One owner photographed four consecutive readings of the same opening, taken without moving the tool, varying by almost a full inch. Another checked theirs against a tape measure and found it definitely accurate. Both of those are honest reports, and they cannot be describing the same unit.
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The evidence here is genuinely contradictory, with two owners running comparable tests and getting opposite results. With only 64 ratings there is not enough to say which is typical, and a repeatability failure is the one fault we will not take a chance on.
| One owner found | Another owner found |
|---|---|
| Four stationary readings varying by almost 1 in | Checked against a tape and definitely accurate |
| A 57 7/8 in measurement out by a full inch | Simply point and click, no more fumbling with tape |
| Unusable out of the box, shelved for a year | Used through a whole house renovation |
| Better off with a traditional tape measure | Very pleased with it |
| Both agree: the instructions are not clear, and the tool is easy enough to work out anyway | |
| Both agree: sunlight makes it unusable outdoors | |
One owner did the single most valuable thing anyone can do with a measuring tool, and then photographed it.
They set the unit in a fixed position, aimed at a twenty inch opening, and measured four times in a row without moving anything. The readings bounced around, at times by almost a full inch. They then measured a longer distance, around fifty seven and seven eighths of an inch, and found that out by a full inch as well.
They described themselves as a die hard Craftsman buyer, said they were never able to use the tool out of the box, and noted it had sat on a shelf for a year before they were annoyed enough to write the review. Their conclusion was that they were better off with a traditional tape measure.
A tool that reads consistently wrong has an offset, and an offset is correctable: measure a known length once, note the difference, apply it forever. We still recommend a Bosch where an owner found three units all reading about a tenth of an inch out, for exactly that reason.
Four different answers to the same stationary question is a different thing. There is no number to correct by, because the error is not the same twice. The reading on the screen carries no information you can act on, and no amount of calibration changes that.
The honest complication is that another owner ran a comparable check and got the opposite result.
They were part way through renovating their home, including painting, and describe no longer needing to break out the measuring tape and fumble with it. Their words: simply point and click. Crucially, they went back and checked the meter against a measuring tape and found it definitely accurate.
They also noted the instructions are not especially clear, but that the tool is easy enough to use without them and the measurement modes are largely self explanatory. A third owner describes it as simple, waking it with the large button and pressing again to measure.
So we have one owner who verified it as accurate and one who documented it failing to repeat, both of whom took the trouble to check rather than assume.
The most likely explanation is unit to unit variation, and with 64 ratings there is not enough evidence to say how common the bad ones are.
That is why this page exists but the product is not in our buying guides. Our guides send strangers to products, and we are not willing to send someone to a tool where a documented outcome is that it cannot repeat a measurement. The link stays on this page because you may reasonably weigh that differently, particularly if you are buying somewhere with an easy returns process.
The same reasoning applies to the other CRAFTSMAN unit we cover, but in reverse. The CMHT77721 pocket laser has no comparable failure reports, so it stays recommended, with the caveat that owners report about a year of working life.
Worth repeating here because it applies across the brand's laser measures. One owner bought on the strength of a lifetime warranty, read the terms, and found that the lifetime in question is one year. They said so bluntly, noting they buy quality tools expecting them to last their own lifetime.
Whether or not you share that reaction, budget for a one year tool rather than a permanent one, because that is what the terms describe.
This is worth doing on any laser measure and it is essential on this one.
Rest the unit on something solid so it cannot move. Aim at a fixed point and measure four times. If the four readings are identical, your unit repeats and you can move on to checking it against a tape for accuracy. If they differ, the problem is the tool rather than your technique, and you have found out inside the return window rather than after cutting something.
The full procedure is here. It takes longer to read about than to do.
If you wanted CRAFTSMAN. The CMHT77721 pocket laser is the one we do recommend, with the year of life caveat.
If you wanted a cheap tool that works. The RockSeed two pack costs less, carries 22,354 ratings, and gives you a spare unit.
If your measurements end in a cut. The Bosch GLM100-23 displays sixteenths of an inch natively and has 2,674 ratings. Our DIY guide explains why that question outranks everything else.
If you want a brand name at a similar price. The Klein 100 ft has 1,120 ratings and a finish carpenter who trusts it to a sixteenth inside thirty feet.
Everything we have removed from our guides, and why, is on our method page.
Everything on LaserMeasure is built the same way, from owner reports rather than spec sheets. The front page is the summary.