Acme DIY Reviews the
Stanley FatMax 77-153 CL2 Self-Leveling Cross Line Laser
I've tried laser levels before and was disappointed with the results.
That is why I am so pleased to have found this Stanley Laser Level. The
problems people often complain about laser levels is that they are not
bright enough and they are difficult to use with acceptable accuracy.
Those are not problems with this tool.
What the Manufacturer Says:
- The Cross-Line laser level rapidly and accurately
projects both vertical and horizontal lines at the
press of a button
- The self-leveling feature ensures that the lines are
level and alerts the user if the line becomes out-of-level
- Pendulum self leveling mechanism for accuracy and peace
of mind
- Heavy duty magnetic damping compensator for rapid and
stable leveling
- “Out-of-level” sensor automatically alerts
the user that the tool is outside it’s +/- 4 degrees
self-leveling range and is no longer level
- Two 650 nm diodes for maximum line visibility
- One-button function– easily switch between four
(4) functions: horizontal line, vertical, cross-line
and tilt function
- Fitted with 1/4-in x 20 thread camera tripod mounting
thread
- Heavy duty rubber sleeve for added protection and comfort
grip
- Includes: Laser level, carrying case, batteries, instruction
manual
Working Range : Up to 32'
Working Environment: Designed for interior
use
Leveling Accuracy: +/- 1/4-in @ 30'
Line Accuracy: +/- 3/32-in end to end
@ 10' perpendicular distance
Leveling Type: Pendulum Self Leveling,
+/- 4 degrees in any direction
Laser Diode: Two 635-670nm
Laser Class: Class 2M
Batteries: 3 “AA” Alkaline
batteries (included)
Battery Life: Up to 60 hours intermittent
use
Warranty: 12 Months
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This tool has 5 laser settings: horizontal, vertical, vertical + horizontal
crosshair, cross hair manual mode and locked cross hairs (for straight
lines at any angle).
With the laser on, I was immediately impressed with the brightness of
the beam. The next thing I noticed was the wide angle of display. At
five feet from the wall, the horizontal beam was visible nine feet in
each direction. I had no problem using this in a 20 foot room in ambient
light. Beyond that, the brightness drops off quickly.
I've used this handy tool now on a variety of projects and have been
very pleased with the amount of time it has saved me. One thing about
any laser is that the level line goes on top of your work. A big advantage
when installing wall tile. Normally, I would draw my layout lines and
then start tiling over them, often obscuring them when I needed them
most. With the projected laser line, it shines on top of the work,
making it so easy to align the tile.
I gave one of these units to my cabinet installer and he was able to
lay out cabinets in a fraction of the usual time. For someone who isn't
a pro, not only would this save them time, but it would help them to
avoid common layout errors.
I built a 12 foot long bench seat on an out-of-level floor. This tool
made it easy for me to quickly determine the height of each stud to build
a level seat. With the laser on, I simply placed my tape on the sole
plate and marked my tape for each stud with a dry-erase marker where
the laser crossed the tape. Then I just cut one stud for each marked
height.
Lasers are somewhat delicate and prone to being knocked out of level.
I wouldn't recommend trying this, but I knocked mine off the countertop
and it worked fine and was still accurate afterward. Overall, this tool
seems reasonably rugged and comes with a rubber shroud to help protect
it from bumps.
One thing about using the horizontal level is that the laser itself
can be tilted a maximum of 4 degrees
before the line will blink, indicating that the line may not be level.
Therefore, you must place this tool almost exactly at the height you
want the line to appear. If you need to mark 7 feet 6 inches all around
the room, for say, a picture rail, you would have to place the laser
at about 7 feet 4.25 inches off the ground (the line is projected from
1.75" inches up from the base of the tool). Placing it on top of stepladder
wouldn't work, unless it happens to be at exactly the height you need.
Therefore, for most work, you will need to mount the laser on a tripod.
Fortunately, it comes with a standard camera mount that will work with
most tripods. For work close to the ground, I just set it on stacked
plywood and lumber.
Other uses include hanging paintings, drapery rods, crown moulding,
trim moulding, squaring door frames and much much more. This laser has
worked very well in our real-life tests and we would recommend to the
professional as well as do-it-yourselfers. List price is about $129 and
we found the street price to be just under a $100.
[March 2007]
Have you used the Stanley Laser Level? How would you rate your overall satisfaction?
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