Laser distance meters your experience (Bosch, UNI-T, etc)

Pete7874 · 2019-12-05T01:05:01.000Z

I bought some cheap one on ebay, just for kicks. I really don’t have much use for it. I noticed it’s a bit off on very short distances (less than a foot or so), but otherwise accurate enough.

djozz · 2019-12-05T07:03:07.000Z

Pete7874:

I bought some cheap one on ebay, just for kicks. I really don’t have much use for it. I noticed it’s a bit off on very short distances (less than a foot or so), but otherwise accurate enough.

How much is “a bit” ? I reckon it is measurable

YuvalS · 2019-12-05T09:39:52.000Z

I have Leica 310 I am using it to survey caves.
I have replaced the internal circuit so now it is also measure Azimuth and transmit Azimuth, Inclination and Distance to my android phone using Bluetooth.
The max range is 120 m but in direct sun light it is sometimes difficult to see the laser and aim to more than 10m.

It is not cheep but very reliable. I once drop it to a 80 m pit and nothing happen to it.

aswang · 2019-12-05T12:41:54.000Z

I’ve used a bunch for mapping caves and other sites. Depends on what you need to measure I guess. The bosch GLM80 is ok for indoors but it struggles outdoors especially with not so smooth targets. I have a UNI-T (UT395B I think) which has a camera for measuring outdoors when the laser is not visible. It’s my favorite among the cheap ones although I doubt it’s water resistant. Milesey P7 is also ok with some extra features like estimating remote distances. Don’t expect to be able to measure distance up to specs for the cheap ones.

Leica still makes the best LDMs and their lasers just measure things faster and more accurate. So for professional use I’d still recommend leica distos despite the higher price tags. I’m also modding some Caving Disto X2s for our club and that is the best measuring tool ever!!! I’m wondering why Leica just don’t make them out of the box . Cavers have long proven they are super accurate and reliable.

Pete7874 · 2019-12-05T13:24:43.000Z

djozz:

Pete7874:

I bought some cheap one on ebay, just for kicks. I really don’t have much use for it. I noticed it’s a bit off on very short distances (less than a foot or so), but otherwise accurate enough.

How much is “a bit” ? I reckon it is measurable

There is one particular spot in my house where the meter gets thrown off, and I am not exactly sure why. Actual distance is 29 inches, and the meter shows 29.6”. I haven’t been able to replicate it in any other spot. Something is goofy there.

djozz · 2019-12-05T13:32:00.000Z

I see, so it is not as simple as I suggested. Maybe some reflection is picked up.

tempo · 2019-12-05T15:31:42.000Z

aswang:

Leica still makes the best LDMs and their lasers just measure things faster and more accurate. So for professional use I’d still recommend leica distos despite the higher price tags.

hmm, i wasn't aware of Leica LDMs. I just called the Switzerland. They said that HQ of Leica is Switzerland and all the engineering and technology and R&D is from the HQ site. Assembly and main production site is the HQ site, too, while they also have a production facility in Singapore oic. This also explains the higher price tags.

I'll watch a couple of Leica review youtubes thanks!! .. even though i already know that i won't spend over 100$ on a LDM.

aswang · 2019-12-06T03:52:22.000Z

tempo:

hmm, i wasn’t aware of Leica LDMs. I just called the Switzerland. They said that HQ of Leica is Switzerland and all the engineering and technology and R&D is from the HQ site. Assembly and main production site is the HQ site, too, while they also have a production facility in Singapore oic. This also explains the higher price tags.

I’ll watch a couple of Leica review youtubes thanks!! … even though i already know that i won’t spend over 100$ on a LDM.

The Mileseey and UNI-T are also good and work pretty well. But if you’ve used Leica Distos you really see the difference. The difference is very apparent when measuring long distances where with the chinese brands it takes a while to measure and many times won’t work (especially with not so steady hands). Distos are just quicker and more reliable when measuring long distances. Check ebay also for discounted Distos especially on older models. I was able to buy a brand new X310 for $99 a while back.

candor · 2019-12-06T09:54:52.000Z

I’ve got the Leica Disto E7500i. It’s spendy but I use it for work. The timer delay really helps with not so steady hands. Using a tripod is also extremely helpful.

tempo · 2019-12-06T12:34:52.000Z

I like that Leica keeps the selection of current Disto models small. E7500i and X310 can still be had thru retailers but they don't appear on the Leica website (catalog) anymore. From the current catalog only D1 and D2 are within my budget. The D2 seems very simple compared with the UT395?-series let alone UT396?-series. Of course, the X310 is the more professional model than the (more uptodate/accurate) D2.

Joshk · 2019-12-06T13:34:07.000Z

I bought a Foneso for $54 about 4 years ago and have zero complaints about it’s build quality or accuracy. It is super handy indoors. It doesn’t work in daylight, but that is expected.

LTC · 2019-12-06T13:38:53.000Z

My Bushnell Tour V2 is still working and accurate after 7 years of usage. So, it’s very tough and reliable. But in the expensive price range.

RobertB · 2019-12-06T13:45:08.000Z

Had a contractor come in to take measurements for our basement rebuild. 3 main rooms, two closet rooms and a bathroom. He had a Bosch GLM165-40 “Blaze Pro”. Furthest distance measured was about 40ft. For fun, I measured his laser against a tape and was surprised how accurate it was. He used a “target card” for the longest distance. In a 10ft area, I set the target card up at one end, and measured with the tape. The laser read exactly the same distance as best I could tell.

Joshk · 2019-12-06T13:48:18.000Z

I know, I checked mine for accuracy too and was amazed I couldn’t confirm ANY error.

HKJ · 2019-12-06T15:14:28.000Z

I also use a laser meter and it is from Fluke (421D).
It is precise as long as you remember to select where you measure from (Front/back).

rbpinto · 2019-12-06T16:08:36.000Z

I picked this one up from banggood. (Atuman LS-1S)
Very small and convenient and at a very reasonable price.

kat · 2019-12-06T16:16:40.000Z

I have the same one, but branded Duka LS-P (Xiaomi).
It’s the best product I bought so far from China for the price ($17).
It’s very small, strong aluminium case, accurate and can measure volume too!
Much better deal compared to a Bosch plastic brick that has the same performance for 5x the price…

Scallywag · 2019-12-06T17:36:44.000Z

Pete7874:

I bought some cheap one on ebay, just for kicks. I really don’t have much use for it. I noticed it’s a bit off on very short distances (less than a foot or so), but otherwise accurate enough.

I have something cheap off the ‘zon that looks similar. I compared measurements to tape in the 8’–12’ range and found it to be better than tape…
Only thing is, get it level.

Pete7874 · 2019-12-06T19:13:21.000Z

Scallywag:

and found it to be better than tape…

How can it be better than tape? Is your tape giving you wrong results? And if so, how do you verify it?

HKJ · 2019-12-06T19:23:14.000Z

Pete7874:

Scallywag:

and found it to be better than tape…

How can it be better than tape? Is your tape giving you wrong results? And if so, how do you verify it?

Try measuring a room, with the laser you just need to put it against a wall and aim at the opposite wall to get a precise result (Select min. and sweep it a bit around if you have problems with aiming straight), with a tape you need to place it in a straight path from one wall to another.
In most cases laser is both faster and more precise than tape.

This does not mean a that it always is better than a tape measurement, I uses both depending on what I want to measure.