School me on laser levels under $150

[Dan]

It's been a lousy snow year in the PNW, so over x-mas/New Year's, rather then spend time on the mountain, I took out my frustration by demoing our kitchen. :AR15firin

It felt great to take out those beater old cabinets and countertop -- the builder left some newspaper under some of the cabinets (shim? to block drafts?? not sure), so I know that the kitchen dated to 1955. (And let's just say that the years had not been kind - it was high time to rip that stuff out.)

(Incidentally, it was the sports section, and there was an article about the East and West German Olympic Committees reaching an agreement to send a joint delegation to the Winter Olympics in Cortina. Times have changed!)

Anyway, I'm going to be installing base and wall cabinets, a countertop, open shelves, and tiling a backsplash in the next few weeks (or months? we'll see how long it takes), and am thinking that a laser level will be a huge help, as it's an old house (1913), and not much is square, plumb, or true.

Anyone have experience with these? I've been looking at the DeWalt DW087K and the Bosch GLL2-50...both were at $150 at Amazon a few days ago, but since then they've bumped the Bosh up to about $180. The Bosch has better specs (tighter tolerances), but fewer / less positive reviews. Thinking the DeWalt is probably fine for my purposes -- any thoughts or other recommendations?

[BobD]

Thinking the DeWalt is probably fine for my purposes -- any thoughts or other recommendations?

Laser levels are used generally as a time saver. They do the same job as a regular spirit level, plumb bob, or water tube level, but for some uses are much quicker. As as electrician, suspended ceiling, and office remodel installer, I have used several types over the years. My 2 cent advice though would be to invest in a couple of good regular spirit levels, one short, one long. These are more useful for most home projects. On the vary rare occasion that you need to level across a room, some 1/2 inch clear plastic flexible tubing filled with water works very well. Unless of course you have money to burn ;)

[Dan]

Laser levels are used generally as a time saver. They do the same job as a regular spirit level, plumb bob, or water tube level, but for some uses are much quicker.

Thanks Bob! I should have added that we're doing a fairly big tile backsplash - it will run about 15 linear feet (wrapping around 2 corners), which we'll do with subway tile. Keeping all the courses of tile level is the main area where I think a laser level would save my butt -- a standard level will be a hassle to use while spreading thinset, and chalk lines would be obscured.

Hmm, maybe I should watch some Youtube videos and see how pro installers keep their courses of tile level...

[big mario]

4 foot level, pencil line, and a ledger board. Lay out your first full tile line, mark it with a pencil, scew a straight stick (ledger board) to the wall at your pencil line, butter the wall above your ledger, stick tile to wall resting on ledger board, remove ledger when mastic/thinset has set up. Butter the back of you cuts, stick to wall, shim up with tile spacer to underside of the first course you set, Grout, clean and enjoy.

mario

[nils]

am using the robotoolz for a year, got locked cross / locked lines + autolevel of the three...smart powerful magnet usefull so you can stick it to any thing steel.

I recommend it ( doing some woodwork, plaster walls and mostly architecture measuring / survey)...Some of my craftmen use it too, as well as the Hilti but they are expensive!.

Nils