Best laser for kitchen and french door installs?

R

rookie08

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Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
210
Hi,

I'm doing a total rehab including a kitchen and all new doors.  Anyone suggest a laser type and brand they like to make sure I'm level and that won't break the bank ?(so I can have $$ to buy more Festool ) [thumbs up].

Lowes has Acculine lasers on sale for 50% off. Anyone like them?

On a side note, I just picked up a barely used 106 inch rail from a guy in Northern Virginia for $130.  He has a second one if anyone is interested.

Thanks!

James
 
rookie08 said:
Hi,

I'm doing a total rehab including a kitchen and all new doors.  Anyone suggest a laser type and brand they like to make sure I'm level and that won't break the bank ?(so I can have $$ to buy more Festool ) [thumbs up].

Lowes has Acculine lasers on sale for 50% off. Anyone like them?

On a side note, I just picked up a barely used 106 inch rail from a guy in Northern Virginia for $130.  He has a second one if anyone is interested.

Thanks!

James
Click to expand...

I used to be a PLS guy but I recently bought the Bosch laser and pole for not a bad price and it works well for the two times I've used it so far
 
I think most self leveling lasers are going for between 100 and 200 bucks.  The PLS180 was a bit more but it is worth the diiference if you use a laser a lot.  The PLS comes with a "beam catcher that can be used out side for shooting grade in small situations and IMO has one of the best lines at any distance. 

For small inside work setting casework and doors I would look at the Bosch.  Fairly cheap and a good name, whats not to like?
 
The new Bosch lasers look interesting, and the price is right. 

Don't have any experience with Acculine, but have a little DeWalt 087 that is great.  Bought it on clearance about 3 years ago, and figured it would be a throw-away.  Think I paid $99 on clearance, and figured it would last 6 months to a year.  Couldn't begin to tell you how many hours it has been used since, and is still deadly accurate.  The lines are pretty crisp, and easy to see under normal lighting conditions. 

When it dies, it will probably be replaced with a Stabila Laserbob, or a Hilti. 

I would recommend getting a pole, like Winchester described.  I use a FastCap 3rd Hand and their magnetic laser attachment.  The tripods also work well, but take up a lot of floorspace.  Can be problematic when on an active worksite or a tight space.   

 
I use a Bosch BL2L , wich is essentially the same laser as the GLL2-50 in the link That was poted above, but without the pulse mode for receiver use.
Since I use it strictly indoor, I don't miss that feature. It's a very useable laser, not overly expensive, and has seen quite a bit of  abuse without giving up on me. Imagine tipping over a tripod fully extended to five feet, with the laser unlocked in pendulum mode, hitting a concrete floor...... Still dead on, at least for as far as I can check with my 6 feet Sola level in both directions.
The promotional package deal included a free BS150 tripod, wich is handy, but does indeed take up a lot of floorspace. Besides, I already had one thrown in with my DLE70 laser measurer.
The biggest setback of the tripod however is the fact that you can't get the laser any higher then about five feet so that makes it quite useless in overhead cupboard installs.
Then again: when I bought it, the set with a pole and the appropriate mounting was about three times as expensive so that wasn't an option.

Here in Europe, we have a "second" Bosch brand, that's coloured a kind off darker moss-green, and is strictly targeted to DIY use. The "blue" Bosch is in a different league, and usually a decent quality. The service on the "blue"/ professional products is good as well. Bosch do deliver laser measures and crossline lasers in the green line, and they're quite affordable. My experiences with the "green" branch however make me steer away from them. In general, my experience with the "blue" line are OK, and the BL2L is no exception. IIRC, there's no "green" / DYI line at your side of the pond, so you'll only be able to buy the better part of the product line-up. If that's the case I think you can?t go wrong with a Bosch laser - mine has certainly proven to be decent value for money.

Regards,

Job
 
You guys can keep your tripods.  The PLS's come with a bracket that has two rare earth magnets.  I thought, "yeah right, that will never work"  like usual I was wrong.  The magnets will stick to finished corner bead or any other pieces of metal to specific but including; refrigerators, steel squares, combo squares, and metal plates and screws.  Usually I take a quick clamp and steel square JIC.

Another awesome feature with the PLS180 which replaced the PLS2 is that it cast a line well past 180 degrees horizontal and vertical.  Back in the day, we had problems using a laser in confined spaces because the closer the target was the shorter the line due to the physical case of the laser itself.  PLS removed the side of the case and extended the quartz to get a much wider array.  Not only can we shoot a line closer but often in a bigger kitchen we do not have to transfer lines and reset the laser to hit multiple walls.
 
I'd really recommend the CST/Berger 58-ILM-XTE. I got it 1/2 off at a home depot. It was buried under a quarter inch of dust, stuffed in the back of the display. You can find it on amazon now for something like $289. Comes with the detector. It is really accurate around 1/8" @ 100 ft or so (well beyond the stated tolerance) in my sample. The pulse works. If you find one in a HD, test it you might find it's like mine and has accuracy like a $600 laser.
 
Stabila has a line called LaserBob that they consider to be their tool pouch series.

The LA-2PL has plumb up and down beams plus a pulsing level line. That means that you can see the level line continuously AND a detector can also see it if you're in such a bright light situation (like outdoors) that it's difficult to see.

There are two packages that are offered - an outdoor kit that includes the detector and an indoor kit that doesn't.

There's an informative video on the LA-2PL on this page, it's the second one down. The first one is for the 4-beam Laser Bob. Even if you were planning to get a different company's product, the video is probably worth a few minutes to ensure that you've considered the possibilities.

Tom
 
Tom Bellemare said:
Stabila has a line called Laser Bob that they consider to be their tool pouch series.

The LA-2PL has plumb up and down beams plus a pulsing level line. That means that you can see the level line continuously AND a detector can also see it if your in such a bright light situation (like outdoors) that it's difficult to see.

There are two packages that are offered - an outdoor kit that includes the detector and an indoor kit that doesn't.

There's an informative video on the LA-2PL on this page, it's the second one down. The first one is for the 4-beam Laser Bob. Even if you were planning to get a different company's product, the video is probably worth a few minutes to ensure that you've considered the possibilities.

Tom
Click to expand...
I was in a tool shop checking out lasers a couple months ago. They had a stabila and a dewalt on display on tripods.

I decided to fire them up and compare and the stabila one left a significantly "fatter" line @ about 50' away than even the dewalt, which surprised me. I felt it was very poor quality and guess where it was made? Be careful when you buy stabila because apparently they also make low-end lasers, though I didn't know that (I had never really checked out stabila lasers before).
 
They had a stabila and a dewalt
Click to expand...
I decided to fire them up and compare and the stabila one left a significantly "fatter" line @ about 50' away than even the dewalt
Click to expand...

Can you please be more specific?

Not all laser tools are the same and not all laser tools are meant to perform the same tasks...

Tom
 
Tom Bellemare said:
They had a stabila and a dewalt
Click to expand...
I decided to fire them up and compare and the stabila one left a significantly "fatter" line @ about 50' away than even the dewalt
Click to expand...

Can you please be more specific?

Not all laser tools are the same and not all laser tools are meant to perform the same tasks...

Tom
Click to expand...
They were the same style of laser. The cross line laser, similar to a PLS180.

By "fatter", I meant a thicker laser line.
 
Did it look like this?

[attachthumb=#1]

If so, it's guaranteed accurate to 5/32" at 50'.

Like the LaserBob, you can use a receiver with it for outdoors or wherever it's too bright to see the line. Also like the LaserBob, there's an indoor kit and an outdoor kit. The difference again is that the outdoor kit has a receiver.

Tom
 
Tom Bellemare said:
Did it look like this?

[attachthumb=#1]

If so, it's guaranteed accurate to 5/32" at 50'.

Like the LaserBob, you can use a receiver with it for outdoors or wherever it's too bright to see the line. Also like the LaserBob, there's an indoor kit and an outdoor kit. The difference again is that the outdoor kit has a receiver.

Tom
Click to expand...
Definitely wasn't that one. I can see the "made in germany" on that one. the one in the store was made in china
 
If it was "Made in China", I'm pretty sure it wasn't a Stabila. I don't have a ProLiner with me but I just pulled a LaserBob LA-2PL out and it definitely says, "Made in Germany". I don't know of anything that Stabila sells that is made in China.

I get spam emails advertising "Rolex" watches and "Gucci" handbags for a fraction of the price of the real deal almost every day.

To address your original point, line lasers, in general, are designed to have a thin line.

I'm not sure what you saw but the only "tool pouch" version of a cross line laser that I know of, currently from Stabila and available in North America, is the one pictured above.

Comparing it to the PLS 180, the biggest differences I see are:
  • the Stabila locks the mechanism for transport to help prevent calibration errors
  • the Stabila is designed to withstand a 3' drop onto concrete
  • the Stabila is 150 degrees

Tom
 
Tom Bellemare said:
Comparing it to the PLS 180, the biggest differences I see are:

  • [li]the Stabila locks the mechanism for transport to help prevent calibration errors
  • the Stabila is designed to withstand a 3' drop onto concrete
  • the Stabila is 150 degrees

Tom
Click to expand...
So is the Hilti,That is one reason why i got it.I was told by a service/repair man that the pendulum will get damage/out of alignment  if it get bang around during transport.
 
Tom Bellemare said:
If it was "Made in China", I'm pretty sure it wasn't a Stabila. I don't have a ProLiner with me but I just pulled a LaserBob LA-2PL out and it definitely says, "Made in Germany". I don't know of anything that Stabila sells that is made in China.

I get spam emails advertising "Rolex" watches and "Gucci" handbags for a fraction of the price of the real deal almost every day.

To address your original point, line lasers, in general, are designed to have a thin line.

I'm not sure what you saw but the only "tool pouch" version of a cross line laser that I know of, currently from Stabila and available in North America, is the one pictured above.

Comparing it to the PLS 180, the biggest differences I see are:
  • the Stabila locks the mechanism for transport to help prevent calibration errors
  • the Stabila is designed to withstand a 3' drop onto concrete
  • the Stabila is 150 degrees

Tom
Click to expand...

I'll take a picture of it next time I'm in the store... maybe on saturday. It was definitely branded as stabila. That's why I was so shocked.
 
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