Laser Levels

[RobS]

After using my little laser shooter for a big wall project this weekend I give it a very bland "thumbs sideways".

It's slick in that it clamps on to your existing level but for large projects I think a good transit would be better. I was taking my "level" from various places along the way for my own convenience as well as the distance limitations of the laser. Each time I move the level I introduce variation into the project. Pat, you're absolutely right about the accuracy of reading the bubble. With a transit every measurement could have been tied back to a common reference point.

Now whether or not a laser transit would work is another question. Are better lasers capable of shooting longer distances without getting fuzzy? Is daylight reading still a problem? John, would your Robolazer work over 100+ feet of project?

The other problem I had was when working on a curved section of wall. Because the laser is straight I kept having to swing the level side-to-side to check the level along the curve.

Overall, it worked, was easier to work with/around than stringlines but not an ideal solution [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Rob, It is a $ for performance and convenience trade off. If you pay enough you get greater range with acceptable spot size. Even with LASER filter glasses to enhance contrast, you will never get the usable range of the units with a hand held receiver/beeper. There are better optics available but for more $ which give you less dispersion (higher collimation) of the beam.

Even if you had a bright daylight visible 0.1 inch dot at 500 yds from a LASER attached to a carpenters level, what good would it be? The bubbles in a carpenters level aren't readable to fine enough precision. They are fine for a 4 ft level but not for a level 50 ft or 100 ft long.

It is just a little cumbersome, but for medium long distances (up to a couple hundred feet) water levels do a great job without too much hassle. An inexpensive laser is fine for going from one of the water level established benchmarks. A good transit is NOT CHEAP and if you don't use it a lot it is not competitive with a water level. (You can reuse the water hoses.) The only practical limit to water levels is the length of hose you are willing to assemble/use and the curvature of the Earth.

A standard telescopic transit has much "flatter", i.e. more sensitive bubbles than a carpenter's level. A good sensitive bubble mounted to an adjustable holder with a tripod mount and a well attached LASER pointer would make a better laser level for less $ than a lot of what is on the market. A magnifier to "read" the bubble would help. A blinking or "pulsing" LASER pointer would assist with daylight use. The red glasses would help too.

Contractors usually have other concerns than lowest cost of a tool and have many jobs to amortize the good ones. Contractors need ruged, easy for low skill types to use, fast setup type tools. It isn't practical for many of us to always try to have the best of the best tools and may find with our priorities that the best tool for the job isn't the best tool for a contractor doing the same job.

For example: I have a RAM SET tool. It fires .22 powder charges to sink nails into concrete etc. It is a single shot unit that you load, hold with one hand and smack with a hamer with the other hand. It does just as good as the best CONTRACTOR GRADE units B U T it is slower to use for multiple shots. I don't fire thousands of shots so it works fine for me and has lasted for decades.

IF you have or find a LASER with a brightness and dot size at greatest range of interest that you like, you need a better bubble than a carpenters level to use the LASER, with accuracy, beyond 10 ft or so at best. If I were doing this, I would be looking for a source for a better bubble. Way back in my undergrad physics days we had bubble leveled instruments that had multiple bubbles on them. Rough leveling was done with bubbles about as sensitive as a carpenters level. This got you close enough to use the finer bubble which usually had some kind of fine adjustment screw to use and sometimes a small magnifier so you could read the fine graduations of the more sensitive bubble. Stansi or maybe Edmond Scientific or the like would have a good bubble at a fair price. Withought a good bubble, the best LASER will be pointed relatively randomly. (Except the auto level type, AKA as the expensive ones)


[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[RobS]

I fell into an alternate solution this morning on my early trek to Lowes. At our store (Mishawaka, IN) they are clearancing out the Berger CST transits. 1/2 off the clearance price!!! I picked up a SAL24 package which includes the tripod, transit head, plumb bob and measuring rod. Regular price $398, clearance price $306, 1/2 off $153 plus I had a $50 gift card from Christmas. Cost to me $112 (with tax). Couldn't pass it up. It claims to be accurate to 1/16 in 150 feet with a range of 300 feet. I've never used one of these so I was pleased to learn that you can measure distance and angles as well. It will take some getting used to and it is a two person operation but I think it will serve me well over the years. Wish I had it for my wall project [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[theboman]

I'll never use one again. Being a DJ I own well in excess of a thousand CDs. I was adding shelfs to a wall in my studio and while setting up the laser level the beam eraticlly was dancing across CDs and erased nearly 100! I was in total shock when this happened, and if you believe this for one second I have this PC at home you should buy from me... It's PERFECT!

[egon]

Ouch-ouch [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

Egon

[jellentuck]

You folks might want to take a look at the new B&D models. They are at HD here. Self leveling with vert & horizontal beams for under $50. I haven't tried mine outside, but it has been just the ticket for laying out wall tile and some cabinetry.

Also, it sets up a line across the wall which can be very sensitive to variations in the flatness of the wall. It helps a lot when you can see variation in the wall *before* you start.

Lastly, I have found that this ability to see variations is good for inspecting painted (poly'ed) surfaces. After sanding between coats on my butcherblock counter, I shined the beam across the counter from a low angle and darned if I did not see every bump, bubble, hair and dust bit I failed to remove. OK, maybe it isn't such a great advantage - there is something to be said for fat, dumb, happy and finished already.