Inexpensive Laser Level

[dodge man]

I just can’t wrap my mind around counting on any kind of level that costs $60. I’m guessing just the receiver costs more than that on a good one.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Bought a TOPCON RL4 ? from Tiger Supplies in NJ. GREAT PEOPLE and PRICES! 1000 foot dual slope. I couldn't find a used one for the price that justified taking the risk. Figure I will sell it some day. Have to admit though, it doesn't get used much.

 

[kthompson]

Good question and answers. I just bought and received a low price rotary Johnson level from Lowes. Price with Lowes credit card which gets 5% discount just pay it off, little over $500 shipped from Johnson to my house in that price.

I HAVE ONLY PLAYED with it but my impressions so far are: it tolerance on level is 1/8 per every 50 feet. Think more than the better and higher price levels are. But for my needs very acceptable.
It comes with a large heavy duty plastic case. The whole unit fits in it. Every piece. On the heavy side but all in one case is nice. About the size of three long good cases.
It has red laser, does not show up well. So you are depending on the receiver heavy. The receiver does have sound and arrows to indicate if it is high or low to the beam. The arrow indicator is on both the front and rear of the receiver making it easy to see.
It came with rechargeable batters but can use AA (four I think) if need be. Receiver uses batteries and have forgotten what size.
The tripod and grade rod to me are a good solid design.
Range is I think 300 feet as I understand meaning set up in middle of the job to get 600 feet. I may be off on that but it is at least that far.

I bought for grading my daughters yard, buried drain lines for a field and a septic tank and an open drainage ditch. Projects for the next few months I might add. I looked and looked for use units in my area and never saw anything that looked decent regardless the price.

I do agree the setup of the rotary laser is quick and easy for one person to quickly get the grade. It is self leveling (which is really it turns out means if you have it set within a few degrees of being level)
but not for the vertical beam. It is simple to use and looks to have decent weather protection.

Depending on your needs or wants you might be able to rent a higher quality one for low cost just plan your work. I looked at many youtube videos before I made a decision and there is a good bit out there on them. Still agree the water level is very simple and low cost and it will work around corners.

 

[dodge man]

$500 is probably a lower cost but a decent solid unit.

 

[dodge man]

I just looked at the Harbor Freight one, its like $55. It doesn’t look like it goes 360 degrees, almost look like it just shoots maybe a 90 degree arc or less. It also looks like you have to level it up exactly, not just get it close. I’m not sure if it’s designed for in door use maybe. It doesn’t have a receiver with it so maybe it uses a visible beam?

 

[downsizingnow48]

I've used water levels as well as laser levels. If you have to set the elevations of (let's say) 15 deck piers, it is a fair amount of work to set up the stakes and associated elements to use the water level at each place with +- 1/8" accuracy. With the rotary laser and a grade pole, you can do it almost as fast as you can walk from one pier to the next. Sometimes time doesn't much matter but usually it does.

 

[3Ts]

I have one of the Topcon models with a single grade. I took a long time before I finally spent the money on it. Before, I usually used a 2x and a bubble level. I've done a lot of grading around my place to get the rain to run in just the right place. I've had to lay yard drains and the associated drain pipes. Checking the elevations before the first shovel of dirt was so much easier with the self levelling laser. I wasn't sure I would use it after that, but it is so easy to use, takes only a moment to set up and has a much farther reach than a 2x and bubble. I've even used it to be sure the wife's raised beds were level. Do I use it much? No, but I'm not going to get rid of it, it is to useful to do without anymore.

 

[jaxs]

Water levels are one of the rare cases where inexpensive equats to quility. I've used one for 40 years and never had it get out of adjustment.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

I live on the side of a mountain near the bottom. Other than the house area, there is no flat ground. Seems like much of what I do is leveling land to make a garden plot, kids play area, parking lot for implements, etc. I can "eye ball" a level area, that turns out to be not so level at all.

I have some larger projects coming up, mainly prepping a site to build a shop. I need to level off a large area. I also have some other, smaller projects I have planed in the future that will require some land leveling. I looked up on Amazon, and saw prices running from several thousands to a few hundred. I dont think I need the accuracy of a surveyor, but accurate enough to get the job done proper. Not looking to break the bank, but also don't want to regret a cheap piece of junk.

Do you recommend something? Have you used it?
What are your thoughts?

I bought a fairly inexpensive laser kit about two years ago similar to this one except mine is a red laser. I think I paid $240 for the whole kit then.

Self-Leveling Rotary Rotating Green Laser Level Kit 500M Range W/ 1.65M Tripod | eBay

This laser level is fully automatical to align, adjust and find a level with ±5°self leveling range. Tripod and staff Leveling range: ±5°. Leveling accuracy: horizontal: ±20″; Vertical: ±20″. Tripod height: 1.65M.

www.ebay.com

I've used it to level a driveway, level a small building site, set level on pole building poles etc. The only complaints are the instructions are in Chinglish so it is difficult to figure out the way to set slope, but it is self leveling and that is all I needed. The other complaints are the stick is metric, and lastly the laser receiver beeps the opposite of standard according to my buddy who worked in construction. I didn't check range to it's outer limits, but it worked fine in bright sunlight at 500' give or take. I needed it for one project and figured it would collect dust after that, but I've used it more than expected.

 

[mikester]

I'd suggest renting a good commercial unit unless you just want a small one for hanging pictures and don't care if they are out of level.