I've always used stanley tape measures. They aren't too expensive, most big box hardware stores have them, as well as the usual online outlets. Most of the construction guys around here seem to carry them.

They're well made, can take a beating, and still work for years.

[edit]: I meant the ones with the metal casing that have been around for decades. I'm not sure about the ones with the plastic casing.

25ft: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-25-ft-PowerLock-Tape-Measure-33-425D/100019154

I like having the 12ft in my portable tool bag since it's a lot smaller and lighter: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-12-ft-PowerLock-Tape-Measure-33-312L/100123236

I rarely seem to use my 25ft unless I'm measuring a room or something like that.

I'm pretty sure the ones I have are metal. A magnet sticks to them.

The 12ft I linked to is the same model I have and it's a metal one. I didn't have the 25ft at my fingertips to grab the model number off of it, but I'm pretty sure the one I linked to is metal too.

That's the first time I heard about them using chromed plastic.

I dug out what I thought was my 25ft tape measure--it's actually 35ft. And the case is obviously plastic. I bought that one a number of years ago, but haven't used it more than a small handful of times.

My 12ft is metal. I've had it for at least 15 years--maybe more. I'm not sure where I got it from. But the case on that one is certainly metal.

This isn't really the thread for that argument.