laser level

[tflda29]

Hello All,

I am looking to buy a laser level to do some landscaping work in a 10m x 10m garden. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations as to what laser levels are best....I am looking at spending no more than £200.

Most of the ones i have looked at don't really specify if they can be used outdoors or not. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Trevor

 

[Shytalkz]

If you're meaning a rotary laser level (self-levelling) then, with the staff, tripod and gizmo that goes on the staff, you'll be struggling to get all that - for a decent one - within your budget; even more so, if you want both horizontal and vertical level capability.

If this is a one-off use, you're best off hiring one.

 

[regsmyth]

I have a Hilti PM24 from work. It shines a dot out forwards, sideways and up, for at least 20m. Have to say sometimes it drives you mad trying to locate the dot in bright light, running back and forth like an idiot, trying to line it up with a tree, or post, or wall you want to mark, and some would say it's too basic, but used in conjunction with string lines and plumb bobs, you can build and set out anything.
But it's self levelling so you just put it down and it's level. It's probably about your budget, and you're paying for something you'll have for life, if you look after it. Having said that, it's been in for a couple of £30 repairs over the last five years to the main flexi switch cable inside. It's also been left out in the rain on more than one occasion, and dropped once or twice. The second time it stopped working I'd accidentally left it to cook in the mid summer sun for a couple of hours, serves me right.
It turns itself off after 30mins to save on batteries, but the four AAs last for two or three days even if used almost constantly. I use rechargeables.
Don't get one you have to level up yourself!
Or save some money and use a water level!
A rotating one would save the hassle of it's only drawback, locating the dot, but unless you pay a lot more, you'll lose out on reliability.
That's about all I have to say about that....

 

[breezer]

one of these on a tri pod?

 

[^woody^]

Try this one from PR Engineering for £150

 

[Shytalkz]

That's plus VAT and excluding tripod and staff, say another £95 plus VAT, which takes him well over his £200 budget.

 

[^woody^]

No need to get all technical with tripods and staffs etc

Use a cheap camera tripod (with thread adapter), or knock a post into the ground and sit the level on it.

Use a peice of timber to fix the reciever to, and transfer levels by sliding the reciever up and down and just marking the timber with a pencil.



There is a £99 level kit on that site too.

 

[tflda29]

thanks very much for all your help........think i will go down the route of hiring one as this would only be a one off thing and they seem to be pretty cheap to hire for a day or two.

thanks again
Trevor

 

[Bodgeit and scarper ltd]

On a small garden like that a spirit level, a long plank of wood and a few pegs would do the job.

 

[Mark Br]

I'd use a Plastic pipe and water. The kit from Screwfix is 10m long so fits your requirement and is only £15.99:-


http://www.screwfix.com/prods/18133/Hand-Tools/Lasers-Levelling/Levels/Water-Level-Kit-10m

 

[mrgtv01]

I have a Hilti PM24 from work. It shines a dot out forwards, sideways and up, for at least 20m. ....

And what happens to the light after that
A basic laser pointer can be detected for miles.

 

[regsmyth]

Well of course it goes on and on, but beyond that sort of range it starts to get blurry, and of course any inaccuracy gets increased, and you spend too much time walking, and it gets really hard to point it at the target.

 

[Thermo]

with bodgit on this one. we very rarely use a laser level, there is very little in landscaping that needs to be that spot on level, that cant be done with a string line and line level, or a water level.

 

[breezer]

makes you wonder though, how the likes of capabilty green (i think thats the right name) did it. no lasers then.

mind you the bloke who built the tower in piza could have perhaps used one

 

[noseall]

Brown.