Which Leica Disto is Best For You? A Buying Guide

Choosing the best laser for your applications is vital.

This buying guide will walk you through how to choose a Leica Disto laser measurer that will serve you best.

Inside or Outside?

First of our considerations is perhaps the most important; are you going to be using the Disto indoors or outdoors?

Inside:

If you mostly work inside, then your choices will be from –

Leica Disto D3a: Range: 0.05 to 100m, Ø laser-spot in mm: 6, 30, 60 mm, accuracy to laser beam: ± 0.3°.

Leica Disto D2: Indoor range: 60m, accuracy ± 1.5mm.

Leica Disto DXT: Range: 0.05-70m, measuring accuracy: ± 1,5 mm, shockproof and dustproof / waterproof to IP65.

Leica Disto D3aBT: Range: 0.05 to 100m, Ø laser-spot in mm: 6, 30, 60 mm, measuring accuracy typically: ±1.0 mm.

Outside:

Leica Disto D8: Measuring range of 0.05 m up to 200 m, accuracy ± 1.0 mm, 360° tilt sensor.

Leica Dist D5: Measuring accuracy up to 30m and range up to 100m without target plate.

Now that you’ve identified the range of Leica Disto’s best suited to your typically working environment, please consider:

Data Transfer

The ability to transfer the data captured by the Leica measurer to, for example, a laptop, may be a useful option for you.

If you’ve decided on an indoors Leica Disto, then your option is the D3aBT with it’s integrated Bluetooth technology allowing wireless data transfer to a suitable Pocket PC, PDA, Laptop, etc, eliminating the human error element of having to record and enter measurements manually.

For outdoors use, the Leica Disto D8 will be your choice. Along with the same integrated Bluetooth technology as outlined above, it features Leica DISTO™ Transfer software. Easy to install and with automatic updates, this software allows download of measurements straight into various programmes, such as Word, Excel, AutoCAD, etc.

Obstacles

Our next consideration involves obstacles, particularly measuring over them indoors.

In this case, our choice of Leica Disto will be the D3a, thanks to its Smart Horizontal Mode™.  This features allows you to accurately measure when there are obstacles blocking your "natural horizon".

It also benefits from a built-in tilt sensor for measuring angles up to 45 degrees and comprehensive pythagoras function for remote measuring of heights / lengths or partial heights / lengths.

Slopes and Pitches

When measuring outdoors, the Leica Disto D8 is the measuring you’d choose if measuring heights, slopes and pitches.

This is because it features indirect measurement using the tilt sensor. This allows calculation of roof slopes or pitched objects, and heights where one of the points to be measured is not reflective, such as the top of a tree, overhead cables, etc, and a built-in 360 degree tilt sensor for measuring any angle.

However, if this functionality isn’t important to your work, as already stated the right Leica Disto for you will be the D5.

The D5 benefits from, in particular, a high resolution screen giving a crystal-clear image, even in glaring sunshine, a 2.4"colour display, and a built in tilt sensor measuring tilts of up to ± 45°.

Frequency of Use

Our final consideration as we guide you through the process of buying a Leica Disto, is frequency of use.

If you’re a frequent indoor user, then we recommend the Leica Disto DXT.

Thanks to its robust IP65 rating it can withstand water and dust ingress and it’s rubber casing protects it from drops and scrapes.

However, if you simply need a measurer for occasional indoor use, then please consider the Leica Disto D2. It’s the smallest laser measurer available, so it’s favoured by electricians, plumbers and estate agents as an ideal tool to carry in a pocket or bag for use when needed.

Features include a 3-line illuminated display, capable of showing 3 distance measurements simultaneously, continuous measuring, showing minimum and maximum measurements and Pythagoras function for remote measuring of heights or lengths.