Does anyone have or used a under $100 laser mesurer? Your brand/model experience? I haven’t been able to find any hands-on comparisons online (the old fashioned kind where the reviewer actually used the tools being reviewed). What we’ve read we’re leaning toward TachLife. Not much available locally to look at so it’s online shopping.
I’m expanding our orchard and I think it would be handy for laying out the new fence and for positioning trees. Especially since I’m not much of a right-angles-straight-lines kind of person. Our current garden/orchard fence has 7 sides not counting a couple of kinks (the new one will be simplified to just 6 sides). None of my trees are in straight lines and I’ve garbled up my trusty old favorite 50’ rule choosing where I want the next ones to go. I did get a new one for Christmas! But I’m thinking I might really like the laser tool.
Use laser tapes all the time on the job. I have used many different types. If you have a lowes by you they sell a bosch 120 and a 50 footer. The 120 is only about 90.00. They are nice to use for long distances when you are by yourself. Call ahead to make sure they have them in stock.
They are great for getting measurement of buildings and interior rooms. I have two but I don’t have much need to use them anymore. Yes they are very accurate when used properly. The low end Stanley 100 is good for what most peoples needs are. It just depends on what you want it to do for you as to which one to buy. You will be amazed at what some of the more advanced one can do. I have mostly seen them used by building contractors, real estate people, and appraisers. Bill
Bosch DLR130… works slick. Nice when you don’t have anyone around to help.
I use a range finder by Bushnell. There are some out there less than $100. I use it for shooting measurements for both hunting and other outdoor needs.
I am a ironworker and we use them all the time for field measurements to send to fab shop. Very accurate
I bought a laser measurer a few years ago to aid in planting trees and building fence. I paid a couple hundred dollars for it, but it didn’t work for me.
I can’t remember exactly why it didn’t work for me, but I think the problem was if you got very far away at all, you couldn’t see if the dot was on the post you put in to measure the distance. It was just too bright outside. I think there was also some other issue which made it hard to use but I can’t remember what it was.
My son and I fussed with it for a few hours to try to be able to use it accurately, but it just didn’t work very well. In the end it was faster to pull a tape. I ended up selling the laser measurer for 1/2 price on ebay after using it only once.
Your explanation about the laser dot on a sunny day it why I mention a range finder. You look through it and aim the cross hair at what you are targeting and get a good measurement.
I agree bob my range finder is a must, especially with a crossbow. A rangefinder under 100 bucks though?
Maybe a little optimistic as mine was on sale at the time. 
When I laid out my orchard I used a long piece of twine between stakes to mark the rows and then used a measuring wheel to locate the trees along the twine with additional wooden stakes. Simple, relatively cheap and fairly accurate The measurements repeated with in an inch or two over several hundred feet.
I think this is the model I bought. https://www.amazon.com/Komelon-MK4512-Meter-Man-14-Inch-Measuring/dp/B001QTVXWS/ref=sr_1_11?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1485357509&sr=1-11&keywords=measuring+wheel
ended up with nice straight rows 
Sounds like that would have helped. It seemed to me another problem was that it wasn’t accurate enough for me. It might have been because it was hard to hold the laser dot on something small like a post, the laser dot danced around a lot. As I recall I tried to set the laser measurer on a short piece of post to hold it still, but still had issues with accuracy. My guess is using a laser to measure big things, like a barn (something I could hit the broad side of 
) would increase accuracy.
I suppose a tripod might have solved the problem, but the whole reason I bought the laser was so it would be quick and easy, and not have to do a bunch of setup.
Even measuring the distance for trees planted at 18’ wasn’t really satisfying. Using it hand held, as I recall it was sometimes off 3 or inches or so, despite the laser was supposed to be good for something like 200’.
After using it for several hours my son and I were just disgusted and went back to the tape. I have a 200’ tape, but it’s difficult to use some days because the wind blows it around, if we measure very far with it, and it can’t be pulled super tight or it will break.
JD, Those rows do look straight from the pic. I thought about a wheel measurer but sometimes we have mounds and things to cross, or the ground is pretty rough with dirt clods, so I didn’t think that would work for us.
Picturesque orchard btw. 
I once saw a dirt contractor using a 300’ cable tape which didn’t catch wind. If my 200’ tape breaks again, I might invest in a cable tape, if I feel real spendy, or look for a used one on ebay.
I’ve been signed up to plant 300 trees this spring (various pines/plums). I have no idea how this will work. We want to stagger them in rows… the land is a field, buts its slopes down good and then back up (ridgetop field edge). Knowing my brother (his land/.his tree) we’ll be eyeballing it!
Didn’t the Inca build Machu Picchu without laser levels?
I didn’t even get my hedge that straight down the front yard, still aggravates me. I try and trim it in a way that it appears straight. I used stakes and a string but had a hard time keeping the trunk of the bush in the center of the hole.
Good point, lol. I do like the flowers