There’s hardly anyone who doesn’t find himself in a position where he needs to take a measurement of a distance. Whether at home or in the office or at the workshop, there’s often the need to know the distance between two points. Things have changed; life has advanced. There are limitations in using a
measuring tape. For instance, if you’re the only one at home and you need to take a measurement, who would hold the other end of the tape for you? What if you’re to measure a height much taller than you? That means you have to look for a
ladder without which you cannot take the measurement. Have you noticed that it’s usually hard to take measurement in a straight line using a tape rule? If you do not have that challenge, a lot of people do. The question is, how do we take care of these limitations of a tape rule? A laser measure comes to mind. With a laser measure, you can take measurements of up to 330 feet, a sure sight further than any tape rule!
Yes, you now know the advantages that a laser measure has over a tape, yet that doesn’t mean that you can just go ahead and pick any laser measure and start using it. There are factors to consider before settling for any laser measure but first, let’s look at the categories that laser measures are classified into. This will help you decide what category your measurement needs fall into and what features the laser measure you need for the job should have. The categories are:
Home use laser measure:
This covers laser measures that are used mainly for indoor projects. The user doesn’t have to be a professional and the range for the measurement is more modest.
Mid-range laser measure:
This covers laser measures that are used in general construction. It’s for people who are into construction jobs and need to do a lot of measurements. This works mostly indoors but the “indoor” may be a fabrication yard. This can be used by both professionals and amateurs depending on the frequency of use.
Hi-end laser measure:
This covers laser measures that leave little or no room for errors. If you’re into construction and fabrication jobs where the slightest error in measurement can be risky, then the hi-end laser measures should be your best option. This is mostly used by professionals and they usually cover the widest ranges with no errors.
Now that you know the categories, do you know what your measurement needs are? If yes, our job is half done. The next step is to look at the features that most laser measures have, compare them to your measurement needs and voila, you have all the information needed to make your purchase decision. Even if you don’t know your measurement needs just yet, we trust that you will, by the end of this review.
Please note that while it might be good to have a
multimeter handy (for situations where a laser measure isn’t ideal), they are different tools. Also don’t forget to use adequate eye protection when using a laser measure as pointing a laser directly into the eye can cause permanent retina damage. Maximum caution should be taken when using this device.
Price
The price of a product is usually reflective of its quality. Different factors affect the price that a brand places on its products. For instance, a brand that is already known for certain product lines may have more expensive options for that product. That doesn’t mean that lesser known brands don’t have products with similar or better quality. Many of them, due to competition, often lower the price of their products so as to compete fairly with the known brands. So, it’s safe to say that price is not a true test of quality. This is also true of laser measures.
We’ve researched different brands and products and seen that it’s best to choose your laser measure based on the features that you’re looking out for. We saw inexpensive laser measures that sell for $13 and we also saw expensive laser measures of up to $700. We decided to look for features that make the best laser measures and see if they’re available in budget friendly options. We do know that most cheap laser measures may not stand the test of time so we ignored them. Therefore, rest assured that whatever laser measure you pick from the list of our reviewed products will give you a quality product without digging a deep hole in your pocket.
Features
Choosing an ideal laser measure can be quite confusing these days because of the different features built into them. It becomes confusing because you may like a certain additional feature and then forget the major feature that you need to look out for. We understand this dilemma in choice so we’ve selected the relevant features of a laser measure and the kinds of jobs they’re suitable for. We’ve also explained why these features are important. Of course, you can find a laser measure that has all the features that you need. Here are the features you may want to look out for:
- Measuring range
- Accuracy
- Measurement units
- Measurement modes
- Functions
- Display
- Memory
- Battery life
- Sound
- Additional features
Yes, these are the features to look out for. The next step is to find out the importance of these features and decide which of them should be a priority to you.
Construction and Design
Why go for a laser measure with complicated functions when all you need is one with which to measure length or distance from one point to another? Some functions of a laser measure are: addition and subtraction, continuous measurement, single indirect measurement, double indirect measurement, combined indirect measurement, Pythagorean measurement, angle measurement, multi surface area measurement, maximum measurement, minimum measurement, trapezoid measurement, etc. Your job need determines whether getting a laser measure with these number of functions will ease your work or whether it will be too many unnecessary functions.
Some laser measures have back-lit screens while others don’t. If your job requires that you work in dark rooms or very bright light, it’ll be preferable to choose a laser measure that won’t make you squint or strain your eyes to read its display. Some laser measures also have multiple line displays which can be helpful in reading different measurements at once.
Battery life is very key to determining your choice of laser measure. Most options run on either replaceable batteries or rechargeable batteries. If you work for long hours, it’ll be more convenient to work with those with replaceable batteries as your job may not be interrupted.
Do you need a laser measure with features such as a sound marker, auto shut off, Bluetooth connectivity, etc.? These are some interesting features that add to the functionality of your laser measure, so be on the look out for them.
Performance and Ease of Use
When working on small range projects like home improvement and renovations, you don’t necessarily need a measuring device with a huge range. On the other hand, you cannot be doing a major project like industrial construction or road construction and be using a laser measure with a low range; it doesn’t work like that. The principle that a laser measure works on is that the laser beam hits on a target and measures the distance so, if there’s no target to hit at the end of your range, your device won’t be taking any measurement. That said, some brands sell a reflective target that you can place at the end of your targeted object to take the measurement. When you don’t have a reflective target, your measurement range will depend on the amount of light – the intensity of the beam (it’s usually better in a darker room), the surface you are targeting (smooth surfaces with light colors work better) and the clarity of your laser lens. The steadier your hand while taking measurement, the wider your range.
You have a range of accuracy between 1/4 of an inch to 1/32 of an inch with the former being the accuracy that can work for home use laser measures where accuracy is not so much of a problem. But while working on a sensitive technical job, you should rather go for the more accurate device.
While some measures can measure in different units some only measure in limited number of units. When choosing your laser measuring device, ensure that you know what units it measures in and that those units are what you need, in order to avoid confusion.
If you know you’ll have to measure, area, volume, length, in the course of your job, be sure to look out for laser measures that take in all those measurement modes.
Depending on your kind of job, you may want to check the memory of your laser measure. While some retain up to 10 or more measurements others retain about 5. So, this is totally dependent on you and which is more beneficial to you.
We believe that by now, since you have gone through our buying guide, you know which category of laser measure to buy. Like you already know, there are a few models out there with different and enticing features, but it’s better to focus on the most important features for your laser measure. Below is a detailed review of 5 brands and their laser measures. Do go through and pick the one that best suits your measurement needs.
It only takes someone who knows exactly what he or she wants to stay on to the end of this review. We believe your hard work has been rewarded with the information you have gotten so far. Based on that, do go ahead and pick the right laser measure that fits your desired and required features.
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