Recommend a general purpose laser level

[Augus7us]

Hey Gang,

I'm looking for a good general use laser level. I may not be using the proper term here, but I'm looking for something that can project a laser on the wall for everything from tile to hanging pictures.

I have no idea what to look at or how strong the laser should be and what not. A couple of projects I have coming up, to give you all an example of what I'll use it for, would be tiling my bathroom and putting up some metal wainscotting panels in the shop.

For the latter I'd like a laser that has some distance to it. My shop is 30x40 and it would be nice to be able to shoot a laser across the whole wall.

What do you guys like? Thanks!

 

[Augus7us]

Where are the tool junkies?

I really want to get some opinions from you guys so don't be shy!

I did some looking at home depot's site and it seems my choices are between a Dewalt and Bosch. There are some cheap models on Amazon but I think I'm going to pass on those.

I'm liking this Bosch model here. A GCL-2-160 for 199$ which is essentially the ceiling for price I've allowed myself. Any thoughts on this one? The only thing it doesn't seem to do for this line of Bosch lasers is a "box" and a 360* line. But the next bump up to get that is twice the price.

 

[Farmall450]

I've successfully used the DeWalt and the Hilti I have for simple indoor/nearby stuff

 

[zendriver]

I got this one for , that I like just fine.

Very well built and bright. I have not used it outdoors, but worked great for a basement wall re-do.

https://www.huepar.com/products/hue...ing-base-included?_pos=1&_sid=f6eb121ee&_ss=r

It's made in China, but most of them are made in China.

 

[InjectorService]

I got this one for , that I like just fine.

Very well built and bright. I have not used it outdoors, but worked great for a basement wall re-do.

https://www.huepar.com/products/hue...ing-base-included?_pos=1&_sid=f6eb121ee&_ss=r

It's made in China, but most of them are made in China.

I have this one too, only with 1 more laser as well. I really like it, for the price it can't be beat. If your using it every day and on a construction site where your crew isn't so gentle on it, maybe a Bosch or Dewalt would last longer. But for intermittent use by yourself, I can't see this not doing what anyone would need.

 

[sreeb]

What ever you get, you need a way to position it. I have one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q49KHDN/?tag=atomicindus08-20

It doesn't scream quality but is very flexible and should hold up if you treat is with care (like you should your level). I would buy again.

I also have one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Z4QLWFX/?tag=atomicindus08-20

It doesn't provide a 360 degree beam but with the above tripod I have always been able to place it where it will work for me.

 

[gmwelder86]

Get yourself a pls laser and be done. Been the best in business for years. Not the cheapest but quality. Use them daily in the pipe trades and even have a couple at home.

 

[pizza]

+1 on PLS. probably the best brand.

i have a PLS 480, very nice.

i got it for $260 on ebay

i attached an inexpensive quick release plate (arca swiss style) on it so i can quickly slap it on my camera tripod. most convenient way i've found to use it.

if you buy on ebay, even used should be OK, but just make sure it's a seller that accepts returns. when you receive it, measure that it's true and in-spec. there are notes in the instruction manual for how to verify this. basically you shoot the laser at a known distance and measure the error. return it if it's out of spec.

 

[mike93lx]

I have a Johnson that I bought on Amazon for about a hundred bucks.

The inexpensive red line lasers (like mine) are useless outside. Just a limitation that should be expected.

Mine has been invaluable for tiling. I recently did a shower with subway tile and it was so nice to just rotate it by a few inches every course to ensure they were all aligned. Saved a massive amount of time and stress over snapping lines or measuring

 

[kbuhagiar]

I have a Bosch GLL2 like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NQUJ2AK/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I even got a tripod and a nifty clamp bracket for mounting it to a ladder or wall.
I received the entire package as a gift, and must confess I still haven't figured out how to use it.

I'm usually pretty good at these things, but for some reason this thing has me stumped; maybe I just haven't had the motivation to figure it out, since I haven't yet had a job important enough to justify its use.

One of these days...

 

[pioneer1]

Kinda want 1 of these just for hanging pictures. And I'm sure i would find other uses.