I had totally forgotten about those measuring machines. I remembered ripping fabric and when double knit fabric became popular ripping fabric when you bought it was no longer possible. That must have been when those measuring machines went by the wayside. Funny how a simple question turned into a nostalgia trip for me and others.
I rip for backings as it's just so much easier and faster and in the end I'm going to trim off the ripped edge when I bind my quilt. Other than that I don't do much ripping. I figure using the selvedge to measure is true enough grain for me.