Customer Reviews

Leica DISTO D2 Laser Distance Measurer

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my second Disto. My original was a first generation model which was considerably larger. The disto is a high quality instrument, well made, dependable and very precise. The quality of the instrument and the 3 year warranty put it ahead of the others but the timer feature puts it in a class by itself. I would not take a reading without it. We use a small 3" block of wood and a velcro strap (or actually a rubber band or two)and the steadiness problem while taking readings is no longer an issue. Strap the meter to the block of wood, select your time delay and place it against the wall. The laser dot on the target surface is motionless. I do not use this instrument outdoors and would not recommend it for that use. If you have a need for this type of tool for indoor use the disto is worth every dollar.

This is a nice and very lightweight unit that measures straight distances as well as square footage, cubic footage and has the ability to calculate things like the height or a room using the pythagorean formula. I particularly like the light that helps illuminate the screen. The case has a rubber non slip coating and since the unit is so slim it fits right in your palm. I've found the unit to be very accurate and taking multiple readings from the same spot over time have all yielded the same measurment. It will measure down to the nearest 1/16" and the laser dot is extremly bright. For some reason I had a little trouble opening the battery compartment but taking my time and prying carefully opened it without damage so beware. The case is a compact cordura with a belt loop and protects the unit well. I only wish this thing was cheaper. I suppose the price will drop over the years.

The instrument is great and very precise. I made a test range and the measurements were extremely accurate. One bad thing was opening the battery case. It required way too much force and I was concerned re damaging the unit so I decided to build a special tool to ease the opening procedure. I have a P2K Weller Portosol butane portable torch which comes with a stainless steel heat diffuser intended for use on heat shrink tubing but I never use it for this. Being stainless steel it's quite rigid and very thin and fits perfectly in the grove under the D2 battery cover so I flattened it on an anvil and now use it to open the battery cover with a minimum of force. I also noticed that the measuring plate of the D2 on the same end as the battery cover has two small black plastic pieces which guide it when opening and one of these little pieces became unstuck and jammed when I opened the plate all the way. Using fine needle nose pliers and dental probes I was able to get the little piece back into its intended position. Now I never open it more than 90 degrees. This is another weakness in the design but still I love the instrument and its so portable.

This is the most amazing tool I don't really need. I saw a contractor using one (actually an older, bulkier model) and I said to myself that I had to have one. I checked out competing laser tape measures, but nothing matched the style, compactness and features of the Leica, so I decided to splurge the extra $100 or so and go with the best. It's small and light, and the screen is very readable. It shows fractions of an inch AS FRACTIONS! And it's super accurate. There are times when it doesn't work, like when you're in bright sun, and it gives a cryptic error message. And it takes some practice to aim the laser pointer quickly. I suppose that the lasers police use to catch speeders are similar to this, only much more powerful.

Does the job and more.
I was torn between spending the extra money for the Leica or just get the $99.00 Bosch. The most obvious difference being that the Leica has a back lit screen and the Bosch does not. Well I am glad I sprung for the better screen. No matter what the job site condition is or where you are measuring, you don't need to carry a flashlight. And since it stores the last 10 measurements automatically sometimes you don't even need a pencil and paper.
All the buttons are obvious and intuitive. I have only just scratched the surface of this little guys capabilities and I am more than pleased. I am an old school tape measure guy, so learning to trust the measurements took me some time.
So far I have used this for creating floor plans for estimates, measureing for material purchases, and doing my own at home crown moulding project. It takes a 2 man measureing job and makes it a one person job. Plus it is much faster. The visible laser is great because you can shoot under couches, behind curtains, over furniture, etc. So, for the most part, it elimiantes having to rearrange a room just to measure it.
It's a bit much to spend for a Do-It-Youself-er, but if your hours are costing you money, it will more than pay for it self in the first week.

I would definitely recommend this product to anyone interested in a compact, simple laser distance measurer. The laser is bright red and easy to see. At first I had the same problems opening the battery compartment, which have already been mentioned by other reviewers. The owner's manual doesn't offer much help concerning this topic, but a YouTube video named "Disto D2 Battery Compartment HD" quickly provided the solution. The solution offered by this video is not intuitive. Rather than pushing along the long side of the Disto, a user should flip the metal edge piece out, and push along the short side of the device, until the device clicks, and then pull back along the short side. Other than this brief problem with the battery compartment, I have not experienced another other issues with the device. If you are looking for something a bit cheaper, try the Bosch DLR130K.

When I saw it at amazon, I wasn`t sure if purchase it or not, since the price ain`t low... however, I did purchase D2, and I`m happy with it: it is smallest distance meter in the market, easy to use, and has the most necessary function, I need in my job...
highly recommended.

definitely a useful tool if you work alone
eg no one to hold other end of the tape measure!
the instructions are minimal
the sequence of button pushes and then the delay before a reading is taken is somewhat aggravating- if it gave a beep and then took reading it would help.. you also have to concentrate on holding it very still!

I use this tool to take room by room measurements of houses for HVAC heat load calculations. It's a definite time saver, no more trying to get a tape measure around furniture or through a attic. The Disto D2 is a little more expensive than some other distance measurers on the market but so far it has been worth every penny. It accurately measures distance to a sixteenth of an inch and has several useful functions such as: square footage, total square footage(it will total the square footage measurements if you press the + button between measurements), Pythagorean function (can be used to measure a wall without standing against the wall), volume, can measure up to 197 feet, and other functions that I have not used yet. The tool is light and compact and and has a very bright display.

This product is wonderful, it enable our installer to take prelimanary measurements in half the time. It's very accurate and easy to use.