Quality Tools at Discount Prices
Over 40,000 Hand and Power Tools.

Welcome to our family of over 400,000 satisfied customers.

Ph: 800-347-5096 Hours: M-F 6:30a - 4:00p (Pacific)

Home

Agatec Index

How to Pick the Right Laser Level

How to Pick the Right Laser Level

(If you already know this stuff, you can scroll down or take one of these shortcuts
to get right to a comparison of models and features for EXTERIOR use or INTERIOR use.)

First: How Rotary Lasers Work:
On a rotary laser the laser level beam spins around in a circle. If it spins fast enough your eyes will see the laser as a line instead of a moving point. Inexpensive rotary lasers have a motor that has two or three old-fashioned bubble level vials that tell you when you've got a perfectly horizontal or vertical line. More sophisticated models use gravity to self-level. In order to prevent injury the power of the laser is strictly limited. It will be dimly visible inside a normally lit interior at a reasonable distance. Red colored laser enhancement glasses will make it more visible at a greater distance by filtering out competing colors. The new generation of green lasers are somewhat more visible indoors because our eyes have their greatest sensitivity in that color. But outside, when competing with sunlight, the beam -- whether red or green -- will NOT be visible more than a few feet away.
To use a rotary laser outdoors you need a "detector" (also called a "receiver"). The detector is a palm-sized box with a sensor on one side. The sensor is tuned to the frequency (color) of the laser and can detect the pulsing of the rotating laser beam. The faster the pulsing the further away the detector can sense the beam. The detector has two ways of indicating where the beam is. The first is an LCD display that tells you if the beam is striking high, low, or in the center of the detector. The second is a series of different tones that tell you when the beam is high, low or centered.
While most laser tools still use a red beam, the latest generation, as we said, sports a green beam for greater indoor visibility. This means that you need the right detector for each color. The appropriate detectors are listed on all our individual tool pages or included with the kits.

Second: Are Laser Levels Any Better Than Optical Levels?
If you hang drop-ceilings for a living the answer is absolutely YES! For almost all other applications laser levels have one large advantage; they let you take a person off of your crew. Rather than one person doing the sighting and another taking readings with the rod, you set up the laser level then use a rod with a laser detector to get the readings yourself. A two person job becomes a one person job. That one advantage will let you pay for the laser in just a few jobs.	Remotely adjust the height of the laser.

Second: Are Laser Levels Any Better Than Optical Levels?

If you hang drop-ceilings for a living the answer is absolutely YES!

For almost all other applications laser levels have one large advantage; they let you take a person off of your crew. Rather than one person doing the sighting and another taking readings with the rod, you set up the laser level then use a rod with a laser detector to get the readings yourself. A two person job becomes a one person job.

That one advantage will let you pay for the laser in just a few jobs.

Agatec Laser Level Motorized Mount 510GC

Remotely adjust the height of the laser.

Third: Should I Spend the Extra Money to Get a Self-Leveling Rotary Laser?
Unless you are already very comfortable using optical leveling instruments the answer is almost certainly YES. With optical instruments the accuracy of your work depends upon how precisely you level the scope at the start of the job and it’s the same with a manual laser level. A slight error in alignment can mean a large mistake. For example, if you are "off" by just the thickness of the scribed line on the vial while aligning the bubble, something that’s being measured at one hundred feet away will be off by about three inches!
A self-leveling rotary laser uses gravity to achieve perfect alignment. There are a number of different methods, but the most common is to project a laser beam through a prism that hangs like a pendulum. You just set the instrument up to be roughly level and gravity does the rest. The result is that the instrument is as accurate as is stated in its specifications.
Many self-leveling lasers have additional features that can be of great assistance. For example, the unit will flash or turn off it it's accidentally bumped after being set up. Some units will self-level in the vertical as well as the horizontal plane.

This link will show you our inexpensive manual rotary level: the M10. It's well built and will give you the accuracy it says it will - if you do your critical part:

M10

Picking the Right Laser for Exterior Use
Range = 1000 ft. Diameter for ALL Models Accuracy = 1/8 in. @ 100' for ALL Models
Picture	Model	Self-Leveling	Rotation Speeds	Dust/Water Protection	Special Features
	220 Kit= $719.00	Horizontal Only	90, 600	IP64	• One-Touch leveling speeds setup • Easy to Match Slope • Electronic Field Calibration
	220HV Kit= $764.50	Horizontal Plus Vertical Semi-Automatic Plus Plumb Beam	90, 600	IP64	• Easy to Match Slope • Electronic Field Calibration • Includes RCR500 Detector / Remote
	LT200 Kit= $935.25	Horizontal Only	90, 600	IP67	• Easy to Match Slope • Rugged, All-Metal Housing • Completely Waterproof
	510GC Kit= $1020.75	Horizontal & Vertical Automatic Plus Plumb Beam	90, 150, 300, 450, 600	IP64	All 220HV Features PLUS: • Integrated Slope Mount • Motorized PowerMount • Selectable Work Area Scan
	LT300 Kit= $1276.75	Horizontal & Vertical Automatic Plus Plumb Beam	90, 150, 300, 450, 600	IP67	All LT200 Features PLUS: • Lower Speeds for Interior Use • Selectable Work Area Scan
	A710 Kit= $2899.50	Horizontal, Vertical & Dual Slope Grade Plus Plumb Beam	60, 150, 300, 450, 600, 700	IP67	• Perfect for Machine Control • Pipe Laying Kit Available • Two-way RF remote control • Completely Waterproof
	CL185 Kit= $3326.50	Horizontal & Conical	90, 600	IP64	• Unique User-Adjustable Conical Plane Feature Makes it Ideal for Sports Field Layout
Water & Dust Protection: IP64 translates to "Dust and water resistant", IP67 means "Dust and water proof"

Do I Need a Laser Level With Two Beams? What's the Advantage?
By splitting the beam using a half-silvered mirror one part of the laser beam spins around to create the illusion of a line while the other part projects straight out of the top of the rotor to create a single dot that's directly above the level. When you've set the laser to spin in the vertical plane the dot that normally projects upward will be in the horizontal plane. This can be helpful for laying out interior walls. Remember that it's just a dot and since it's not pulsing it can't be detected in sunlight by the laser detector. It has to be visible to your eye, so its usefulness is mostly limited to interior work.

Do I Need a Laser Level With Two Beams? What's the Advantage?

By splitting the beam using a half-silvered mirror one part of the laser beam spins around to create the illusion of a line while the other part projects straight out of the top of the rotor to create a single dot that's directly above the level.

When you've set the laser to spin in the vertical plane the dot that normally projects upward will be in the horizontal plane. This can be helpful for laying out interior walls. Remember that it's just a dot and since it's not pulsing it can't be detected in sunlight by the laser detector. It has to be visible to your eye, so its usefulness is mostly limited to interior work.

Is Speed of Rotation Important?
Higher rotation speeds allow detectors to read the laser beam at greater distances outdoors. However, because of the way our eyes work, higher speeds will make the beam less detectable when used indoors. The slower the beam travels, the brighter it appears to our eyes. The exact speed depends on the individual so the best lasers for interior use will be the type with at least three variable speeds. This allows you to set the rotation to best match your vision.

Is Speed of Rotation Important?

Higher rotation speeds allow detectors to read the laser beam at greater distances outdoors. However, because of the way our eyes work, higher speeds will make the beam less detectable when used indoors. The slower the beam travels, the brighter it appears to our eyes. The exact speed depends on the individual so the best lasers for interior use will be the type with at least three variable speeds. This allows you to set the rotation to best match your vision.

Picking the Right Laser for Interior Use
All Models Above Can Be Used for Interior Work, But These Three Are Available in Special Interior Kits That Give You All the Accessories You'll Need for Interior Layout Projects
Picture	Model	Self-Leveling	Rotation Speeds	Interior Kits Include:
	220HV Kit= $764.50	Horizontal Plus Vertical Semi-Automatic Plus Plumb Beam	90, 600	• TL25 Remote Control • Magnetic Target • Laser Enhancing Glasses • SM200 Wall Mount
	510 Kit= $849.75	Horizontal & Vertical Automatic Plus Plumb Beam	90, 150, 300, 450, 600	• TL25 Remote Control • Magnetic Target • Laser Enhancing Glasses • SM200 Wall Mount
	LT300 Kit= $1276.75	Horizontal & Vertical Automatic Plus Plumb Beam	90, 150, 300, 450, 600	• TL25 Remote Control • Magnetic Target • Laser Enhancing Glasses • Built-In Motorized PowerMount
And This One - NOT Self-Leveling - But a Great Bargain!
	M10 Kit= $229.75	Manual Horizontal & Vertical	150, 400, 600	• TL15 Remote • Magnetic Target • Laser Enhancing Glasses • Built-In Wall Mount

AGATEC Main Index

AGATEC Laser Accessories

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

SSL

Sales/Info 800-347-5096

4730 W. Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89102

FAX (702) 871-2815

How to Pick the Right Laser Level

Picking the Right Laser for Exterior Use

Picking the Right Laser for Interior Use