Confession: I actually didn’t have my own laser level prior to purchasing DeWalt’s 12-volt 360, a green 3-beam laser level (DW089LG). A co-worker, Jason, has a Hilti PM 2-L (2-line red laser level) that we use for most tasks. So why buy one? Outside of that, I use a standard beam level, line level, and plumb bob. With the DeWalt 360 in my arsenal, I still use those tools, just much less often.
After shopping lasers for a couple of months, I decided the DeWalt 360 in green was my choice ($500; the red laser option is about $100 less). We were in the middle of a bathroom and bedroom remodel when my laser arrived, so I put it right to work. Out of the box, it’s easy to use, and I quickly vowed to never hang drywall without it again.
In roughly the center of the bedroom we were working in, approximately 5 feet up off the floor (to put it above any 4-foot sheet goods resting on the wall), I hung the unit on a drywall screw (see photo). I turned on the plumb laser and rotated to each premarked stud location and this sped up setting screws significantly. Never again will I have to use a level or some other straightedge so I don’t miss the stud.
The next task was to frame a wet wall for a shower with a 32-inch rough opening. I made a quick pencil mark on the new subfloor and one halfway up the adjacent wall, and within a few seconds, I had the laser positioned on the floor with a bright-green plumb line through both marks. I tacked my wall together plumb and square and nailed it off without reaching for a beam level. How did I even do these tasks the week before?
Other uses I found were squaring tile work, installing outlets at the same height, leveling cabinets, and even installing windows (nice). As many contractors do, we build a few decks each year; I wanted to see if I could get by without using a rotary laser or string line for setting my post heights. It’s winter as I write this and global warming, polar vortex, or not, I’m not going to build a deck right now. So I waited for a sunny day and sprinted from the heat of my workshop to run a test outdoors. The short answer is yes. In daylight conditions, the line is hard to see with the naked eye, but I used the green card and could pick up the faint line. Enough that I could mark off the line for each imaginary deck post and run back to the shop and place cold red fingers inches in front of the pellet stove.
Best Features
- It has a 12-volt rechargeable battery that you can plug into your 12v/20v chargers already on site
- Green light is impossible to miss indoors
- The unit rotates 360 degrees while the mount remains stationary
- You can turn all the beams on and pretend you are on a bank heist getting to other side of room
- It works out of level, because (new construction guys and gals cringe and turn the page now) sometimes remodel work is taking what’s existing and what’s level and splitting the difference
What It Lacks
- Won’t cut it for everyday outdoor use
- No micro-adjustment (unless you use a tripod with one)
- A second 12V battery is not necessary but would be nice
This article originally appeared in Tools of the Trade.
