Question about measuring stairs with a laser after a 3-inch screw up

I found out last week that my trusty tape measure was off by a full 3 inches over a 12-foot run. That's a stat I never would've guessed, and it cost me a whole afternoon re-cutting a staircase landing in a house near Springfield. The metal hook at the end had bent slightly from years of drops, and I never checked it. I only caught it because the customer's old carpet was laid crooked, so I pulled out a laser level just to double-check my line. Turns out, the laser showed the wall was square, but my tape was lying to me. Now I'm wondering, has anyone else switched to laser measuring for stairs specifically, or do you all still trust a good old tape for tight corners?

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logan2712d agoMost Upvoted

I read a thread the other day about a guy who laser-measured his entire kitchen remodel and still kept a tape for the baseboards because the laser just couldn't handle the inside corners. That pretty much matches my take on stairs. The long runs and the landing are where a laser shines, but the risers and the little nooks where the stringer meets the wall, you're still gonna need the tape. A bent hook is a classic mistake, and I've seen guys trust a worn tape for way too long. If you do switch, check the laser's calibration on a known flat wall before you start, because they can drift too, just not usually by three inches.