Laser Distance Tools – Anybody use one?
I work for an architecture firm that does commercial and industrial work. Our work includes new construction, remodels of existing buildings, and additions. Some of the work that we have under construction right now includes a gymnasium, locker room, and multi-purpose space addition to a high school, a professional office building that abuts a residential neighborhood, and the remodeling of a former Jewel-Osco grocery store into a church with banquet and classroom facilities. After having to go in and use a tape to field measure for existing condition / demolition drawings, I’ve started to think about buying a laser distance estimating tool. I only really need to be able to measure length, width, and height. Obviously, this won’t replace my tapes, but I think it can increase efficiency. The two that I’ve found that seem to do what I want are the Hilti PD30 and the Leica Disto Lite 5. Both are available locally or on the internet. I would like to know if anyone uses either of these or something similar and has any comments or advice. Thanks in advance.
Replies
No experience with them, others have said they like the Disto, noticed sears has one in todays paper
I think that Sears one is actually a sonic version, with a laser to point it.Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
I am a big fan of Pacific laser systems, although I haven't used their distance estimator. If I was to get one which I've thought about, I'd probably go with them because I've good experiences with two of their laser models: the Pls5 and Pls360. The Hilti rep demonstrated theirs for us and it seemed great, but a friend of mine had a pm24 and it was very difficult to see the point in even low light.
PLS1. Great tool, but the point is difficult/impossible to see outdoors in bright light.
I seriously considered the Stabila or PLS laser tools, and will probably buy one next year at the JLC Live expo.
There was an article about these about 1-2 years ago in the JLC mag. The bottom line was the more expensive the tool, the better it was, and the PLS and Stabila rated at the bottom. But then again, they are only in the $350-500 range. Search JLC (or the Tools of the Trade mag) and you should find it. (Maybe it was FHB, but I don't think so.)