laser level

[badranman]

I will be buying a laser level this spring and I'd thought I'd ask you guys for your opinion on what features to get/ not get. I looked at some last year so I have an idea what the basics are. I was thinking about the 1 man type where you slide the receiver up and down until it beeps. I could cheap out and get a transit (which I currently borrow from a buddy) but there's not always 2 of us around and besides the laser seems alot faster. It will be used mainly for foundations and drainage pipe. Thoughts?

[John Banks]

I sometimes use a transit when I'm working with the guys. Typically though I set up the Laser. I have a David White transit 22X that I am happy with, so I got the David White AutoLaser 900. It works great and sets up easy. I did quite a bit of research and liked this one the most.

[digger242j]

You'll wonder how you ever got along without one.

I've been using a Dewalt, which was pretty-low priced, but it lacks self leveling ability. Do youself a favor and spend the extra couple hundred bucks to get one that's self leveling. If it's not self leveling you run the risk of it getting out of level (somebody bumps one of the legs, or machine vibration makes one of them sink a little, etc.), and then you end up with the whole bottom of your excavation out of whack. (Voice of experience. It happened again just a couple of weeks ago when I set it up on frozen ground and the legs started to sink as the ground thawed. :Banghead )

[John Banks]

Good point digger about the self-leveling. That's one thing that I like about the David White, it is self leveling. You obviously have to get it close, but it fine tunes from there. I especially like the range and the accuracy.

[DKinWA]

I've got a topcon self leveling and it's pretty much idiot proof. It isn't their most expensive model, but it's got everything I need yet simple to use. When I bought it, I payed just under a $1,000 and it came with receiver, a nice tripod and plastic case. It's great for a lot of things, but I'm also looking to buy a transit for doing other things. Some day, I'd like to buy a dual slope laser, but it won't be anytime soon. Btw, always and I mean always, carry extra batteries if you're using a laser :)

[RonG]

The company I work for now has a self leveling laser and I am not really comfortable with it.
If you set the older lasers up with the vials as I am used to and something moves such as often happens when you set the tripod in frost in the morning and the sun warms the ground later in the day you would never know it with a self leveling laser and that could very well throw your grades off.
The older lasers with the vials will stop spinning if they go out of level and you are forced to go check on the problem before you can use it.
Of course I am talking about a rotary beam laser here as I assume you all had in mind.
The project we are doing right now has concrete sidewalks in place already(don't know whose idea that was) and I always set the laser tripod on the sidewalk so I don't have to worry about it but the potential for problems is always on my mind. Ron

[digger242j]

If you set the older lasers up with the vials as I am used to and something moves such as often happens when you set the tripod in frost in the morning and the sun warms the ground later in the day you would never know it with a self leveling laser and that could very well throw your grades off.
The older lasers with the vials will stop spinning if they go out of level and you are forced to go check on the problem before you can use it.


All the self leveling ones I've come in contact with will cause the sensor to tell you it's getting a signal that's out of level. The Dewalt I mentioned above can actually be turned to cast a beam vertically, which might be useful for a carpenter, but that means it'll spin all day long, no matter how far out of level it is.

[CT18fireman]

I bought the dewalt when I really started getting patio work, nice unit for the price and I liked that it used the same battery as my cordless tools. It still get used, but I also just got a topcon, used it once in the Fall and seemed great, expecting much more use in the spring. I haven't got a lot of time with it yet but the setup is easier.

The better units also have a longer range. The dewalts was 500' which may seem like a lot but on big proerties here that quickly is used up. Often we would have to move the unit to cover the length of a drive.

[badranman]

I was looking at a topcon like DKinWA was mentioning. It had a self level feature as well as a 1000 ft range I believe.

[CT18fireman]

Yeah it does and it seems to work even longer then that at times. 500 more ft makes a big difference, when running pipe or terracing a property.

[Nac]

I also have the Topcon self leveling laser lever I swear buy it would not get any thing else. Also have a Topcan dual slope laser and a Topcon Digital transit with laser pointer.

[digger242j]

500 feet is an awful long way to go if you're twisting knobs and looking at vials. Be just a fuzz out of level and at that distance you'll have compounded your error by a lot.Generally I dislike equipment that is supposedly smarter than me, but in this case, I'm happy to let the laser do the hard part for me.

[DKinWA]

Here's the topcon I bought RL-H3C (http://www.topconlaser.com/hardware/RLH3C.html) I really like the self leveling feature and it's a simple matter of setting the tripod reasonably close to level and turn it on. When it's level, it starts spinning and will let you know if it gets knocked off level. I'm sure there are other brands that are just as good, but I can't complain with the topcon.

[RonG]

All the self leveling ones I've come in contact with will cause the sensor to tell you it's getting a signal that's out of level. The Dewalt I mentioned above can actually be turned to cast a beam vertically, which might be useful for a carpenter, but that means it'll spin all day long, no matter how far out of level it is.

Digger,I am almost ashamed to say it but this laser hat two lights on it,an orange one and a red one and the red one blinks constantly.
I was having fits setting it up the first time I used it because on every other laser I ever used a blinking red light meant either out of level or conversely a dying battery.
The other operators on the jobsite told me that it always blinks whenever it is on but could not tell me what the light meant and I still don't know but the thing seems pretty accurate and it is repeatable so I use it.The sensor I use with this one gives the same beeps every other one does that I have used so if it barks an out of level sound I don't recall ever hearing it. Ron

[shaper]

If you really want to get fancy buy a slope laser. It can be dialed into anything from 0%-25% slope. I use one for all my work now. The regular laser stays in the truck now. Its great for drainage work, dial in your intended slope, set the receiver on the rod and never have to touch the receiver again. www.proshotlaser.com

[CT18fireman]

I can do simple math so determining slope off a level line is pretty easy with a grade rod.

[Dwan Hall]

Mine costs about $1000 and will do slopes. nice thing about it is I can velcro the recever to the boom of my excavator and dig a grade for a sewer line within a inch without getting out of the cab. I can also atach it to a stick on the blade of the excavator and grade a driveway also within an inch. Well worth the extra bucks to me.
as just a laser I use it to help layout parking lot lines before painting also.