Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 68
 Cannot see in bright sunlight June 13, 2006
William A. Noble (Bend, Oregon)
10 out of 19 found this review helpful
Desired its use as a surveying aid, but discovered that you cannot pinpoint the laser in bright sunlight, thus found it to be totally ineffective for this purpose, much ot my great regret.
 Sweet deal, will make you physics friends jealous April 11, 2007
GemstoneMD (Madison, WI)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I purchased a craftsman ultrasonic measuring tool and promptly returned it after testing it and reading through the manual to find out that it needed a 10ft x 10ft wall to bounce its ultrasonic signal off of at a distance of only 40 ft. Don't be fooled by the ultrasonic model's laser pointer, the laser is used only for aiming purposes and not for measuring.
I searched online and read good reviews about Stanley's FatMax laser measuring tool and purchased it at Home Depot for the same price as listed by Amazon ($99). The sales tax ended up being about the same as shipping from Amazon. This tool, unlike any ultrasonic model, can measure distances through furniture laden rooms as only the laser beam (an the reflected laser light) need to pass between the furniture. The ultra sonic models `sound beam' spreads out quite a bit and makes measurements near any obstacle impossible.
I tested my particular Stanley laser measuring tool and it performed much better than the specs listed on the box. I was able to accurately measure from 1'7" to 80ft. Some dark colored surfaces only gave a max range of 50 ft (box specs), but reflecting it off of white surfaces or tree trunks worked well for 80 ft measurements.
For the physics or engineering inclined, it uses the phase shift method for its distance measurements using a standard 630-690nm diode laser (<5mW) and some type of optical sensor manufactured by Leica Geosystems.
Unless you are measuring the distance from your fence to the side of a barn outside, avoid any ultrasonic model and definitely go with a laser measuring tool like this one. I'm not sure when this product came out, but at his price it should be a product of the year. Plus it makes for a great cat/dog toy!
A Must Have Tool! June 29, 2006
J. Murzycki (Marlborough, MA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
As a technological skeptic, I took a chance with this unit. WOW! As accurate as Stanley claims, this tool has made my job as a project engineer in an industrial manufacturing facility so much easier. I no longer need another person to hold the dumb end of the tape nor do I need to crawl behind equipment to measure room dimensions. This is the least invasive method to measure up a room. The ease of use is great (I was measuring volumes and areas 5 minutes after putting the battery in). I have successfully measured ceiling heights next to very bright lights, and it is not fooled by hi-gloss brick finishes. So it is not sensitive to the environment. This is going to be such a time saver and comes highly recommended.
 Fat Max - Works, Except in Extreme Cold ! February 20, 2007
Fishing Man (Massachusetts, USA)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Took Mr. Fat Max to Alaska for a construction job there. Worked pretty good indoors, however, once outdoors at below zero, it just went blank ! I learned to keep Mr. Fat Max, next to the truck's heater, run outside with it inside my coat, shoot a quick measurement and the zip back into the truck..
Geat product, worth every penny! May 6, 2006
Roger Goldman (Acton, MA USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I work all day estimating the area of houses for energy audits. This tape measure replacement is the best. Good button layout. Great accuracy. The laser is easy to see and only requires a tiny surface to shine it on to get a good reading, unlike the sonic units. My biggest problem was holding it steady enough to catch a piece of 1/2 inch trim 30+ feet away. I solved that by holding it up against a fixed surface to steady my hand.
If you are a professional doing measurements all day this will pay for itself in a week or two.
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