Hi, thinking of getting a lazer level to help ensure that a load of socket boxes are all at the same height as well as some kitchen wall cabinets.
Just wondered what is recommended, or are they all much the same and all I need to do is pick one up from B&Q/Focus/Homebase.
Do they really work well or will I be better off with a long length of clear tubing filled with water fixed at a reference point. Hmm that'll work around corners as well.
Thanks in advance
I bought my dad a b&d one last year, it was about £35 and has proved very handy, far more so than I thought it would be (so much so that I've borrowed it :))
D
I have a feeling it would have made putting the picture rail up after plastering my dining room easier. However, what I want is one which has a 1kW laser power boost button so you can burn a horizontal marker line around the room at the touch of a button, but I haven't seen one with this feature yet ;-)
How times change. Just after this group first appeared, I asked about getting a level for curtain rails along about 20 feet of wall. Back then, a laser level cost about £400, as I recall, and home-brew tubing had to suffice.
I got one for £10 from Lidl or Aldi, perfectly servicable for domestic use.
RT
It certainly would. One thing they are good at is a line all the way round a room. No matter how careful you are with measuring and/or a normal level getting a drawn line to join up is virtually impossible.
With a laser level it *has* to join up and you are not stuck with being true level as you can adjust the plane so it looks right.
I'd prefer the 100KW model that can do channeling for cabling at the same time :)
Or the 1MW model to ensure the top of a wall was level.
Your trying to get me going about speed cameras again aren't you?
RT I got one for =A310 from Lidl or Aldi, perfectly servicable for domestic use.
I paid =A315 from Makro and mine works a treat as well.
(don't tell andy hall)
:-)
Dave
I found one of the cheapies useful. But the biggest downside was that the pivots needed just a little more money spent at the manufacturing stage to make sure that there was no 'wobble'. It was possible to move the beam quite a distance :-( So maybe you can test and choose a 'better' one.
However, I had another job to do and that was to dig a trench with a shallow incline for a waste pipe. The level was detached from the tripod and set up on some bricks. It was pointed in the right direction and inclination, and I dug until the trench was deep enough for the mark I placed on the shovel to be illuminated by the laser. For my first attempt the trench was straight and the pipe had the correct fall - brilliant!!! :-)
The light can be seen in full sunlight - well nearly all the time.
But remember when aligning cupboads, picture rails , sockets etc that they need to look "straight" which may mean aligning them with the ceiling or a sloping floor !
Robert royall at which net
Also, that a level on a tripod won't cast a line high enough for wall cupboards so one ends up extrapolating.
I bought a cheapie a year or two back - one that uses a laser insert in the end of a 2' spirit level. Useful enough, but do remember, you're relying on getting the bubble in the spirit level and the one on the rotating base spot on. I found it most useful when replacing some fence posts over a fairly long distance. Helped to make sure all the holes were dug to a reasonably uniform depth.
Not sure I'd consider using one for a line around a room. Only got to make the smallest error in setting the level up and the error is magnified manyfold.
I bought a cheapie on the end of a spirit level first. It was good enough for the job I wanted it for. Soon after I bought a rotating version - £30 from Focus DIY. Much better - it has a rotating head which sweeps around the room, and 2 spirit levels set at 90 degrees to each other for setting the level.
It is actually quite easy to set up for level. Use the spirit levels built into it, then have it sweep along a table top or door frame edge to check it is level - you can use a regular spirit level on these references to check the level independently.
If you are a distance away from such an edge then use a measuring tape to check the distance from the edge at a couple of reference points.
The rotating laser has a height control and adjustable tripod. I've used it a number of times and it was £30 well spent IMHO.
The laser in the end of a spirit level is tosh however. Must sell it on ebay one of these days.
Andrew
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