Using this convenient laser tape measure for just a few minutes made me fall for it – here’s why

Milesy S50 Laser Measuring Tool

ZDNET Highlights

• The Milesy S50 is available now for $129.
• It is a pocket-sized laser measuring device with high-precision measurements up to 400 feet (120 m) with an accuracy of ±1/16 inch.
• It is expensive and its features may be excessive for some people.

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Some of my earliest memories are of using tools with my grandfather. He had real copies while I had plastic copies that could do very little damage. But to this day, I can’t pick up a hammer or a tape measure without thinking about those memories.

Tools have been an integral part of my life since a young age. But they’re changing, and being packed with silicon, batteries and transistors.

Also: 10 DIY Gadgets I Never Leave From My Toolkit (And Why Each One Earns Its Own Place)

The tape measure, once a palm-sized object with a metal ribbon attached to it that could be snapped back by enthusiasm – has been transformed into a palm-sized device with a laser inside. Yes, Milesy S50 Measuring Tool There’s a frickin’ laser inside!

It’s nothing like my grandfather’s tape measure. The S50 is loaded with features: First, the laser measures up to 400 feet (120 meters) and offers incredible ±1/16 inch accuracy (and yes, it’s really that accurate). It works in all types of conditions – indoors, outdoors, bright sunlight, rain, fog, at slow speeds, and can see the laser even when shining on a low-reflective surface (if the surface is too matte finished for the laser to work, you can use a reflective sticker,

Its use is quick, and the results are consistent and accurate.

But this is only a fraction of what the S50 can do. This little pocket-sized kit can do all kinds of things – you can use it to measure the distance between two points from the same location, measure the area of ​​a wall, measure the volume of a room or a cylinder, it can carry out various Pythagorean calculations, and even use the side laser to create gaps for things like fence posts.

The amount of work this little gadget can do is quite staggering. Some features I use a lot, others I’m not sure why I’d need them, but one day maybe I’ll have one of those “a-ha” moments and realize that that particular feature would be useful.

Also: This is my all-time favorite tool kit – that’s why it’s still in use after 10 years

Information is displayed on a 2.4-inch IPS backlit display that’s big and bold and easy to read in a variety of conditions, whether it’s at night or in bright sunlight. Powering the unit are two rechargeable AA 1800mAh Ni-MH batteries, and these can be recharged into the unit using USB-C. The unit’s buttons are large and clear, and they are easy to operate even when wearing work gloves.

It also has a hole for a lanyard and a 1/4-20 tripod screw. The unit has rubberized bumpers, and it resists shocks, bumps, and drops. Not to mention the handy zip-up case to safely store the tool.

ZDNET’s shopping advice

I admit it: I was surprisingly resistant to trying it. Milesy S50It seemed that what seemed to me like a simple kit had turned out to be much more complicated. But this one takes a tape measure and super charges it!

I mean, it’s a 400-foot tape measure that can do trigonometry that I can carry in my pocket. I can measure things that would require a cherry pickers ladder to reach, and I can do it with an accuracy I can’t achieve with a regular tape measure.

It’s all in one tool that costs $140 (in fact, there’s a $40 off coupon at AmazonThis may seem a bit expensive, but if you need measurements in hard-to-reach places, it is easily worth it.