Hozo's pocket-friendly laser measuring tool returns with new 3D floor-planning powers. How does it 'Meazor' up? (I'll get my coat.)

Since we last looked at Hozo Design's impressively fully featured and pocket-friendly (to both your actual pockets and your wallet) multi-function measuring tool, Meazor, the company has now upped the ante with the addition of a new model, bringing with it 3D floorplan scanning functionality, one-upping the original D of its predecessor.

Meazor 3D remains physically unchanged from its 2D sibling. It's stainless-steel frame is still pleasingly compact (approximately 100mm x 54mm x 21.3mm) and reassuringly flexible (retaining and building on 2D's 6-in-1 multifunctional laser measuring skills). The six core functions are a point scanner, scale/rolling measure (built using a long-lasting 4096-grade magnetic encoder), laser measure, curve scanner, protractor and spirit level.

The same tempered-glass 1.3in touchscreen, with its crisp and legible 184ppi resolution, is the primary feedback window here, with the same physical buttons for easy and tactile control.

The unit is again USB-C rechargeable, with a claimed standby time of 30 days from its 650mAh battery, so you can happily put it back in the desk drawer ready for next use without too much anxiety. Continuous wireless runtime is stated as 16 hours. We've been using it on and off for a couple of months, for one reason or another, and recharging has barely been required in that time.

The new “3D in 3 ways” (© Hozo) feature enables the user to capture more accurate and helpful measurements, in all dimensions. Whether you're an architect or real-estate mogul considering how best to use a given space, or an artisan working on a three-dimensional creation, being able to capture and refer back to an object or space in three dimensions is obviously very useful indeed.

Meazor 3D will capture the measurements for a multi-room scan up to 40m (131ft) and its '3D Tilt Mode' means it can easily navigate around any obstacles already in the space, such as furniture, to return an accurate measurement of the room. The vertical orientation also means that room height can be captured as part of a scan, with '3D Displacement Mode' allowing the user to move freely around the space while the device captures and auto-stitches all the edges of the room. Results can be exported to four common CAD file types and then easily imported for use in blueprints and the like.

Meazor 3D expands the measurable range by approximately 60 per cent, so much larger spaces can now be measured in one sweep, and the processor speed has also been beefed up, making the response of the new unit that bit snappier. It also has built-in storage via its 120MB flash drive for up to 200 datasets; 100 each for both the laser measure and the rolling ruler.

You can switch measuring units for the device between fractional, decimal, imperial and metric (or even custom scales), making it easy to collaborate with other people and share captured data. Whatever you and they need, Meazor will deliver it. It can also produce auto-dimension and space calculations, enabling quicker visualisations of spaces and objects, and draw up plans, e.g. using the new 'Drawing' mode, which can turn a 2D plan into a 3D floorplan with a single click.

A lot of functionality – such as the above – is routed through the Meazor app, as it was with the original device, so you will have to use the app to, for example, export captured data. It is an unfussy, effective app – updated to 2.0, to accommodate Meazor's new 3D smarts – that performs its functions well, though, so it's no headache.

Meazor 3D also plays nicely with select third-party apps, whereby measurements can be uploaded directly to some commonly used planning apps with one click. Again, this helps speed up the 3D visualisation process.

As is often the case with new products these days, there is a tiered selection of purchase options, as well as a range of accessories available (e.g. a protective case, a tripod, a protractor kit, and more). Exactly which combination you might plump for will be very much a personal choice based on use-case requirements. There are different add-ons for different people: a carpenter's needs may well differ from those of an architect.

The addition of the 3D scanning and planning functionality in Meazor 3D has added around £100/$100 to the price of the previous model, so this upgraded 3D device clocks in at around £250 ($299) for the standard package (promotional discounts are available online), with bundle and combo accessory packages potentially offering good value, depending on your needs.

Meazor 3D is not intended as an impulse purchase for the DIY enthusiast (although if you've got money to burn, knock yourself out). It is a professional tool, at a professional price. For anyone that needs to regularly and accurately scan and measure 3D objects or rooms, it will likely be money well spent.

"The Future of Measure" might be Hozo overstating things a little (not to mention being a somewhat clunky slogan, probably not worth engraving on the side of the unit, all things considered), but Meazor 3D is undoubtedly the next logical step up from the original Meazor. That unit was very good for so many measuring tasks. This new model expands those capabilities in every direction.

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