But I think that measuring a distance greater than this in the area I was would have been difficult. Testing this outside the other day I managed a range of 132m. The Leica Disto A5 should measure up to 200m. Dark surfaces and those that do not reflect the laser light frequency (usually the red frequency band of light) are the ones that it will prove difficult to measure too. The basic budget laser tape measures with a maximum range of 40m may well struggle to measure on certain surfaces, where a longer-range laser tape measure would cope. The laser tape measure needs a certain amount of laser light being reflected so that an accurate measurement can be achieved. This does depend on the surface that is being measured too. Most basic laser tape measures will only measure about 40m (about 130ft), but the more powerful (and more expensive) ones can measure up to 300m (almost 1000ft). Measurements due to Tape Sag or following contours of an object. One example of this would be measuring the clearance to overhead powerlines (but the best tool for this would be the Suparule), and they are one thing you definitely don’t want to touch!!!Īlso, the laser light measures straight between theĭevice and the reflected surface, thus guaranteeing the shortest measurement. But one advantage that surprised me after owning the Leica Disto for awhile, was that I could also use the laser tape measure to measure distances to objects that I didn’t want to touch. Then main advantage I find with Laser Tape Measures is that I can measure distances to remote or inaccessible objects. What Advantages does a Laser Tape Measure have over a A good example of this would be measuring the internal dimensions of a room. I find it very handy for measuring remote features or longer lengths where a traditional tape would prove awkward. Yes, they do, and they work very accurately too. Think of the term Disto as you would Hoover for a Vacuum Cleaner. The first Laser Tape Measure I bought was a Leica Disto A5 in 2007, and I still have it now. And Leica produce numerous total stations using this laser distance measuring system, and have done for many, many years. This is because the first laser tape measures that were popular were the Leica Disto’s. Are Laser Tape Measures known by any other name?Ī lot of people, including myself, would refer to a Laser Tape Measure as a “ Disto”. By emitting a beam of laser light and measuring the time it takes to be reflected back off a surface the Laser Tape Measure can work out the distance accurately. They use the same technology found in reflectorless total stations.
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What is a Laser Tape Measure?Ī Laser Tape Measure does the same job as a standard Tape Measure, but it uses a laser to measure the distance instead of the physical steel or fibre of a traditional graduated tape measure. In this article I will be going through the basics of Laser Tape Measures. They were once the preserve of professionals who were taking lots of measurements throughout the day. They are becoming more common and are readily available in most DIY stores and online at very reasonable prices. Laser Tape Measures have been around for a number of years now.