01 Dimensioning Instrument + Pen

I ordered my 01 last week, but just had a chance to open it yesterday. First, I’d like to say how simple, and minimalist the packaging is, I really loved this. When I opened the box, I was pleasantly surprised to find a neat black moleskin-like notebook with the manual inside the first couple of pages. This is the first time I actually kept my manual! Cool spiff. When flipping through the first few pages, a QR code led me directly to the InstruMMents app. Downloading the app and pairing my device was frictionless. Once I inserted the battery into my 01, I opened the app, created an account and after that it was just a matter of following the steps that appear in the app.Taking measurements is as easy as rolling across what you want to measure. I did have to practice lining up the laser a little bit, but after some use I got a hang of it. I really like that I can just tap the top of the device and the app itself will add additional measurements to my “log” while I work on a project. Converts all units with a tap of a button within the app and when I share the log. To my surprise, anyone can read the measurements when shared. So when first tried to “shared” measurements needed for new trim with my wife, she didn’t even need to download the app to see the dimensions, it all came neatly in a link which she could then go ahead and change units as well!I played a bit in 3D mode, but this isn’t really my thing. It was really cool to play with - as I’d trace an object I’m measuring I could see the app replicate the curve. Don’t know how this helps me, but certainly neat to see.Overall: Device is super simple to use, measurements are accurate, app is simple and frictionless and the Pen itself has a beautiful premium design and feel!

Normally, my reviews don't cut to the chase, but this is an item that deserves that. I don't like it. It's designed by designers for designers, but not people.It is slick, clean, minimalist, but it is so much so that when you open the box you are confronted with a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, and surrounded by an enigma. There, after opening the black on black box is charcoal foam, holding what looks like a blank book, a capsule and the instrument itself. Everything is so minimalist, so black, white, beige and grey. You ask yourself, "now what?" You flip through the book, quickly and there is nothing but page after page of paper with a dot grid. Now what, indeed.You search for Instruments to find the company web site. You find none. You thing about it. "No, you dunderhead," the product insults you. "It's InstruMMents, jeez." You find the web site and it is NOTHING but design. Splash pictures, minimal text. And you find something that directs you back to the book in the box. Even though it looks the same, front and back (which is which, you remember saying to yourself) you find, in very fine light gray ink on beige paper pictograph instructions. Pictographs? Really?You follow the instructions. You download the app, set up the account. That capsule that you thought contained an eraser? It's the battery. Take it out of the capsule. Just try it. Go ahead. But the design laughs at you. "Clumsy oaf." There is no way to easily remove the battery. You get the pellet out, you pull the pen body apart and put the battery in. You pair the pen, per the pictograph, and nothing happens. You hold your finger and tap the pen to pair and then it pairs. Great! You are out of the puzzle room.Not so fast.So the app is open, the device is paired, and you begin to measure, following the directions. You look at the wordless pictograph, it tells you to hold the pen at an angle. Not so far that the pen it is too close to the wall, not so great that the pen tip is far from the wall. But the pictograph doesn't tell you what the correct angle is, which is odd for a measuring device, no? You look at the screen you see the centimeters and then nothing. It no longer works. The phone sees the pen, the lights flash as the should, but it doesn't work. And because everything is in pictograph, there are no solutions to read and then work through. You write to the company after finding nothing on their site to help you. You explain what you did, what the pen did do and then didn't do, and you explain that since you have to write a review for said Istrumment product, you will have to include notes on how support works.They reply: watch a YouTube video. Great.So not finding you answer on the YouTube video, you open the app, delete the pen, reinitialize it as a new instrument and it works!This is where you find its main problem. For all of its sleek design, its hard to control its start and end point, because it to easily rolls over edges. And for 3D stuff, is there anyway to know if your measuring line is on the correct plane, or have you different and unintentional drops and rises.I can use a $10 tape measure and get the circumference of a ball. I can see if my measuring points are level all the way around it, or a chair, or even a sofa.The rolling rim of this thing is too big to use of intricate moldings - it doesn't fit into anything smaller that the rim. Can I measure a run of counter? Yes, but I can do that with the same measuring tape.The idea is good, and it works, but why spend this amount of money on something that doesn't get it right. And for what this costs, I expect it and the company to deliver answers in the packaging, and on its web site. I understand that with the pictographs, they are trying to save on that fine print, multiple language morass that most manuals include. This is supposed to be a measuring device and a writing instrument, not a "snatch this pebble from my hand" time waster.Somewhere, along the lines, minimalist design and presentation overtook practical application.Does it work? Yes. Can I recommend it, no.

The experience starts out well, with the kind of Apple-design-inspired packaging typical of modern tech gadgets. Comes in a very nice (and larger than expected) box with a custom foam insert. You get the instrument (in my case the ball-point pen version, without the sleeve case), one battery (in annoying tiny bubble card packaging), a spare roller ring, and a ~1cm thick blank notebook with the device manual (such as it is) in the back.You un-package and install the (proprietary, 3 for $20) battery, and download and install the app (easily done on my iPhone 6s+).The app starts out giving you a few tutorial screens, including use of "training wheels" apparently required for accuracy with the 3D capture mode. This accessory is not included with the device and not even shown on their web store. Some searching turns up unhappy discussion on the original indiegogo campaign. There was apparently some way to request a free set of training wheels at some point. Ah, more investigation indicates that the training wheels are included when you sign up for a cloud subscription.First super-annoying thing about this device: It's designed to be a subscription money-maker with expensive consumables ($20/3 proprietary batteries, $20/3 pen refills) and you cannot (usefully) use the 3D capture mode without a $6/month ($144 in advance for two years) to $13/month ($39 for three months) subscription service. You even have to create a free account before the app will let you use the basic measuring mode.After you go through the tutorial screens, it makes you sign up for an account (free). There's the usual "You agree to our Terms and that you've read our Privacy Policy". Those are links, but if you tap on say "Terms" you're taken to a black page with no content, so there's no way to see what terms you're agreeing to.After this, it walks you through a painless pairing process. You just turn on the pen by touching the top until the light blinks 3x and stays on solid (this is also how you wake it up after it goes to sleep, which it does rather quickly) and the app does the rest.It notifies you that new firmware is available, which takes only a minute or so to download and install wirelessly.At this point you can use it as a basic linear measuring device. You start the app, turn on the device (touch the end for a couple seconds for the three blinks and then a second or so for the app to connect), and the display shows a digital readout of the length measured as you roll the rotating ring at the tip of the device along a surface. You can select the display unit from: mm, cm, m, km, mil, in, ft, yd, and miles. The km and mi units seem especially pointless, as the display only reads out to two decimal places so you would have to roll for about 10m to even get a non-zero displayed value in km mode. It's reasonable for short measurements up to maybe a meter or so, but is rather difficult to use over large distances. The ring that rotates is relatively slippery, so it's not appropriate for some surfaces and could skip without any obvious indication.If you reverse direction while rolling, it will start reducing the measurement value as expected. The red light on the tip is actually a laser diode with a line projection, so the preferred method is to place the tip next to the thing to be measured with the red line marking the start, then let the device tip roll along until the red laser line reaches the end point of your measurement.The actual device resolution seems to be on the order of 0.14mm or so (based on the smallest measurable distance in mil mode) but it's not exactly clear how the device works internally, as you can end up at values not a multiple of the minimum increment. Accuracy seems to be just ok, with measurements off by about 1/10" over a foot, or 0.26" over 34". I have a laser distance meter that's significantly better than that.A major annoyance is the short power off time (30s), which requires you to power it back up if you stop to make notes etc. which is another 3-4 seconds each time you want to use it.After you take a measurement, you can tap the end to start a new measurement. When you start a new measurement session the first value is labeled as width, the second as height, the third as depth, and subsequent values as "Length 1", "Length 2" etc.A set of measurements can be saved as a "Card" containing optionally a photo and note. All measurements saved are uploaded to their cloud service, and you have to mark each one as "Private" if you don't want them to be public. Once successfully uploaded you can share the card via email etc.It seems like "people sharing length measurements and 3d profile curves with each other online" was somehow a substantial part of their business plan.As a replacement for a ruler the device's advantage is that all measurements are recorded digitally on your phone rather than you having to transcribe them manually. It's really good only over limited distances and operating it is relatively difficult compared to a simple tape measure.3D modeSo the real promise of this device, and apparently a big selling point for the original fundraising campaign, is its ability to capture curves in 3D space. It contains inertial measurement components that allow it to do this. Of course it's not obvious how to do so, and then you find out that you're not permitted to access your own measurements without subscribing to their cloud service.But it does kind of work! In the app, you tap the MM logo at the top of the screen and it switches to 3D mode. There's an option in the settings to display a 3D image of the device in the 3D view. You can then roll it along a curve and get a reasonable capture of both the shape and of course the total linear dimension. Accuracy requires keeping the pen with a constant orientation to the surface normal, which is why they recommend the use of the small "training wheels" attachment that can help ensure this.The captured curves look like they could be quite useful in 3D modeling etc. but I don't have any way to access the data without a cloud subscription to see what it actually looks like when downloaded.So two stars only because there's some potential in the 3d mode here. No stars for the expense associated with using it, and the various annoyances that make it generally less useful than a $0.49 plastic ruler, or a cloth roll-up measuring tape in my opinion.I hope that they reconsider their business model in the future.G.