wasted time of driving a nail at your mark to hold the hook then having to remove it later. Take a 1/4" dowel maybe 1 1/2" long, notch it in the middle to tie to string to and as a finger grip, drill a hole in the center of one end, and put the butt of a heavy sewing needle or small stainless nail into it protruding 1/2" or so. This needle business likely sounds corny to a westerner but I guarantee you it's the bomb. I use my chalkline with a needle on it instead of that stupid hook.

Next is the auto rewind feature. This works for ink but not for chalk. Just follow the directions to charge the spring and it rarely needs adjustment. Mine has never failed or weakened. The string lasts a lot longer since the ink is a natural lubricant compared to chalk which puts wear on the string. But more importantly, and THIS IS THE REAL SELLER FOR THIS TOOL, the auto rewind prevents the string from catching on corners, splinters, the floor, framing, nails, cords, whatever, since it is always taught and you can therefore control it. You don't have the bother of fishing the string out of crevices as you waste time reeling in your line walking back to pull out your nail with the claws of your hammer that you then have to put back into your belt along with the nail. The spring pulls the needle against the front of the box and you just drop it into your pouch.

Keeping ink on the job or in the shop is a demerit since it's just one more consumable that you have to keep stocked. The ink box has to be charged with ink about as often as a chalk box needs to be filled. Another demerit is that the black line is permanent-so you can't use it on sheetrock where it will need to be painted since it'll take a few coats of paint to hide it. But your line will be there on the slab or floor the next day after it rains all night.

Note another mistake Tajima has made in marketing this product is that they are pushing the red ink. Red is not used here too much, mainly by plumbers and other trades that don't want their marks to get confused with the carpenter's marks. Red does not show up well at all since most wood has a reddish tone. Use black only. Here's another tip. If the ink is back in your truck and this tool starts to get dry you just have to wet the sponge with a little water and the concentrated ink residue in the sponge will work fine for the time being. The only regular maintenance issue is cleaning outside of the eyelet every week or so since the wet string picks up lint during use--takes 15 seconds. Also the shape fits well into your tool bag and doesn't catch on other tools like my chalk line hook always did.

These are just the technical points on using this tool. On the job here this tool is used much more often than we use chalk lines since it is more versatile and precise. Anywhere you need a straight line you just pull it out. This is a basic tool they always have in their tool pouch on person. Can't get into their different technologies which you can get books on or watch youtube videos if you like, no room here. If you have read to this point you will love this tool.

I have tried to use this tool on several surfaces - roof shingles, plywood sheets etc, and have not found it to work well.
It is too delicate and only seems to work on perfectly flat surfaces. Not recommended. Give me a good old chalk line anytime. I'm sorry I bought it.

I had high hope for this product but was sadly disappointed because try as I might, I could not get the item to produce much of a line at all. If it did the line would have been nice since the line weight is very thin. I could not get the reel to wet the line enough to produce any visible line on a sheet of plywood. I didn't even bother to try snapping a line on a floor. At first I thought the pad in the unit needed to sit over night and "soak in". But after refilling the unit the next day at at times thereafter I never was able to get it to snap a line of any sort. I guess this thing is headed for the can.

I'm a floorcovering installer. And I use the ink rite line to lay out tile and wood jobs. I like the fine line ink rite gives.And it doesn't come off after troweling thinset or adhesive. Good job Ink Rite.

After buying one of these and trying it, I let my crew try it. We've now retired it to the "nice concept anyway" junk pile and went back to chalk lines. Tajima needs to improve it's ink delivery to the surface to be marked. Keep trying guys. (By the way someone needs to tell them that their red ink is really orange!)

I liked this product. And have tried to get it for years after a friend brought one back from Japan. I use it for layout on concrete highrise. The first couple of uses were so so but after a while maybe learning curve. Alot of the guys are getting them know that I got one. The only complant I have is the wet ink does not stain real wet wood and I work in Vancouver and we get alot of rain. So if you have tried it and did not like it try again

I purchased this thinking it would be a fine, precise line. It's very hard to get a fine line. It's either to weak or splatters. I didn't want a chalk line that's too fussy. I rather stick with chalk.

I am not impressed with this item. The snapline has leaked from day one. The line is hard to see. It does not rewind well. On a positive note, the string used is very thin, so it could conceivably put out a very thin line.

This is a great idea that has yet to arrive. I am a full time framer - builder in Michigan and snapping layout lines Nov to March is a big problem. I purchased this with there wet weather ink and it snapped two lines out of twenty tries. I have about four times more ink in the reservoir then required and most of the time it leave no line at all. The two that did snap are still there after repeated snows and shoveling. It will be retired until spring in the hope that is just does not perform in the cold (10 to -20). Their regular chalk line is an excellent product, all though pricey, and unlike the ink line is aluminum not plastic.

Bought this item with the wet condition ink thinking it woulding be my solution to doing lay out in damp conditions. WOW was I wrong!! DID NOT even snap a single line ever no matter what I tried. The 25 foot reach is really quite the pain also when you are trying to lay out a large building. Save the head ache and do not buy.