Spent $200 on a laser level and it either saved my weekend or wasted my money

I picked up a Bosch laser level for framing a basement last month. Set it up, got my lines perfect, and saved maybe 3 hours vs pulling chalk lines. But then the thing died halfway through the second day, battery just gave out. Had to finish with a string line anyway. So was it worth the cash for that one fast day, or did I get burned by a tool that can't last? A buddy says green beam lasers are way better, but they cost twice as much. Anyone else had luck with these things holding up on a real job?

2 comments

2 Comments

grantschmidt17d ago

That's a pretty generous take on the Bosch battery situation, honestly. The manual is like four pages of safety warnings and a single sentence about "charge fully before use" hidden in the fine print (who reads those things anyway?). Still, you make a fair point about green beam being the way to go if you want to see your lines in a moderately lit room without squinting like you're staring at the sun. Self leveling is a game changer too, no argument there. Just don't tell my buddy who paid twice as much for his green laser that he was actually right about something.

sandrat2418d ago

Honestly the battery thing is kinda on you. Those Bosch units come with a lithium ion pack that needs to be charged fully before first use, not just taken out of the box and run for hours. If you didn't read the manual or at least check the charge level before starting, that's a user error more than a tool problem. I've had mine for two years framing and finishing basements, and the battery lasts a solid 8-10 hours on a full charge with the green beam. Speaking of green vs red, your buddy is right that green is way easier to see in bright light or over distance, but the price jump isn't as bad as you think if you watch for sales. The real question is did you get the self leveling model or the manual one? The self leveling is what makes these things worth the money in my experience.