Dimensioning Instrument Pen

Product Description

Features

• Easy to use. Intuitively roll 01 with one hand over any 3D object or surface to capture its dimensions.
• Built to last. Carved in aluminum and steel and dust/splash resistant. Match with InstruMMents’ saffiano sleeve for added protection.
• Connected. Connect 01 to your smartphone via Bluetooth.
• Carry less. Conveniently contained within a pen, pencil or stylus. Versatile, compact and lightweight for easy carrying in your bag, purse or pocket.
• A serious writing instrument. Made with highest quality ink cartridge and twist mechanism. Feels perfectly Weighted and balanced in your hand. No charging required. Batteries last up to six months.

Top Reviews

When I first saw 01 I was really excited and after using the 01 I've concluded it's perfect for when
by JP (5 out of 5 stars)
September 21, 2017

I make custom carpet kits for boats. When I first saw 01 I was really excited and after using the 01 I've concluded it's perfect for when you have to make custom measurements and have to follow different curves. This is the second device I purchased from Instrumments. I had initially purchased their smaller "01 Go" device and it works great, but I decided to upgrade to the since marking is also a part of the process when I'm initially templating. The device itself works exactly as advertised. I did need a little practice at first until I got used to lining up my start and stop points, but overall the measurements are accurate. A Nice thing about it is that I can work on one project within one file which they call a "card" and 01 will log all of my measurements neatly so every entry on a specific template is nicely logged in one place. In 3D mode, 01 actually grabs the curve and illustrates it within the app. This is a pretty neat feature. I was able to open the curves in Rhino and play with them in CAD. Can't wait to see what else these guys come up with!
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Easy to use, measures accurately.
by Amazon Customer (5 out of 5 stars)
September 19, 2017

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!
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Works great, nice app
by JamalJ (5 out of 5 stars)
October 22, 2017

Works perfectly. App works great too. Super easy to connect. Wish I could use it as a laser pointer. Wish app had more features. Cool notebook.
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An essential tool for designers or engineers
by The Designer (5 out of 5 stars)
September 12, 2017

I always carried a long steel ruler in my backpack for work and it was painful all the time. After I got this pen, all the annoyance has gone. This is the essential tool for any designers or engineers I dare say.
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Outstanding idea, dismal execution.
by R. Consta (2 out of 5 stars)
July 1, 2018

I bought this many months ago directly from the manufacturers website. I started to have problems with it using it as a pen. The ink would stain the pen, my hands, the paper, than it would stop working. The manufacturer sent me a replacement refill. Same problem. Better to write with a 10 cent Bic Pen. And I am not exaggerating. I therefore put the pen aside and I am using something else to write with because a measuring pen should do both. I can't even tell for sure if the measuring part is decent or not. The refill is made in Germany by Schmidt. I can't find a Schmidt that works and I am working on finding any type of refill that would work with this pen. I wanted to make this my second pen - I use fountain pens mainly- but I just can't. I am open for suggestions
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And the point of this thing is ...?
by Brad4d (3 out of 5 stars)
August 28, 2017

If you have specialized needs this might be just what you want, but for the general user, I'm not sure this is useful. It's hard to use (at least for a moderately computer-literate person), and not as versatile as we had hoped. This will wind up in our odd-gadgets drawer.

You'll also need to be patient and precise when using it to measure something like a sofa covering, since every little bump has the potential to throw you off.

It's also not easy to use. The instruction book is pretty useless and so is the website, so I'd suggest YouTube. Pairing it is not simple either and loading the app was not easy. Having put in 2 passwords once I got the app loaded, then gone through the rejection process, and then...

On the bright side, this is a good looking pen and the directions look very Apple, very sleek and minimalistic but honestly, it is easier to do the tape measure than this.

I think that for someone with computer skills, this would be an interesting item.
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Too many problems to recommend it, requires cloud subscription for 3D use.
by Gavin Scott (2 out of 5 stars)
August 11, 2017

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 mode

So 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.
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Very useful and very easy to use
by JGS (5 out of 5 stars)
August 20, 2017

This is a super cool instrument for measurements. It is super easy to setup and use. It comes with a beautiful notebook with clear and easy to follow instructions for downloading the app you need to use it with and for connecting to your smart phone. Its a pleasure and super easy to use to take measurements of objects or 3D reference curves to use in CAD. It is very precise and all it's cool tech is contained within a pen. To measure a dimension, you simply roll it on any object to record the measurements, do unit conversions and share through your smart phone.
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InstruMMents 01 Dimensioning Instrument
by K. Hill (1 out of 5 stars)
September 3, 2017

This item frustrates me. On the one hand is looks like it should be easy to uses for someone with an average technical background, but the new user is stymied by the poor - even incomplete - directions. I get that a piece of "cutting edge" shouldn't be bound by conventions of a 200 page, text-heavy, multilingual instruction book, but a simple set of pictures with no text beyond titles is ridiculous, too. The Android app was not much more helpful. While I think I can - and will - get the hang of how to use this thing, I would not recommend InstruMMents 01 Dimensioning Instrument + Pen for the individual with average or less patience. As I have not yet been about to do even the most basic 3-D measurements, I give it 1 star.
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Lots of possibilities for this gadget
by Cheryl (5 out of 5 stars)
August 10, 2017

I thought the app was pretty cool. Having fun with the pen, I measured odd things like my arm, so it was cool that I could measure my own arm, fingers etc., so I will be using it also for sewing, knitting, and alterations on clothing hems and other small crafts. Measuring in tight places inside my barn will also be great and not having to carry my heavy tape measure to stores will also be a relief.

The barrel end of the pen rotates as you move the pen across surfaces and then it transfers that distance to your app. The app includes a helpful little tutorial that will show the angle that the pen should be in when rolling it across a surface. As I practiced using it, I noticed I weave a little, but I found the correct angle helps to reduce the weaving.

The pen comes with a very nice hard-backed journal/manual that contains non-written Instructions so I completely overlooked the QR code in the images so I tried to search for it at the Apple App store. Even though I checked the spelling, I couldn't find the app in the ios store. Anyway, you can use a QR code reader and the app pops right up. I put the app on my iPad but a phone will be smaller and easier to carry around while measuring.

I was curious how the pen worked, but all I managed to do was unscrew the end where it goes inside. I emailed product support feeling rather stupid, and here is what they said: "You simply have to twist the black end clock wise and silver end counter clockwise and the pen tip will come out".

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