Review on LEXIVON Distance Measuring Fractions LX 201 by Ben Demers

First good news. It's cool to have a laser with a tape measure. This is useful for internal measurements when you don't want to calculate the extra length the body adds to your measurement. And now the bad news. The band has some disadvantages compared to the wider specialty construction bands. The lines are thinner and the 1/4 and 1/8 marks are not as visible as on other tape measures. Nothing bad for infrequent use, but it gets annoying with frequent use. I end up using other tape measures because they're easier to read and more consistent. I sometimes get 1/16 wrong when using this tape for reading. To be fair, many of the tape measures sold today are harder to read than many of the standard construction tapes from Stanley, Lufkin, and others. Also, this probably only matters to those who use tape frequently and who appreciate the added visual clarity. The tape used here is also thinner or may use different materials than regular construction tape and therefore may warp if not used carefully. I made a crease in mine by simply letting the tape twist back a few feet. Another limitation is that the laser only measures the outside dimension. It would be more useful if either the internal or the external dimension was measured. If it measured the inner dimension, you wouldn't have to rely so heavily on tape readings. But it is clear from the description so you know that's how you understand it. Another little thing is the lock function. This is a soft lock that allows more tape to be pulled out even when blocked. This is a feature that is different and some people might like it. Not me. If you don't like the tape, you should contact customer service. They gave me a 16ft replacement which I like, one that doesn't have a laser and uses a better, wider and easier to read tape with good excellent quality. If you are an avid user I would recommend getting a good quality ribbon and laser separately. I prefer the wider Lexivon non-laser ribbons. Looks like they could take more abuse than that laser tape.