01 DIMENSIONING DEVICE – The Garage Journal

Agreed. And that is it's biggest flaw- I am a hands on guy, doing all sorts of projects. And my wife is an architect.

I'll ask her for her opinion when she gets home, but for me, the fact that it needs to roll with sensor is pretty useless.

They claim it is a replacement, much less the end of, the common tape measure, yet a simple tape measure can span gaps and avoid non-straight rolling error (left right swerving)- I'd dare say for most people, doing most jobs, a 'freebie' Harbor Freight tape measure is a better tool than this.

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Burgerkong

Well-known member

Nov 2, 2016

#9

Yeah. Tape measure for me - anything that needs accuracy I'd open the PDF or CAD file and measure using software instead of throwing human error into the mix.

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winlinmac

Well-known member

Nov 3, 2016

#10

The first thing that came to my mind was price; before even checking the price I speculated somewhere between $149-$249

Clicking on the link eventually confirmed to me the MSRP is $149 (it wasn't a surprise)
The cost to manufacture this so-called tool / instrument is probably 1/3 of the price. Again, anything to attract the consumer.

Its more of a hype rather than something that will see regular use. Again, its taking a rough estimate and there isn't much precision.

Makes me think about the Bosch Laser Levels.

A lot of my measurements are taken linearly.

J

jdlong

Well-known member

Nov 3, 2016

#11

winlinmac said:
Its more of a hype rather than something that will see regular use. Again, its taking a rough estimate and there isn't much precision.

Yep. The accuracy is only as good as how you roll it. The technology has been around for over a decade. Just not in this form. Too impractical if not useless to anyone who wants precision fit up.

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Burgerkong

Well-known member

Nov 3, 2016

#12

You know what's funny, the example they had in the video where the guy measures the collar of the t-shirt? Yeah since the shirt is flexible, you can in fact manipulate it so that the collar lies straight. Tailors have been using flexible tape for centuries and they seem to do just fine. Another gimmick.

Last edited: Nov 3, 2016

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Tim37

Well-known member

Nov 3, 2016

#13

I don't see it any more accurate than a common ruler. A simple shift of the pens angle will throw it off.

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winlinmac

Well-known member

Nov 3, 2016

#14

It looks like a spin-off product from Apple, the narration of the video is fairly reminiscent of that fellow that narrates the design of Apple products. Not kidding...

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APEowner

Well-known member

Nov 3, 2016

#15

As a fan of quality writing instruments and geeky tech I think that's really cool. It's not really a replacement for other measuring tools but for folks that already carry a quality pen it might be nice to have in place of the pen. I currently carry a Rotring Trio and wouldn't want to give up the 3 quality writing instruments for a single writing instrument and a measuring device but I can see where some folks might find it really handy.

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Falcon67

Well-known member

Nov 3, 2016

#16

$149? No. 25' Stanley, a 12" precision scale and a #2 Ticonderoga will do nicely. It's cool yes, and if $150 is worth it to someone to have a cool toy, then OK.

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Zeke

Well-known member

Nov 3, 2016

#17

I like it. I don't like it enough to bite. Someday these will be at HD for 20 bucks. Also, it's not a new idea. Similar devices for taking measurements off plans have been around for years. They aren't 20 bucks though.

And they come with software, they don't work with a phone.

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bmwpowere36m3

Well-known member

Nov 3, 2016

#18

Cool gadget... with limitations to accuracy. In many cases a ruler or tape would be far more accurate.

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IndyGarage

Well-known member

Nov 3, 2016

#19

Whenever I see a video where they talk about the device more than they show it - it makes me skeptical. I didn't see enough of how the device works to know whether I would like it or not.

OP

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Ryan

Administrator

Staff member

Nov 3, 2016

#20

Don't think of this device as the answer. I don't anyway... Instead, I think about where this idea could go...

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softailgarage

Well-known member

Nov 4, 2016

#21

I'm with Ryan on this one, it's got potential, however, I like it now too. I'm not an engineer (thank God), with access to fancy CAD systems and having something like that on the workbench would be of great value to me. Just the space saving of it is enough for me. No more racks of tape measures and yard sticks, no more carrying around (and losing) bulky tape measures, just stick it in yer pocket and go. Put a strong laser in it and be able to measure greater lengths, longer distances. The price is too rich for my wallet, $45.00, eh, maybe. $20.00.....I'd have a couple.

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PugetDude

ALLIANCE MEMBER

Nov 4, 2016

#22

Turboencabulator meets the tape measure.

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pstemari

Well-known member

Nov 4, 2016

#23

You can get all sorts of laser rangefinders, nothing new there. For measuring on maps, the little rolling wheel gizmos have existed for ages and are easier to maneuver.

I'm at a loss to think of something this would do tolerably well, let alone be an improvement.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

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PowerDubs

Well-known member

Nov 4, 2016

#24

softailgarage said:
Put a strong laser in it and be able to measure greater lengths, longer distances.

The laser has zero to do with the measuring. It is only there to give you a visual indication of where to start and stop. The measuring is the roller wheel at the top as you move the pen. If you lift off the surface or hit a gap- error.

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vette-kid

Well-known member

Nov 4, 2016

#25

I got pretty excited about it until I realized is wasn't the laser doing the measuring. Still, the idea is there. Would be more useful if it could actually detect and measure dimensions instead of simple linear measurements. When they said dimensions im thinking; "sweet, I can get 3d dimensions of a car for computer modeling"!...Nope.

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tommyp

Well-known member

Nov 4, 2016

#26

Can make very technical device, can't buy a $20 lav mic.

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bsaint

Well-known member

Nov 5, 2016

#27

Its accurate to .00"!? That *****. My tape measure goes 4 places...

And not made by a bunch of hipsters

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trainer

Well-known member

Nov 5, 2016

#28

Like any other measuring device, it will only be as accurate as the operator.
The technology isn't that exciting. I've got a $10 digital caliper that measures to .01"

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dadsEH

Well-known member

Nov 5, 2016

#29

Solution looklng for a problem maybe???

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ard

Well-known member

Nov 9, 2016

#30

Ryan said:
...that is sort of in the infancy of its development, but already shows amazing potential...

Interesting. Although having done product dvelopment for 25 years, I typically dont market prototypes.... Dont get me wrong, sure is nice letting a crowd pay for this phase.

Seems more of an item for Porsche owners via a Brookstone or Hammacher Schlemmer catalog...but not tool guys.

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bartels_metal_works

Well-known member

Nov 9, 2016

#31

Damnedest thing, my tape measure, calipers, micrometer, rulers, etc don't require a smart phone to use. Just another overpriced **** product to solve a nonexistent problem...

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