@phototec, the Pro Steel looks good. Does it have a rubber grip pad on the bottom? Also, any thoughts about the Sooper Edge Purple Ruler? It also has a stainless steel insert. It's in the Fellers book on page 96.
Yes, the Pro Steel Ruler does have a new non-slip backing that is thinner with a more powerful grip. See the specifications below.
Steel is the perfect edge for razor straight trimming, your blade slips along the steel with dead on accuracy. The stainless steel edge is low and flat, so your blade won't wobble. We took the best elements of the Safety Ruler and added a wider hold down base and a new non-slip backing that is thinner with a more powerful grip. The tool steel is .069" thick by 1.25" wide, It is joined to the base and protrudes from the side of the ruler. Trim fast. Trim straight. World's best cutter.
Can't say anything about the Purple Ruler, never had that one, but as long as it has a STEEL cutting edge, that is what will make it last 100 times longer than the Blue ruler with ONLY an aluminum, cutting edge.
Think about it, your cutting blade is way harder than any aluminum, so if you accidentally turn the blade just a little towards the aluminum cutting edge, your blade will cut into the aluminum (happened to me allot before getting the Pro Steel safety Ruler).
You know the old saying, "you get what you pay for", when I got out of the Army, bought my first set of sockets at K-mart (cheap), the first time I used one of the larger sockets to remove a lug nut on my car, the socket literally split in half, so my next set of sockets was Craftsman from Sears, that was 40 years ago, and I still have all the sockets and have only broken one when I tried to use it with an impact pneumatic driver, and because the Craftsman has a lifetime warranty, they gave me a new replacement socket.
The moral of the story is to buy good tools up front and they last much longer than the cheap ones, and I'm glad the OP brought this info up to all of us, because a Safety Ruler (I have the 100" Pro Steel), at $150 is way better then a $300-$500 visit to the ER and the down time while your finger is healing.
I would hope those who DO NOT have a Safety Ruler in there shop will take this seriously and be pro active and get one!