It is small enough to carry with you at all times. The lock is strong but I expect it to loosen with use. Pretty light and the size is just right for small hands. I bought 2 extras after using the first one for a few weeks. I thought I left it at the hardware store. so happy to find it on the floor near the mailbox. A locking hook would be a nice addition. A scale on the other hand would have made it more useful. For example, the millimeter scale is useful when the length needs to be divided by three, even on a project that uses inches.