Chalk lines
Lufkin Chalk reel, 100 ft, cast aluminum body
The only metal-bodied reel on this shelf and the cheapest thing on it — and it doubles as a plumb bob.
Specifications
- Material
- A cast aluminum body, stated for increased durability. It is the ONLY metal shell on this shelf — two reels here are ABS and the rest name no material at all — and on a tool that gets dropped off staging that is the difference between a dent and a crack
- Stated dimension or range
- 100 ft of line. No line diameter appears, as on every reel here
- Measuring mode
- A centreline marker for use as a PLUMB BOB, stated. It is unique on this shelf: the reel hangs from its own line and the marker shows where the center of gravity falls, so one tool sets out a horizontal snap and a vertical drop
- Body and fittings
- A sliding door for quick and easy chalk refilling, stated, and a built-in storage dock that protects the end hook when not in use
- Functions
- NO GEAR RATIO IS PUBLISHED. This shelf's introduction calls a geared rewind the whole ergonomic argument of this family, and four of the nine reels here — including this one — give no ratio at all. On 100 ft of line, an ungeared rewind is well over a hundred turns
- Supplied
- No chalk is stated as included, and no sealing organ is described beyond the sliding door
- Amazon reference
- B08FMV6B9J
- EAN
- 0037103339140
What the maker puts in writing
- 100 ft · cast aluminum body for increased durability
- Sliding door for quick and easy chalk refilling
- Centreline marker for use as a plumb bob
- Built-in storage dock protects the end hook when not in use
NO GEAR RATIO. No line diameter. No sealing organ. No chalk included.
Which matters on a tool that lives on staging.
An ABS reel cracks when it goes off a scaffold board onto concrete, and a cracked
chalk reel empties itself.
Cast aluminum dents.
Two reels on this shelf name ABS. Five name no shell material at all. Two name
metal — this cast aluminum body and an aluminum one at ten dollars — and this is
the cheaper of the two.
And no gearing, on a hundred feet
Which is the one thing to weigh.
This shelf’s introduction calls a geared rewind the whole ergonomic argument of this
family.
A hundred feet direct-drive is roughly a hundred and twenty turns of the handle.
The 6:1 reel here does it in twenty.
Lufkin publishes no ratio. That may mean direct drive or an unstated gearing — the
page does not say.
Twice a day, it hardly matters. Thirty times, it is the whole day.
It is also a plumb bob
Which one other reel on this shelf also offers, and seven do not.
Hang the reel from its own extended line, and the centreline marker shows where
its center of gravity falls. A vertical from a ceiling mark to a floor, from the
tool already in your hand.
What it is not is a proper bob. A chalk reel is a wide, light, chalk-filled box: it
swings longer and settles less precisely than brass on a thin cord.
A stud wall, yes. A tall drop, hang a real one.
Availability
On sale at around 8 € on the American Amazon store at the time of checking.
Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 8 October 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.
What gets asked here
How bad is no gear ratio on a hundred feet?
It is the one thing to weigh, and this shelf's introduction is blunt that gearing is the whole ergonomic argument here. A hundred feet of line on a direct-drive reel is roughly a hundred and twenty turns of the handle; the 6:1 reel on this shelf does it in twenty. Lufkin publishes no ratio, which may mean direct drive or may mean an unstated gearing — the page does not say. If the reel is pulled out twice a day it hardly matters; if it is pulled out thirty times it is the whole day.
Does it really work as a plumb bob?
Well enough for layout, and it is the only reel here that tries. The reel hangs from its own extended line and the centreline marker shows where its center of gravity sits, so you can drop a vertical from a ceiling mark to a floor and mark it. What it is not is a proper plumb bob: a chalk reel is a wide, light, chalk-filled box that swings for longer and settles less precisely than a brass bob on a thin cord. For setting out a stud wall it is fine; for a tall drop, hang a real bob.
Is a metal body worth it?
On a tool that lives on staging, yes. An ABS reel cracks when it goes off a scaffold board onto concrete, and a cracked chalk reel empties itself; cast aluminum dents. Two reels on this shelf name ABS and four name no shell material at all, so this is the only one you can choose metal on. The cost is weight — aluminum is heavier than plastic for the same shell — and at eight dollars fifty it is also the cheapest reel here, which makes the trade easy.
