IDEAL Electrical E-Class Fiberglass Fish Tape, 100-Foot (31-046) vs Klein Tools Multi-Groove Fiberglass Fish Tape with Nylon Tip, 50-Foot (56382)

The E-Class is the only tape in this comparison where the maker prints a voltage figure and puts a non-metal eyelet on the end, and IDEAL publishes the strength, the case size and the repair procedure alongside it. Klein's multi-groove fiberglass gives you the same non-conductive tip and a replaceable one at that, in a shorter, cheaper package, at the cost of any published strength number.

IDEAL Electrical E-Class Fiberglass Fish Tape, 100-Foot (31-046)

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The only tape here whose maker puts a voltage number on the tape and a molded plastic eyelet on the end.

• IDEAL states the fiberglass core is non-conductive up to 1000 V, the only voltage figure any maker in this group publishes.
• The end is a molded glow-in-the-dark plastic eyelet, so the first part into the box is not metal.
• Published as 3/16 inch tape, 350 lb pulling strength, 100 feet in a 12 inch case, with a documented eyelet repair kit (31-044).

• IDEAL footnotes the 1000 V claim as based on internal testing, so it is the maker's own number and not a third party certification.
• IDEAL's own user guide still warns not to use the tape on or near live circuits or energized equipment.
• 350 lb is the middle of IDEAL's non-conductive line, below the 500 lb S-Class.

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Klein Tools Multi-Groove Fiberglass Fish Tape with Nylon Tip, 50-Foot (56382)

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The short, cheap way to get a non-conductive tape with a non-conductive tip, if you can live with fifty feet.

• Klein lists the tape end as a non-conductive nylon eyelet, narrower for feeding and chamfered so it catches less on the pull back.
• The grooved profile puts less surface against the conduit wall, which is the whole argument for buying this shape over a plain rod.
• Light and compact at 2.7 lb in a 13 inch polypropylene case, and the tip is replaceable with Klein's 56025 repair kit.

• Klein publishes no pulling strength or tensile figure for this model, so you cannot compare it on paper with the IDEAL or Greenlee numbers.
• Fifty feet runs out fast on commercial conduit or a long attic run.
• No published voltage or dielectric rating, only the word non-conductive.

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Side by side

The bottom line

Our overall pick is the IDEAL Electrical E-Class Fiberglass Fish Tape, 100-Foot (31-046) - The only tape here whose maker puts a voltage number on the tape and a molded plastic eyelet on the end. Choose the Klein Tools Multi-Groove Fiberglass Fish Tape with Nylon Tip, 50-Foot (56382) instead if residential work and short runs where you want the softer material without stepping up to a flagship reel.

Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Fish Tapes: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).