Measuring tapes Vs Measuring Wheels

[Richard Carlsen]

That large cotter pin sounds great. I actually have little problem now that so many of the houses have gone to vinyl siding. The end cap is a great place to hook it. Pole buildings are by far the hardest as there is nothing to hook the tape on. That is where the screw drive comes in handy.

My tape never goes inside a house. I have stopped measuring rooms and simply locate their position on the footprint. It cuts down inspection time and I have not had an UW mention it since going to this system.

 

[mbrunson]

You should consider the newer laser measuring devices. Time saver big time!!! Disto id the only manufacturer I am familiar with. 300ft range accurate to 5 mm +/- This thing works great indoors and out. I can start at the rear of a house, bounce the dot off the neighbors garage accross the street, walk to the front of the house and subtract the distance (automatically) from the front to the neighbors garage and I'm done. Even better indoors on second floor measurements over breakable personal property. Trust me this is the way to go!!!
:!: :!:

 

[Charlotte Dixon]

I had a laser measuring device, dropped it on a garage floor and it broke 150' tape measure still in great condiditon after 14 years

 

[Anonymous]

I wrote an article a few weeks ago about the ultrasonic measuring tools and the laser distance meters. If you are interested in learning more about them, you can click on the following link to read the article:

http://www.appraiserdepot.com/measuring.htm


Matt Johnson
AppraiserDepot.com

 

[Richard Carlsen]

I have my second "Pocket Dimension Master". The first broke. If you are going to measure interior rooms, this is the ticket. At about $35 and a reported 70,000 measurements, it should last about 2 to 3 years (TIC).

Don't waste your money on the laser ones. All they do is show you where you are pointing and run the battery down quickly.

Since I don't measure interiors anymore, I have little use for mine except outside on those sections of houses that have heavy snow or flower beds. I trust this thing out to 20+ feet. It makes for easy measurements of the houses with lots of corners.

See www.calculated.com for direct purchase.

 

[mbrunson]

Richard,

You are refering to the sonic measuring tolls with a laser dot for aiming. The disto is actually a laser measuring device. This thing can measure outdoors in direct light, can measure second story walls from the ground using the pythagorean theorum, calculate area and volume, etc. Had a home within 43 feet of a 72.5 foot tall high voltage power line just last week. This thing rocks!!! They are a little expensive, however, I no longer deal with cleaning dirt, grim or worse off of a tape, I no longer look for something to hook the tape on, I no longer worry about knocking apicture off the wall when taking an interior measurement.

I will admit to being a total gear head. If it's techie, I own it! I do cary a tape as a back up just in case. Anyway, enough of the sales pitch. Have a great weekend!!

 

[Bemis Pownall]

Used a wheel once.
To measure a round house.
Looked like the Jetsons house.
Warned client it would be a nightmare. It was.
garage on first floor, bedrooms on second floor, kitchen on third floor, small pool and master on top floor..NO ELEVATOR!
Realtor owned it..figures
I use a tape, have six in my car, just in case, seems i break one once a month.

 

[Charlotte Dixon]

How do you break one measuring tape a month? Just curious! Mine has lasted 14 years, a little beat up, but still in average condition. I bought a wheel a couple of weeks ago and was SO disappointed. I thought a new "toy" would be fun, and maybe helpful. Not So! It doesn't work on carpet (skids) and of course it doesn't work on grass. I was doing a cape COD and thought it would be helpful for the second floor, but the floor was carpet, not wood, which it works fine on. Live and learn... :roll: I don't measure the interiors anyway, except if it's a cape, or like the one I did the other day, a 75 yr. old chalet. Now that was a piece of work!

 

[Bemis Pownall]

mine are metal
they get stepped on(by me)
children run them over w/their tricyles, they get caught in tight places
the metal claw gets warn out,
the biggie is getting them caught in decks, they get stuck in between the boards everytime, ive never got one out w/out breaking it. When i get one caught in a deck i just leave it, i figure if the homeowner or builder has the time to get it out its theirs. 25' costs $13.00. every expense helps.

 

[Roger]

I suggest you try fiberglass tapes. They last me 2-3 years, and are non-conductive if you get around an electric service, and therefore much safer than metal. They don't break if you step on them, they do get caught in deck boards, but you can always get them out.

Plumb brand are the best, as they roll up much more smoothly than the Lufkin brand.

Jest' my opinion.