As an engineering student, I needed a medium between functionality and ease of use; I decided to settle with this product. The design itself is very sturdy, although the knobs do tend to get into the way. Due to this items construction, the knobs do not allow you to place the ruler flush against a surface without a number or two being covered up by the tangent rulers. Other than that, this item has served me well, and I can definitely say that I am one step ahead.