PLS180 Red Cross Line Laser Level PLS-60521 by Pacific Laser Systems

I am a contractor in NYC working on a 4800 s.f., 9-family dwelling. I have used a regular water level, and string line for most of the job. It has worked out fine for the first 3000 s.f. of the job. I recently purchased this laser to help level the dirt in the basement to prep for the concrete pour; to frame the metal studs and line the tracks; and to level plumbing lines (gas, copper and 'sewer')In retrospect, I wish I had ordered this laser earlier in the job. It has been extremely convenient and it feels like it has been made well. It feels durable and although it looked 'cheap' online, the case seems strong. The workmanship is good. It looks and works very well. The first calibration revealed a 1/16th inch margin of error over a distance of 59' which is better than advertised. The four settings are great; 1) single horizontal 2) single vertical 3) both hor. and vert. line and 4) locked horizontal and vertical lines. The fourth is great when you need to tilt the device more than the 5-degree margin for work such as tiles and squaring along the floor; a tripod is best for this, and the device fits standard tripods.I did not purchase this device earlier in my job because of costs, but I wish I had, because it would have save a lot of time and money in getting the beams leveled faster and leveling the framing upstairs, where we used wood instead.I have many pictures but I don't know how to upload them here...

This really is a quality layout tool that deserves to be in your tool kit. The self-leveling mechanism is accurate and reliable and the unit is amazingly tough- I've dropped it a few times now with no loss of utility or accuracy. The beam is very bright and easy to see. The support that comes with it is great, using rare earth magnets that will hold it fast, especially useful because you can just stick it on any corner of a wall that has corner bead. It's even stuck to a drywall nail in the wall with the magnets. It gives a true 180 spread with both level and plumb and I've never had an application where the distance was too long not to see the beam on the other side. It comes with a neat little nylon padded case that can be worn on a belt and its small size makes it very practical. I've used it all day with one set of batteries. This is a very well made tool- I have found it essential for professional use and its value is tough to beat.

This is a great little laser that has seen more use than I even thought it would. I bought it for a hotel sign hanging project where measuring up the wall or fumbling with a jig just wasn't practical for scale of the project. So I clamped a piece of angle steel to my cart, and attached the included magnetic bracket, set my height and it didn't budge for the whole project.I just this week used it to layout for a kitchen install. Set my wall and base height lines. It was also very handy for a tile backsplash in a kitchen recently.I did consider a rotary type because I wasn't sure if this went greater than 180 degrees (a feature I needed for the sign job). It goes 3 degrees or so "backward". This is something that would have been nice to know but I took a chance and it paid off.I only give it 4 stars because1.for the price I thought it might come with a drywall mount or a grid clamp for drop ceilings (see Dewalt). Not a deal-breaker (I'll figure something out). It does have the magnetic bracket.2. The case included ended up collecting dust in my shop. A nice idea but for me a waste of space and unnecessary. Lose the case and... (see above note)Overall, I would choose this product again and, after much research, would recommend it over anything else out there.

I'm a 59.8 year old carpenter who has seen a lot of levels through the years. This is my 'go to' instrument now. My experience with some other lasers has not been so favorable. One job in particular, an already unpopular carpenter had used his "self leveling" laser to set up a long hallway to be paneled completely with alder. The result was pretty bad and difficult to hide when the horizontal panels crossed a door head. It would have been easy to check the control line with another level before starting the botch. A month later, when the economy was pinching the company, that carpenter lost his job.The leveling mechanism in the PLS 180 finds the sweet spot simply with a plumb bob mechanism. You can tell when you are attaching it to the mount. The line swings like a bob to settle in the same place. I treat this like a fine instrument and store it in a place it won't get knocked. Like a camera or any other instrument I have ever owned, it would have to be recalibrated after any impact. I check calibration by setting it up in several spots in a room and checking the distance between the marks to see if it varies. So far after about two years it has served me well. I have been completely remodeling an old home before I move in with my wife. I'm slow and expensive and the economy is struggling so I buy myself remodel jobs now to stay busy putzing at my own rate.The line is a plane, so you can shoot a complete control line from one end of the room. So far i have used it for leveling long 40' beams within a hair because I could precisely line up the column heights. I used it to shoot a line for framing headers and perfectly aligning a living room with 8 windows and 3 doors. If I had measured from the floor or ceiling the windows might have been way off because the old slab had been heaved by roots and settling. I found the high and low spots on that slab easily by measuring down from the horizontal plane to any spot in the room. I have used it outside to set batter boards for trenches. I have used the vertical line to strike a continuous control line across the floor to reference a floor tile layout. I used both vertical and horizontal lines for a grid reference layout for wall tiles. Cabinet lines are easy to set up.I'm getting by without the outdoor sensor,but it would be handy because the line disappears in sunlight. When I really need to shoot an outdoor line, then dawn and dusk with a sheet of white paper work for me.When ever I need a level I often reach for my PLS180. It's mighty handy because it is so quick to set up. A few years ago when I was working alongside an army of awesome finish carpenters on the lakefront of Tahoe, the consensus was that this was becoming the most popular level. I have a whole stable of nice Stabila levels and they hang on a nail longer than ever now between uses .