07.08.07
Black And Decker Laser Levels
Ever notice how those laser levels have exploded into the tools scene in the recent years. It seems the plumb and strings are no longer used now that a laser will do the job quicker. While surfing around looking at all the different laser levels I was a little shocked to see how many laser levels Black and Decker produces, between auto and manual laser levels there is a total of 12 different models. I decided to dig a little further in to the auto leveling lasers to find out why so many model for a specific job. As I started to dig into the background of the Black and Decker Line I kept an open mind about these lasers and possible uses. All of them can line up pictures on a wall, tiles on a floor, square a new wall, plumb a new wall and so much more. To find out which will be the best suited for all round purposes I had to go though the entire list of them.
The Black and Decker 360, I feel is a great laser for finishing jobs. It can be nested on a tripod that comes with the 360 or it can hang from a ceiling object. Another great feature about the 360 is that it can be set it up in the middle of the room and have the laser beam on all of the walls. This is perfect for doing an elegant room trim where accuracy and precision is needed. It works well with hanging pictures, shelves, trim and even doing paint deco work. The laser of 360 has two different modes the 360 mode will give a complete 360 degree laser and the 120 mode, as guessed, 120 degrees. The 120 degree mode using the tripod will be sufficient since the tripod has the ability to lock its positions so the level will not lose accuracy but the tripod also has the ability to swivel the laser, this preventing the loss of an accurate line. When work is being move to a different part of the room, the swivel on the tripod can turn to the working section and no more adjustment will need to be made. The Black and Decker 360 is a nice laser level, but it is limited to what it can do. For example, hanging four pictures with the same size frame in rows of two. The 360 can level them horizontally, but not vertically. So unless a frame square is kicking around or an alternate method of lining the pictures you are out of luck. Black and Decker does have a similar model of the 360, but it does not provide a laser in the 360 mode, but it does provide a vertical lasers along with the horizontal. It is called the Black and Decker Crosshair.
The Black and Decker Crosshair looks much like the 360, but performs differently. First the Crosshair does provide a hanging strap, and instead of a tripod it has a wall mount. The mount is also adjustable to allow the laser to move up or down within the mount. This is great if the laser needs to be adjusted higher or lower when hanging pictures. Going back to the four pictures example of the Black and Decker 360.With the Crossfire the horizontal laser will level the top two pictures then it can level off the bottom pictures with its vertical level. This making the pictures perfectly inline with each other. The Crosshair does have more uses than just hanging pictures, it can be used for tiles, shelving units, trim, ceiling panels and more.
The Black and Decker Bullseye is quiet similar to the Crosshair, but in a different design and comes with a built-in digital tape measure. The Bullseye is my pick out of these laser levels, because it can can perform both horizontal and vertical lasers, one for plumb job and two for leveling, it can mount on a wall, has an LCD display, built in tape measure and auto leveling laser. Like the others it can perform the same jobs such as tiles, pictures, shelves, trim and ceiling panels, but the built in digital tape measure is a plus. The digital tape allows placing of items along the wall so that they are spaced a specified distance apart.The Bullseye in my opinion is great for home improvements, but do not get models of the Bullseye mixed up with others, because there is three more BullsEye lasers.
The Bullseye with Stud finder is different from the Bullseye with digital tape in two ways. First The stud finder over the digital tape measure and second it has no vertical laser only horizontal. This model of the Bullseye more designed for home finishing as carpenters can use it to find the studs behind drywall, so screws can be placed. Hanging pictures, positioning trim and tiles, leveling ceiling panels are just a few jobs the Bullseye with Stud finder can do. Almost all the lasers can do the same jobs, but they get even more advances with the Bullseye Angle Pro.
The Bullseye Angle Pro is designed to do perform angle laser lines. Like the Bullseye with Digital Tape measure it has both vertical and horizontal lasers, but the real difference is that it will cast the laser and show the angle the laser is sitting on. The nice thing about this is that it will be easy to hang pictures parallel with a stairs. This save a lot of time from doing this particular job manually. Other than its unique ability to cast a laser and return an angle it can perform the same jobs the other lasers perform.
Bullseye Laser Level with Swivel Head has both horizontal and vertical lasers built into a swivel head that allow the user to adjust from right to left. For example, if the need to attach two board together so they are square, once one end is attached the swivel head rotates and placed on other end to attach the second side. It is much like flipping a framing square over, and basically this is what the Bullseye Laser Lever with swivel head is, a framing suqare. Most times a framing square will do the job just fine, but if accuracy is needed and framing square is too short the Bullseye Laser Level with Swivel Head will come in very handy. It is perfect for squaring off tiles, new walls, or installing cabinets.
There are many uses for these Laser levels, but a lot of people avoid them because they do not trust them for accuracy. I bought a laser level about 5 years back, and prior to writing this I set it up and the laser gave me a 20 foot line on the wall. I grabbed and old fashion level and tested it out. There were no faults, the laser beamed a good 20 feet and it accurately level. So in the end choosing a laser level that suits your needs all depend on what you need to do, keep in mind though that this is a tool you will use again in future.
Black and Decker Leveling Lasers
del.icio.us | Digg It | furl it | Permalink |