Laser Levels FAQS

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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.

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.

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 LM30. It's well built and will give you the accuracy it says it will - if you do your critical part:

LM30
from $189.25

Picking the Right Laser for Exterior Use
Range = "How big is your job site?" (305 meters equals a diameter of 1000 ft.) Accuracy = "What kind of accuracy do you need?" (3.2mm = 1/8 in.)
Picture	Model	Range (with Detector)	Horiz./Vert. Accuracy (at 100ft.)	Grade/Slope Capability (±10%)	Battery Type	Dust/Water Protection
	AL500H from $583.25	305m	H: 3.2mm	-	6 "AA" Cell	IP54
	AL500HV from $583.25	305m	H: 3.2mm V: 3.2mm	Single	6 "AA" Cell	IP54
	LM1000X from $627.00	305m	H: 3.2mm V: 3.2mm	-	NiMH	IP54
	LMH-C from $737.00	610m	H: 2.4mm	Manual	4 "D" Cell	IP54
	LMH600 from $814.00	610m	H: 2.4mm V: 3.2mm	Dual	4 "D" Cell	IP54
	ALH from $819.25	850m	H: 1.6mm	Single	4 "D" Cell	IP67
	LM800GR from $833.25	850m	H: 1.6mm	Dual	NiMH	IP67
	ALHV from $896.00	850m	H: 1.6mm V: 3.2mm	Dual	4 "D" Cell	IP67
	LM800 from $911.25	850m	H: 1.6mm V: 3.2mm	Dual w/ Remote	NiMH	IP67
	LM800DP from $1099.00	850m	H: 1.6mm V: 3.2mm	Dual w/ Remote	NiMH	IP67
	ALGR from $1344.75	850m	H: 1.6mm V: 3.2mm	Dual Dial-In	4 "D" Cell	IP67
	ALHV-G from $1408.75	400m	H: 1.6mm V: 3.2mm	Dual	NiMH	IP67
Water & Dust Protection: IP54 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. In the new LM800DP This beam also projects downward, letting you set up accurately over a point on the floor or transfer points from floor to ceiling.
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. In the new LM800DP This beam also projects downward, letting you set up accurately over a point on the floor or transfer points from floor to ceiling.

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
Range = "How big is your interior?" (60 meters equals a diameter of 200 ft.) Accuracy = "What kind of accuracy do you need?" (3.2mm = 1/8 in.)
Note: The AL500H, LMH-C, LM800GR and ALH are not listed in this table because they all have a single rotation speed (600 RPM) which makes them less than ideal for interior use.
Picture	Model	Interior Range	Horiz./Vert. Accuracy (at 100ft.)	Laydown Beam Positioning	Speed of Rotation	Scanning with Spot Mode
	AL500HV from $583.25	60m	H: 3.2mm V: 3.2mm	Yes	Variable (3)	Yes
	LM1000X from $627.00	60m	H: 3.2mm V: 3.2mm	No	Variable (4)	Yes
	LMH600 from $814.00	100m	H: 2.4mm V: 3.2mm	Yes	Variable (3)	Yes
	ALHV from $896.00	200m	H: 1.6mm V: 3.2mm	Yes	Variable (3)	Yes
	LM800 from $911.25	200m	H: 1.6mm V: 3.2mm	Yes	Variable (3)	Yes
	LM800DP from $1099.00	200m	H: 1.6mm V: 3.2mm	Yes Plus Down Plumb Beam	Variable (3)	Yes
	ALGR from $1344.75	200m	H: 1.6mm V: 3.2mm	Yes	0-1000 RPM	Yes
	ALHV-G from $1408.75	250m	H: 1.6mm V: 3.2mm	Yes	Variable (3)	Yes
Laydown Beam Positioning positions beam automatically (90° vertical) over a reference point Scanning with Spot Mode lets you sweep just a part of the full circle for higher visibility

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How to Pick the Right Laser Level

Picking the Right Laser for Exterior Use

Picking the Right Laser for Interior Use