Black & Decker BDSM400 Sonic Distance Measurer and 3 in 1 Sensor

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Product Description

Amazon.com
Here's a veritable wunderkind of measuring devices—-the Marksman does everything but buy your project materials for you. We're impressed with how many functions this little unit performs and how easy it is to learn, taking the place of a whole pile of tools, including the pencil. You'll probably use it most often as a measuring device because it beats the tar out of the old metal tape. Just aim it and click, and sonic waves bounce back, letting the unit calculate distance at nearly any angle, thanks to the neat pivoting head. Remember the last time you measured a room for paint or wallpaper? It's tedious work. But the Marksman does it in a few seconds and saves you the trouble of measuring again, too, because you've forgotten the numbers: It stores the results for you. If that's all it did, we'd still call this a winner, but that's just the half of it. It's also a smart stud finder, a calculator and laser pointer. It's incredibly easy to use, the display is easy to read and there's nothing like traveling light. A great addition to the toolbox of anyone from a home owner to a home decorator to a home builder.--Kris Jensen-Van Heste

Amazon.com Product Description
The Black & Decker BDSM400 Sonic Distance Measurer and 3-in-1 Sensor Tool performs distance measurements and basic calculations with ease. Its "point and read" distance measurements save time and effort and eliminate the hassle of writing down measurements with pencil and paper. Also included is a soft bag, a 9-volt battery, and a pivoting head that makes work in tight areas easier. With an accuracy of +/- 1-inch over 40 feet, this measuring tool comes backed by a 2-year limited warranty.

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 2.6 x 11 inches ; 12 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002TG1RU
• Item model number: BDSM400
• Batteries: 1 9V batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,981 in Home Improvement (See Bestsellers in Home Improvement)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for designers, decorators, etc, June 8, 2005

By	Bruce K. Balk "home slicer" (Appling, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a good unit for anyone doing home improvement type work.
Wallpaper hanging, tile and really any kind of work requiring room size measurement is quicker. The stud and electrical
sensors work fairly well but remember that the distance is
limited to 50 feet. Not enough for larger buildings. This unit
is a little confusing to use at first, but continued reading of
the manual finally helped me to understand it. Be patient.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It ok., August 28, 2006

By	Cesar M. Cardenas Torres "Cesar" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Works great when measuring in quiet spaces. It's really precise on measuring distances. I haven't used the other functins (find metal o electric wiring inside walls).

As i said before, it works graet on quiet spaces. I tried to use it while an electrical storm was outside, and it measured unaccurate distances. I beleive the problem was the noise entering the rooms, since this is a sonic device. Other than that, it works just fine.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Useless and largely a waste of batteries., May 10, 2008

By	Christopher Wanko "-C" (Nutley, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Good points: it has a laser, and lasers are cool.

Bad points: it doesn't locate studs, and the laser measurements are humorously and wildly inaccurate.

If you have plaster and lathe walls, chances are this will not work for you, as it did not work for me. Actually, I tried it on a gypsum board wall and it failed to locate the studs there, too. It does detect electricity presence, but is not very accurate in locating the actual conduit. Also, if the conduit isn't actively charging, it will not find it. Even with the device in "metal" mode, it would not find conduit.

The laser measurements are 100% unreliable. I can shoot the laser and get 35 inches for a variety of distances. Sometimes it looks almost accurate, but shooting with a slight change in location leads to different results. Conclusion: it doesn't work.

I completely do not recommend buying this at all. I recommend returning it if you own, and avoiding it if you do not. Furthermore, I advocate taking your friend's device and surreptitiously breaking it so it no longer screws them up.

-C