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In article , wrote:
I'm planning to install about 400 feet of (three layered) crown
molding in 5 rooms with several outside corners. I'm wondering if I
should buy a laser lever device or just use what I have (4' bubble
level and chalk line). At the BORG I saw several laser level types
and prices. Any suggestions on brands/types? It would be nice to
keep the price under $50 (I saw some over $300!). What are the big
advantages over a traditional chalk line? I did not particularly like
the 3M stick strips, but I guess there are limited ways to hold the
device up 10' on the wall. TIA

First the general comments...

Before you buy anything, I'd _strongly_ suggest you look at the manufacturer's
claimed accuracy. Some of the less expensive ones claim to be accurate to
within, for example, +/- 3/8" at 25 feet -- and that's really pretty damn poor
IMHO. I figure I can get pretty near that close to level just by eye, without
any tools at all, and I *know* I can do a lot better than that with a water
level (long clear vinyl tube full of water).

I've also seen one or two of the cheaper ones that claim "99-point-something
percent" accuracy, which sounds good until you think about it a bit, and
realize that 25 feet is 300 inches... and "99.5% accuracy" means an error of
an _inch_and_a_half_!

As the price goes up, so does the accuracy... but I am not persuaded that any
of these devices offer any improvement over plumb bobs and the various types
of conventional levels, other than convenience. And the convenience isn't much
use, if the accuracy isn't there. I know from experience that I can lay out
horizontal lines around a large room, using only a water level, a pencil, a
couple chairs, and a helper, with an accumulated error across all four corners
of only about 1/16". Homeowner-grade laser levels just aren't that accurate.
I'm sure that many professional-grade tools *are*... if you want to spend in
four figures.

Now the specific:

I bought a David White "Tri-Beam Torpedo Laser Level" at Lowes a few months
ago -- and returned it after using it (or, more precisely, *trying* to use it)
for only 30 minutes. It was a piece of crap. For seventy bucks, I expect a
laser that projects a fairly small, sharp dot. Not! At only 25 feet, the dot
was fuzzy, and at least 3/8" across, while a five-dollar laser pointer
projected a crisp dot less than half as large. The "vertical" beam was even
worse: at only eight feet, it was fuzzy, 1/4" wide, and out of plumb by nearly
half an inch! Again, I can do as well by eye, and much better with basic
tools. I sure don't need a $70 laser to get a stud within a half inch of
plumb.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.