I really liked the digital camera, but if one Ryobi Tek4 tool stole the show it was the Tek4 Professional Laser Distance Measure. Now the last time I checked, the word “Measure” was traditionally a verb, but Ryobi uses it like it would for Tape Measure. In this case, however, the measure isn’t using tape – it’s using a high-intensity red laser that’s accurate to just 1/16-inch. I’m not sure which was more impressive, the 1/16-inch accuracy or the fact that I could take this product and measure two-thirds the distance of a football field. We tried it out on a variety of applications, both indoors and out and found it to be very consistently within 1/16 of an inch of our reference tape. In fact, whenever we thought we had “fooled” it, it tended to be operator error with one of us moving the Laser Distance Measure or not having the tape completely lined up against the surface as intended.
Ryobi Laser Distance Measurer RP4010 In the Field
Using the Ryobi laser distance measurer RP4010 is simple and the device has enough options to ensure that you can get everything you need out of a device designed to make your tape measure obsolete. For a real-estate agent or home inspector, this tool will make quick work of determining room size or the square footage of a home. The tool not only has indirect and continuous measurement modes, it can also allow you to take two measurements and calculate (automatically) the area for the room. You can then add areas together progressively as you move through a home or building. The P4010 Laser Distance Measure can also add or subtract measurements as needed, making this tool a calculator as well. A handy level on the side also ensures you get a straight measurement when you are shooting for the most accurate possible distance calculations.
You can take measurements from the front of the Tek4 Laser Distance Measure, the rear of the device, or you can flip out the stop bracket and measure from a corner position behind the unit. There is a dedicated button on the remote to select which point is the start of the measurement. In this way you can also make good use of the indirect measurement mode where you can take two measurements and have the unit use trigonometry to calculate the third distance for you (remember the Pythagorean theorem? Now you don’t have to!) We love this tool. It works, lasts forever (you can take close to 2000 measurements on a single charge) and it’s destined to make the lives of real estate agents, inspectors and home estimators a lot easier.
Conclusion
Of the models available on the market, this one most closely resembles another high-end pro model priced about $80 higher than this one. This means that the Ryobi P4010 is an excellent value for what it offers. The handy backlight means that you can use this during the day or even in dark areas of an unfinished jobsite. Those looking for less performance can opt for lesser-priced models, but if you’re going to pick up a digital tape measure, this one comes highly recommended.
