The days of guessing wire lengths are finally over

I remember 15 years ago running conduit in a 1940s building downtown. You had to pull wire, cut it, then hope you measured right because once it was in the wall, good luck fixing it. Now I use a laser distance measurer that hooks up to an app on my phone. It tells me exact lengths before I even touch a spool. Saved me about 3 hours on a single job last week. Anyone else find these measuring tools worth the $150 price tag?

3 comments

3 Comments

lunar8910d ago

Ha, I used to roll my eyes at those too but now I'm a total convert.

simon_carr10d ago

That days of guessing wire lengths are finally over" line really hit home. I used to be one of those old timers who thought tape measures were fine and apps were just a gimmick. Then I did a kitchen reno in a house with really thick plaster walls and kept cutting my Romex too short. Wasted almost a whole spool before I borrowed my buddy's laser and app setup. Now I own the same thing you're talking about. It paid for itself in less than a month on just the material waste alone.

nelson.wren10d ago

Oh man, I feel this so hard it hurts... I was the same way, swore by my tape measure and thought the younger guys were just playing with toys. Then I tried measuring a run through an attic with blown insulation and my tape kept getting buried or snagging on stuff... I ended up cutting the same piece of wire three times before I gave up. Now I'm that guy who pulls out his phone and laser and the old school guys give me the side eye, but hey, at least I'm not wasting good wire anymore!