Editor's Review: New Chalklines for an Age-Old Job

This new Irwin chalkline is an improvement over the old Strait-Line box that has been around for 50 years or so. The chalk reservoir opens wide, making refills easy, and the rewind handle retracts the line six times faster (a 6-to-1 gear ratio). A built-in clutch allows the 100-ft. braided line to be pulled out without spinning the handle, and a large pronged hook on the end does a great job of grabbing an edge, a big help when you're snapping lines at odd angles. A lock keeps the line tight during snapping and also comes in handy for using the box as a plumb bob. A design flaw results in chalk sometimes spilling out of the nose of the box. At $11, the SL6X is worth having in your tool kit.

Editor Test Results:

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New Chalklines for an Age-Old Job A closer look at the standout versions of this essential layout tool by Larry Haun