Laser distance measure

[stealthwolf]

I am struggling with trying to measure things especially in awkward places. Most recently, I was trying to measure up a new bath panel for a bath tub that's walled in on three sides, with one edge tucked in behind a sink. A complete pain in the proverbial and my measurements were ever so slightly off which annoyed me.

I was toying with the idea of buying a laser measure to make my life easier - really for DIY - for tight spots/tricky areas where a tape measure is difficult to use, or distances longer than 5m.

Are there any recommendations or brands to consider?
I was looking at the Leica D110, D2 and X310.
I think anything above £200 would be overkill for my needs.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Anything from Leica will be good.

 

[SammyInnit]

Leica, dewalt or Hilti. The Bosch is supposed to be good too.

 

[lostinthelight]

Ive had a Lecia x310 for about a year now and the time and frustration it saves is worth every penny.
litl

 

[catlad]

Bosch do some small laser measures
I have one that does 40 or 50 mts and I have had it for
about five years and cost about £60 I don't think
you need to spend any more than that for the occasional use.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Another X310 user here. Has saved endless hassles on the job when taking inside measures on stair treads, window boards, all sorts of trapped pieces which were difficult to measure with a tape as well as being great for room estimations, etc. Thought it was a gimmick at first, wouldn't be without it now

 

[stealthwolf]

Thanks all. Ended up buying the x310.

 

[Charles Butcher]

I know this thread is a bit old, but for anyone who searches in the future for laser distance meters: I think the cheap ones are pretty good.

I have this £23 one from Amazon, and for the price it’s superb. When I cut and fitted half-a-dozen roller blinds without a helper, it saved loads of time and was probably more accurate than a tape.

True, it is hard to see the spot over long distances outdoors, at least without a reflector. It has a quoted range of only 40 m. And I haven’t calibrated it over long distances. But at 5 m it matches a good steel tape to ±2 mm, and as far I understand the measuring principle, the absolute accuracy should be just the same at any distance as long as it can see the reflected spot clearly.

I’m not really convinced by the accuracy thing. I have a Stanley fibreglass tape, and I wouldn’t be confident of reading that to better than ±10 mm at 30 m. The laser gives the same results with a lot less faff.

I guess you pay for toughness. If you need something that will survive on site, is traceable to a standard, or maybe has Bluetooth and whatever, then get a Leica. But for casual use, or a try-out to see if it works for you, there are cheaper alternatives even than Bosch.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You pay for accuracy as well as durability. My X310 is much more accurate than anyone working with a tape measure folded into something like a window recess (as I have proven time and again) and at 5m I find it is to ±0.5 to 1mm allowing me to make very snug cuts every time. Useful for other stuff, like quick estimating of mouldings, floor cladding, etc as well as having stuff like a Pythagorian function which allows me to take a height by measuring the distance from my view point the bottom and top of, say a wall - the X310 calculates the height from the two readings. Rather than buying a cheap, inaccurate laser there is a far simpler option for more domestic-sized measuring probnlems - the Talmeter tape measure

See the video here

 

[lostinthelight]

You pay for accuracy as well as durability. My X310 is much more accurate than anyone working with a tape measure folded into something like a window recess (as I have proven time and again) and at 5m I find it is to ±0.5 to 1mm allowing me to make very snug cuts every time. Useful for other stuff, like quick estimating of mouldings, floor cladding, etc as well as having stuff like a Pythagorian function which allows me to take a height by measuring the distance from my view point the bottom and top of, say a wall - andthe X310 calculates the height. Rather than buying a cheap, inaccurate laser there is a far simpler option - the Talmeter tape measure

See the video here

Also useful on the x310 is the flip out on the bottom to get into corners to check diagonals.
litl

 

[Charles Butcher]

My X310 is much more accurate than anyone working with a tape measure folded into something like a window recess (as I have proven time and again) and at 5m I find it is to ±0.5 to 1mm

My cheap Chinese one is a lot more accurate than a tape measure, too, under those circumstances. It’s also repeatable to 1 mm, but repeatability and accuracy are not the same. I don’t think the accuracy question will be solved until someone compares cheap and expensive devices under lab conditions. Even a Class I tape is ±0.6 mm at 5 m, and Class II is twice that.

You’re a skilled operator and I suspect your ability to cut snugly has a lot to do with that. I couldn’t get a close fit with the best measuring gear in the world.

The Talmeter tapes look good, especially for plasterboard. Reminds me a bit of a combined ruler/spirit level I have, which has sliding markers incorporating drill holes. Quite good for transferring measurements to a wall, except that it’s generally either too short for the job or too long for the available space.