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[IMG] [IMG] Archives: [_____________________] __________________________ [ Search ] Go: [____________________________] Get Seen Advertise Here Rockwell SoniCrafter Join the Mailing List Newsletter IFrame Levels Enter your Email _____________________ ROCK_BrandBanner_160x600 May 14, 2010 [ Subscribe me! ] Powered by FeedBlitz [IMG] Bosch GLL2-80 Dual Plane Line Laser- Review Subscribe - RSS bosch_level_hero.jpgWe break our lasers down into [IMG] two groups; the big tri-pod style rotary lasers, Syndicate this site descended from transits, and the little jobsite Add to My Yahoo! ones like the fantastic PLS2. Each of these styles Add to Google has limitations though; the rotary lasers, while Subscribe in NewsGator they can project a 360 line (meaning a line Online completely around the level), are large and awkward Add to Technorati Favorites to use; and while the little guys are barely bigger How do I subscribe? than a juice box, they can only project a line out in front of them, so they constantly have to be facebook_badge.jpg shifted around the room in order to complete some twitter_badge.jpg tasks. Site Navigation Bosch with their new GLL2-80 actually combines the Home good from both styles of lasers. Now, for the first News Archives time, you can get the 360 line, both vertical and About horizontal, in a small package. Advertising Air Tools bosch_level_hero2.jpgThe technology here is All Reviews actually very interesting. In a normal 360 level, Benches, Stands, and the laser itself spins, and it's this additional Storage mechanism that leads to their bulky bodies. What Bits and Blades Bosch has done to get around this is to utilize Blogpire News something they call Cone Mirror Technology. What Books happens is that the laser shines against a little Building Materials reflective cone which then projects it out 360 Clothing degrees. Our guess is that the little cone is about Cordless as finely machined of an item as you're going to Demolition Tools find in any tool. With this set-up in action, Bosch Distractions has found a way to deliver the 360 laser in Fasteners something that's barely larger than a pocket Glues and Adhesives dictionary. Guides Hand Tools bosch_level_on_stand.jpgThe GLL2-80 has a number of How-To smart features beyond the whole 'shoot the laser at Lawn/Garden the cone' thing. First off, it can be used in any Levels one of three modes; horizontal line, vertical line, Lithium-Ion or both simultaneously. You also have the option of Magazines locking the leveling pendulum, so you're able to Measuring & Marking work in crooked, saggy houses like ours where level Monthly Roundup is less important than straight. The Bosch level Oscillating Tools shuts off automatically in 30 minutes, but you can Our House override that if you want, and it also makes a Painting little squawk when it's too far out of level, but Plumbing you can override that as well. When it's off, the Power Tool Accessories pendulum locks into place so there's no risk of Power Tools damage during transport. There is also a mode that Promotions assists the laser in getting picked up by a remote Radios receiver (not included in all packages). Recalls Repair and Service There is also a little stand for the tool complete Rotary Tools with an adjustment knob, so you can set it up and Router Tables then tinker with the height of the level. The Routers functionality of this stand is fantastic and we RSS were able to really fine-tune the laser height to Safety exactly where we wanted it. Sanding Sharpening bosch_level_top.jpgThe one minor detail that we Snow Removal wished was different is the on/off slide switch Tool News (the red one on the side). Unlike the PLSs, Bosch Vacuums went with a hard switch (PLS's have soft-touch Work Lights buttons), so it's difficult to switch the tool on and off and keep it stable at the same time. We've Visit our other properties been on sites where we leave our laser set up in at Blogpire.com! one spot for days on end and we practically build a razor wire enclosure around it so it doesn't get Recent Reviews bumped. Keeping the level stable makes turning the Read our latest Tool Snob laser on and off every day an operation like reviews Indiana Jones fiddling with the statue in the first icon_latest_revies.gif scene of Raiders. We're not saying this is Bosch GLL2-80 Dual Plane impossible with the Bosch, it's just more Line Laser- Review difficult. icon_latest_revies.gif DeWalt Magnetic ToughCase - bosch_level_in_use.jpg bosch_level_in_use2.jpg Review icon_latest_revies.gif But that's a minor quibble when placed against the Tanos Systainer - Review positives of this laser. Normally to get this kind icon_latest_revies.gif of functionality you've got to use something the Milwaukee 11-in-1 Multi-Tip size of a watermelon. So what does this all mean to Screwdriver - Review you in a functional sense? Well, it means a single icon_latest_revies.gif laser set up for an entire roomful of wainscotting. Ridgid 12-Volt Lithium-Ion It means no more setting up your laser in the JobMax Combo Kits - Review corner to try to get the most coverage out of it's Archives limited beam. It means one click and you can tell May 2010 that your kitchen floor is two inches out of level April 2010 fron the sides to the center (we're serious on this March 2010 one), it means knowing exactly where the entire February 2010 face of a new partition wall will land. it means a January 2010 lot of things, all of which translate directly into December 2009 more a more efficient work day. November 2009 October 2009 Bosch_level_in_case.jpgThe bottom line is that September 2009 Bosch has once again stuffed big tool functionality August 2009 into a small tool body (remember their PS21?). And July 2009 then there's the price. It's looking like the June 2009 GLL2-80 is going to retail in the $300 range (which May 2009 is just a bit more expensive than the 180 cross April 2009 line PLS). To say that this is a very good price March 2009 for this item is a bit of an understatment. February 2009 January 2009 At Amazon December 2008 November 2008 Tool Snob at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This October 2008 | Bookmark and Share September 2008 August 2008 August 12, 2009 July 2008 June 2008 How It's Made - Levels May 2008 April 2008 We found this little video over at the Johnson March 2008 Level website. It describes the process of making a February 2008 level. It's about five minutes and it's pretty January 2008 interesting if you've got the time. December 2007 November 2007 [EMBED] October 2007 September 2007 Johnson Levels at Amazon August 2007 July 2007 Tool Snob at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This June 2007 | Bookmark and Share May 2007 April 2007 May 29, 2009 March 2007 February 2007 C.H. Hanson Precision Ball Level January 2007 Complete Archive List chhanson_ball_level_1.jpg Blogpire Sites FoodPire After a slew of interesting and successful releases Single Serve Coffee last year, C.H. Hanson pretty much went dark. Now, Kitchen Contraptions with the release of their Precision Ball Level, we Liquor Snob can assume that those missing months were spent Single Serve Espresso deep in their mountain fortress experimenting with Cheap Fun Wines the design of the level. After seeing what they did The Cooking News to the utility knife, the measuring square, the Candy Snob chalk line, and the pencil, we're not surprised Fast Food Fever that they took on one of the most basic and HomePire old-fashioned of all tools. Tool Snob Shaving Stuff ch_hanson_ball_level.jpg Super Cool Pets Super Cool Baby chhanson_ball_level_2.jpgWhat they've done here is TechPire replaced the common vial and bubble with a black GPS Lodge and white ball, creating something like you'd see TV Snob in the cockpit of a plane. It looks like the ball Networking Audio Video is weighted and free floating in a liquid, so the Picture Snob horizontal line is always at level and the vertical Robot Snob line always at plumb. What this change does is add EcoPire a whole new dimension to the tool. Now, instead of Really Natural simply seeing if your cabinet is out of level, you Solar Snob can see to what degree or what pitch. This means Weather Snob that the level can now be used during roof Garden Snob construction and other situations where you might StylePire need framing at odd angles. Also, the black and Shirt Snob white ball takes some of the guess work out of Plus Size This reading the level. No more, "well the bubble looks It's The Dress centered...kinda....sorta...." GamePire Critical Gamers We're curious to see how this ranks against our Casino Snob tried and true Stabilas. From what we've Just The Chips experienced Hanson makes some very durable tools What's All The Racquet and to be a level worthy of a job site, long-term durability is key. We also wonder how accurate the Please visit Blogpire level is if the level itself isn't plumb, but the Productions for all edge of it is against a plumb surface. For example, advertising and other info. checking across the corner of a door jamb. If the level has any meat to it right where is connects Green-Tag-Logo_type-grn.gif with the ball, this could cause a problem. Join Blogpire Productions to support clean wind and The Ball Level will be sold for about $50 for what solar power with Green looks like a 2' length. The Stabila 2' goes for Tags. about $60. This weblog is licensed More information at C.H. Hanson under a Creative Commons License. Tool Snob at Permalink | Comments (1) | Email This Powered by | Bookmark and Share Movable Type 4.3-en May 21, 2009 Swanson Lil' Savage swanson_lil_savage.jpgIf this was a circular saw or a demo bar, maybe we'd give a pass to the Lil' Savage, but it's a torpedo level so we feel the need to call it out as one of the worst tool names we've heard in years. Even if Swanson had called it the 'Little Savage,' it might not have been worth mentioning, but the horrific use of the 'Lil,' (a designation meant for cookies and children's toys) sets a new bar for ridiculous. "Dude, I've got to check this jamb for plumb, pass me the Lil' Savage." But beyond the fact that the name brings to mind an image of a rabid, battle-crazed Smurf, the Lil' Savage looks like a pretty useful item for the carpenter or serious DIYer. The top has a v-groove to make it easy to hold against a pipe (or an outside corner), there are four vials (30, 45, 90, 0 degrees), four magnets for use with metal studs, and even some kind of clamp for taking readings off bent pipes. Swanson makes some nice tools, their measuring square is probably the best out there, so we're sure this is a quality tool. It just needs a new name. At Amazon Tool Snob at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This | Bookmark and Share December 2, 2008 Black & Decker Bullseye - Review black_decker_bullseye.jpgThe Black & Decker Bullseye Auto-Leveling Laser with Stud Sensor is a small laser level with the single purpose of hanging things on walls, or more specifically, lining up two or more items on a wall. There's really not a whole lot else you can do with it, but since it does its assigned task so well, the limits of the tool aren't really a problem. The unit looks like a plus-sized stud sensor with switches on both sides and laser lights coming out of the sides of the rounded top. The switch on the right activates the stud sensor and the switch on the left turns on the self-leveling laser. We tested the laser against one that is about seven times more expensive and we have to say that the Black & Decker was spot on level. The beam is nice and bright even in a well-lit room and if the unit gets tilted too far to either side, the laser gets blocked and can't be seen. After a few simple tests, we came t o the conclusion that the stud sensor works fine too. The Bullseye comes with two attachments that allow it to be held on a wall so you can work without having to hold it, freeing up your hands for picture hanging. The Bullseye costs about $40 which sounds like a lot, but anyone who has ever hung pictures with a loved one realizes that it's a process prone to making one generally unloving. That said, maybe $40 is a small price to pay for a tool that will make picture hanging a little less difficult. The Bullseye comes with a nice nylon case that can hold the unit and both attachments. At Amazon Tool Snob at Permalink | Comments (2) | Email This | Bookmark and Share October 28, 2008 Using a Water Level water_level.jpgSometimes all the finest and most current technology can't out-do the tried and true method of a few thousand years. All the fancypants level companies have yet to create one that can project from one room, down a hallway, around a corner, and into another room. So put away your Stabilas, Fat Max's, and your PLSs and try out a water level. We used a water level a few years back on a waterproofing basement job. The floor, if you could call it that, was wildly uneven, and the basement twisted and turned like the Minotaur's labryinth on the Isle of Crete. Using a standard laser level would have taken time and would have required moving it around and making benchmarks. Instead, we filled a tube with water and had all of our points marked by coffee break. Fine Homebuilding's Using a Water Level factsfacts Making and Using a Water Level Tool Snob at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This | Bookmark and Share January 31, 2008 Ryobi Procross AIRgrip Self Leveling Laser - Review ryobi_level_on-wall.jpgWith the resources that are out there, homeowners are taking on more and more complex projects and are thus starting to use the tools that the pros use. With this move happening, it's no shock that Ryobi is on the leading edge of providing an affordable laser level to the general public. We recently tried out their AIRgrip Self-Leveling Laser and here's what we found. First, a bit of general information on the tool. The laser itself projects from a little pendulum that hangs inside of the tool housing. The housing itself can rotate 360 degrees around, meaning that the level can be set in one corner of the room and even if the laser isn't projecting all around the room, one twist of a knob can move it. There is also a knob to move the housing up and down with about an inch of play here, so you can get the level all set up and you can still adjust some to get it to the desired height. ArrowContinue reading: "Ryobi Procross AIRgrip Self Leveling Laser - Review" Tool Snob at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This | Bookmark and Share December 18, 2007 Black & Decker 36" Accu Mark Level bd_accu_mark_level.jpgThis is either an interesting idea or the gimmick to end all gimmicks. For the sake of all the people who made it one of the number one holiday sellers at Amazon, we hope it's the former. The Accu Mark is a 36" level with two interesting features that separate it from the pack. First, they have something called Geko Grips which are spring loaded pads that allow the level to be easily held against a wall with one hand, while you mark the wall with the other hand. The other new features are two gauges that slide up and down the length of the level. They are supposed to help with marking preset hanging holes, the kind that are usually found on the backs of those Pier 1 shelving units. The way it works is that you place the level against the back of the picture/shelf/whatever and line up the gauges with the hangers. Then when you place the level against the wall, you know exactly where to put the hangers. ArrowContinue reading: "Black & Decker 36" Accu Mark Level" Tool Snob at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This | Bookmark and Share November 26, 2007 Ryobi AIRgrip Laser Levels and SonicTape UPDATE: Our review of the Procross Self-Leveling Laser is here. Ryobi has three new laser tools that all look interesting. They've got the Self-Leveling Laser, the Compact Laser Level, and the SonicTape. ryobi_laser_level.jpgRyobi ProCross Self-Leveling Laser with Airgrip - This self-leveling laser is capable of projecting a horizontal, vertical, or intersecting laser lines, it fits on to any standard 5/8" or 1/4" tripod, and it has a fine adjustment that allows the laser to move up to 1" without moving the housing. The laser can project up to 50' and the tool has some sort of battery-powered suction base (the AIRgrip), that allows it to attach to virtually any surface. It comes with 4 AA batteries, a padded carrying case, and a tripod adapter and costs $69.97. Exclusively at Home Depot ryobi_compact_level.jpgRyobi Compact Laser Level - This is a homeowner version of the above tool. Because it's not self-leveling, it comes with level vials built-in to the tool. The laser lens rotates 90 degrees so it can project either horizontal or vertical (but not at the same time). The head of the level rotates 360 degrees, so from the center of the room you'll be able to put a level line on all four walls. Like it's big brother, The Compact Laser Level also has the AIRgrip suction system. The tool comes with a padded case, a base, 2 push pins, and 2 AA batteries. At the price of $19.97, this looks like a good choice for around the house work; hanging shelves, hanging pictures, lining up hooks, etc. Exclusively at Home Depot ryobi_sonictape.jpgRyobi SonicTape - This laser tape measure is so small that it comes with a keychain ring attached to it. It can measure distances up to 30' and has a laser pointer for accuracy purposes. Along with distances, it can also measure room area. The SonicTape comes with 4 button batteries and it costs $14.97. At Home Depot Tool Snob at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This | Bookmark and Share March 15, 2007 Johnson Magnetic Post Level johnson_post_level.jpg Johnson Level and Tool offers this great little Magnetic Post Level for anyone who is planning on building a deck this summer. We think this tool is a worthy investment and, once you use it, you'll realize how much time you've been wasting getting those posts to sit plumb. No more days of getting one side perfect and...wait...wait....hold it...hold it...(slowly move the level to the other side)...wait...stop shaking.....wait.... Now, you can just strap this level to the post (with the elastic band that comes attached) and have both hands free for positioning and stabilizing. It's really a simple tool that takes a lot of the hassle out of the process, and at under $7, it's not going to break the bank. The Magnetic Post level is made of durable plastic and has three easy to read vials. 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