Lasers in the House

The invention of the laser beam is widely considered a ground-breaking technology. In commercial construction, lasers have replaced plumb bobs, chalk lines, measuring tapes, and even surveying instruments because of their unparalleled accuracy and ease of use. As this technology has moved into the consumer market (under $100), the race to the bottom has fostered tools and toys of questionable function and durability. Who hasn’t witnessed the “laser pointer at the cinema” experience? Could you think of anything worse than a Christmas present that doesn’t survive its “first drop” test?

So it was with some trepidation, followed by pleasant surprise, that I reviewed the current laser tool line-up from Stanley, the venerable tool manufacturer. Sure they had to buy CST-Berger, a long standing manufacturer of precision measuring instruments, to develop these products, but consolidation is the way of the world. One product I found particularly impressive at its price point is their TruLaser measuring device, the gadget I’ll discuss today.

Distance measuring tools for the consumer market have up to now incorporated an ultrasonic feedback device with a laser pointer to measure distance. These tools are severely compromised in terms of accuracy, because the ultrasonic “beam” widens with distance; you simply are not measuring the spot that the laser points to. I guess that’s why they‘ve always been referred to as “estimating tools”! The original, commercial version of this instrument, developed, patented, and still licensed through the legendary camera maker Leica, used the laser in conjunction with its knowledge of rangefinder technology to make an instrument capable of a 600-foot range with an accuracy of plus or minus 1/16”! Hardly an “estimater”! This is the technology Stanley used when developing its TruLaser, which specs out at 100 feet plus or minus ¼”, more than adequate for any interior work, its intended design focus. The Leica instruments start at $400, and the TruLaser is $99.95