Earlier today I saw a promo for the Hilti PD 5 laser distance measuring tool, and its slender form factor caught my attention.
I’m used to box-shaped laser distance measurers, and while they’ve gotten to be small and pocketable, this one looks especially compact and portable.
Maybe it’s not actually smaller in girth than the smaller tools that have come out in recent years – I haven’t actually checked – but the Hilti’s pen-like shape should make for quicker pocket or pouch retrieval.
It just seems like the shape is a usability plus in favor of the Hilti for anyone in the market for a medium range premium laser distance measurer.
The Hilti PD 5 has a range of 8 inches to 230 feet, with ±0.06″ accuracy.
- 635nm red laser
- 328 feet range*
- Single and continuous measurements
- 2x AAA batteries last for 8,000 measurements
- ±0.06″ accuracy
- 14 to 122°F operating temperature range
- One-button operation
- IP55 water and dust protection
- Memory shows 2 last measurements
- Dimensions: 6.5″ x 1.3″ x 0.8″
- Weighs 3.5 oz
* Hilti’s website says it has 328 feet max range, retailers’ product pages say 230 feet. A digital copy of the operating instructions on a retailer’s site also says 230 feet, but the operating instructions on Hilti’s site says 328 feet. It seems that the PD 5 was updated at some point.
It comes with a small tool pouch.
Price: $214 to $249
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
The Hilti PD 5 laser distance measurer came out a few years ago. If you’ve used it, what do you think?
While I find myself liking the idea of the compact stick-shaped form factor, I wonder if the PD 5 would offer enough features to win me over if I were in the marker for a 200-300+ range laser distance measuring tool.
Higher-priced tools often come with additional measurement modes, such as for area or volume, or enhanced features such as a backlit display or Bluetooth smartphone connectivity.
This design came out in 2010, according to the user manual, so it might be unfair to compare it to the latest and greatest laser distance measuring tools from competitors.
The manual does mention a way to “browse through units of measure,” but it’s unclear as to whether this means different ways of displaying imperial measurements, or if it can also display metric units.