Review on Bosch Blaze Pro GLM165-40 Laser Distance Measure with 165ft Range and Color Backlit Display by Joey Pritchard

This is an extremely handy tool that I carry on my belt all the time. It is extremely accurate, although care must be taken to make what you think you are making - the first week I had this I made the mistake of looking at the tool instead of looking at the aim point , when I pressed button to fix the measurement. Once I got used to it, I had far fewer misreadings. Let's say the declared range is very optimistic. On a clear day I tried to measure the distance from the ground at a 17º angle to the chimney to see if a 32 foot ladder could hold it up but I couldn't measure the distance which turned out to be 29 feet . The same measurement was not a problem on a cloudy day. In bright ambient light, 30 feet is probably a realistic maximum my instrument can read (and also as far as I can see a point, so this becomes a moot point when working alone). Much better inside. I've never attempted anything close to 165ft with it, but I'd say it's actually pretty much impossible. No normal person could see the aiming point at that distance, nor could they hold the device steady enough to aim at anything specific at that distance. Maybe you could put it on a table and see it at the edge of a barn at 165 feet at night, but the tool's practical range in normal conditions is nowhere near that. When doing everyday housework, however, I almost never encounter range limitations. The device is solid and easy to read, and the volume and square footage calculations are intuitive and very, very handy. The battery life is excellent, so far I've been using it 10 times a day every day and haven't changed the battery for two months. Update: Batteries used for about half an hour each day for six months and stored over the winter at an unheated Vermont job site. Impressive! After about a year, the markings on the buttons wear off for me, but otherwise the device works like new. While this tool is extremely useful, it does not replace the ribbon. It excels at measurements where tapes are problematic, particularly measuring interior distances between two objects, and of course any measurements beyond the "protruding" limit of the tape. However, it doesn't measure linear distance well on flat surfaces where you can't bounce the laser. One place this shows up on a daily basis is cutting boards. The back edge of the block, the zero point, is made of hard plastic with a butyl rubber pad butt and rounded corners. This makes it difficult to mark the trailing edge accurately with a pencil and you certainly don't want to cut yourself on it. I think Bosch could greatly improve on this carpenter design by making the rear zero out of metal and getting the casting out of the way for easy and accurate marking and aligning objects. Bosch includes a belt loop with Velcro closure. It's too small to fit on a tool belt and the velcro on mine is so worn that it just falls off on impact after about a month of daily wear. My wife removed the velcro for me and sewed a small webbing from the end of the velcro loop to the bottom of the case so I could hang it on my tool belt and get rid of the worn velcro. This has been working great for a year now. I'm giving this 5 stars because it's an extremely handy tool and is well made, although the above flaws definitely detract from its use in a construction role. However, I connected pretty well and if it breaks tomorrow I will definitely replace it immediately. If you're using it for interior work where accurate marking isn't a problem and you don't wear a tool belt, this is absolutely perfect. This is absolutely necessary for a quick assessment of the material requirements. **UPDATE** Just wanted to drop the fact that I've been using this device for three years now. The markings on the buttons have been completely erased, and the lid fell apart a long time ago. It fits perfectly in the small front pocket of my Diamondback Mazo (good release, stupid velcro) and I memorized the buttons too, so it doesn't matter. The tool still measures like new. All 5 stars, can't believe this little thing has held up the way it has.