However, I found the "box" that you hang the plumb bob from to be very cheap. It's made of two pieces of plastic snapped together and broke the first time I dropped it. The hanging pin is a neat idea, but more often than not the unit popped of the wall and fell on my head. The black plunger that sets the pin is, again, plastic and you are supposed to hit it with your hand - you could never hit it with a hammer, even softly. Additionally, the hanging hook is thin gauge and I have bent it several times. More frustrating, its only maybe 2 inches long - it doesn't reach the width of a 2x4. The magnet is strong and the most useful and reliable hanging method.

I rate this 4 out of 5 because the quality of the cord they used and the retraction mechanism alone. The cord has never tangled and the recoil has performed perfectly. But, I almost always set a small nail and hang the plumb bob from there - I was tired of it falling off. Even though this is rigged - it's still a very useful and convenient tool.

One last note - they do a bad job of explaining the "zero depth" function. In the picture, you see the cord hanging 2 inches from the wall. Without moving it or anything, you can easily adjust the cord behind a set pin in the yellow box and the cord is now flush against the wall. I find myself doing this a lot when I need to be more careful about exact plumb.

All said and done - money well spent - but if (or when) I buy another one, I'll duct tape the plastic box together before I ever start using it!

A Bob among bobs! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : Cool Tool, I was just looking for a simple plumb bob and saw this retractable Tajima bob on Amazon.com. It was a little more expensive than a high quality bob by it's self, so I went for it. This bob is great. Very high quality, and has a "u-joint" type of connection that makes the bob settle down quickly. The retractable feature is fantastic. This is a very nice tool and a must for every finish carpenter and home builder.

Tajima Plumb Bob (Rating: 5.00)
Review : And I thought a plumb bob was a lump of metal tied to a piece of string....!! The Tajima plumb bob is quite simply a superb piece of Japanese product engineering. You can hook it, hang it, pin it on and its also magnetic - the high-vis cord self-retracts, it doesn't rotate. The gimbal-mounted bob is quickly self-damping and settles in seconds; the line can be three fixed distances from the back of the case - 60mm, 50mm or zero. If a heavier bob is fitted, the tracking arrangement of the cord is changed to compensate for weights up to 1Kg. It is beautifully constructed in mirror finish high quality ABS plastic, the bob is accurately turned and chromium plated. Its one of the best pieces of kit in my tool box. I bought mine in Hong Kong on 12.12.01 for HK$80, that's UKSterling 7.12 or US$10.40 by the way....