Ever tried to hang a picture or mount a shelf, while relying solely on your eyes to ensure everything’s level? It’s a bad idea, since your eyes aren’t the most reliable at ensuring everything is perfectly even. That’s why we use level tools – they’re the only real way to make sure that everything lines up the way they should.
Laser levels are a popular tool for home DIY, since they make it easy to line up various objects and surfaces. By projecting a perfectly straight laser beam, they make it easier to measure, align, and level items with high precision. As you can imagine, this makes it an incredibly useful tool, whether you’re doing something as small as drilling holes to install a cabinet or something bigger like installing a new deck in the backyard.
How accurate are the best laser levels? At the top end, the best options usually offer around 1/16-inch precision at up to 100 feet. As a rule, we recommend getting one that’s rated at no more than 1/4-inch deviation at 30 feet, as these are usually good enough for most DIY home tasks and even the occasional professional job. As for range, most DIY users will probably be fine using laser levels rated for up to 30 feet, although you’ll definitely want something with greater range if you plan to use it for larger, more heavy-duty jobs.
Some laser levels project a single line in either horizontal or vertical directions. Others project both for when you need perfectly aligned cross-sections. There are also laser levels that project a 360-degree beam, which make them plenty useful for larger spaces and outdoor settings.
The best laser levels are usually self-leveling. That means, they use internal mechanisms to ensure a perfectly level line each time out, even when you’re working on uneven surfaces. Most laser levels will use a red beam, by the way, since they use less power. However, if you plan to do a lot of outdoor work, it’s usually a good idea to get one with a green beam, as it ensures better visibility in bright daylight.
These are the best laser levels to ensure perfect alignment for your DIY projects.
Bosch GLL25-10 Cross-Line Laser Level
Pros
- Produces thin, crisp cross-lines
- Comes with wide clamp and tripod mount
- 360-degree rotating neck
Cons
- Only accurate up to 30 feet
Beam color: Red
Orientation: Cross-line
Range: 30 feet
While there are more inexpensive laser levels than this Bosch model, we found them to be less than satisfactory to use, either offering less precision than we’d like or producing thicker beams that made them less accurate. As such, we went with this as our most affordable option and it’s an excellent tool. For one, it’s self-leveling to within four degrees and maintains accuracy at its maximum range, while producing thin and crisp red laser lines on both the horizontal and vertical planes. It’s also very easy to use, even coming with a wide clamp for easily mounting onto various objects up to 2.25 inches thick, as well as a threaded mount for using with your camera tripod. When mounted, you can use the integrated neck to easily rotate the level 360 degrees, as well, which is very useful when you’re doing leveling measurements in different parts of the room. The catch? It only has maximum range of 30 feet, which is great for DIY projects, but probably not enough for larger jobs. This level, by the way, runs on two AAA batteries.
Skil Cross-Line Laser Level (LL9324G)
Pros
- Crisp laser lines
- Rechargeable battery
- Dual tripod mounts and detachable clamp
Cons
- Not as bright as more expensive models
- Clamp is difficult to adjust
Beam color: Green
Orientation: Cross-line
Range: 65 feet
This laser level produces fine and crisp laser cross-lines that make it easy to make precise marks in both vertical and horizontal planes, while producing a green beam color that makes it easier to see in brightly-lit settings, including outdoors, although it’s not as bright as we would have preferred. The listed accuracy of 3/16 inch at 30 feet allows for reliable leveling for most home projects, with the self-leveling up to four degrees making it easy to use even in more challenging settings. We love that it has threaded tripod holes on both top and bottom, as well as an included clamp. It’s not easy to position as the Bosch model above, but it gets the job done with just a bit more work. If you don’t like dealing with loose batteries, you’ll love the fact that it has a built-in rechargeable battery that can keep it running for six straight hours between charges. Just make sure you have a way to charge it when using it on job sites, since there’s no AA or AAA option.
Johnson Level & Tool (40-0921)
Pros
- Impressive 100-foot indoor range
- Self-leveling up to six degrees
- Comes with tripod and laser-enhancing glasses
Cons
- Limited to shorter range during outdoor use
Beam color: Red
Orientation: Cross-line
Range: 100 feet
This laser level comes with a full complement of accessories, including a tripod, laser-enhancing glasses, and a hard carrying case, which is great for folks who don’t have any of those tools in their stash. We particularly love the glasses, which make it easier to see its red cross-line lasers when working outdoors. Not only does it produce fine, crisp laser beams, it also maintains accuracy up to 100 feet indoors, making it an excellent option when taking on projects inside larger spaces, all while being self-leveling up to six degrees. The base of the level can spin 360 degrees, by the way, so when you mount it on the tripod, you can easily project the beam to a different part of the room by simply rotating the level, which is very handy. It runs on a trio of AAA batteries, a fresh batch of which can keep it running for up to 12 hours of continuous use.
Cigman 3×360° 3D Green Laser Level
Pros
- Produces crisp and bright 360-degree lines
- Large 4,000 mAh battery
- Excellent value for money
Cons
- Included mini-tripod accessory not so useful
Beam color: Green
Orientation: 360-degrees
Range: 100 feet
The best 360-degree laser levels tend to be a little up there in price. It’s not a surprise, considering they’re likely to be bought by professional users who will be willing to pay more. If you’re not up for paying that much while still wanting a 360-degree level, we find this model to be an excellent alternative. It produces crisp green lines, with one 360-degree horizontal and two 360-degree vertical, creating a grid-like pattern that’s ideal for ensuring even markings for more complicated installations. The beams maintain precision up to 100-foot distances, making the level perfectly usable in larger spaces, all while being able to keep things level automatically at up to four degrees. There’s also a manual mode for when you’re leveling at more complicated angles, as well as a pulse mode for those times you need even more range. We love the fact that it comes with a remote for adjusting the brightness of each laser individually, as well as the IP54 rating for water- and dust-resistance. While the build doesn’t feel as sturdy as some professional-grade 360-degree laser levels we’ve tried, it’s solid enough that this should survive most anything but the nastiest impact.
Dewalt Line Laser (DW088K)
Pros
- High precision lines
- Stays calibrated without locking
- Projects a really wide line
Cons
- Red laser is hard to see at longer distances
Beam color: Red
Orientation: Horizontal, vertical, cross-line
Range: 100 feet
We’re impressed with the accuracy of this laser level, especially if use it at 50 feet or less. It’s rated at a 100 feet range, although we found the light just isn’t bright enough to be that great beyond 50 feet, unless you dim the lights inside the room. They do offer an optional detector that can supposedly increase the range further to 165 feet, though we haven’t tried that yet. With that said, the accuracy (1/8-inch over 30 feet) really goes a long way, making it excellent to use for various DIY jobs, while the ability to turn off either horizontal or vertical beam can help declutter your workspace. We also love the wide throw of this laser, as well as the fact that it’s able to stay calibrated without the need to activate a lock. The level comes with a hard storage case, which we like, and a mounting bracket that, sadly, we’re not really fans of. It does come with a tripod mount, though, if you need to set it up at an elevated height.
Bosch GLL3-330CG
Pros
- Professional-grade
- Controllable via app
- Laser stays visible outdoors
- Solid build
Cons
Beam color: Green
Orientation: 360-degree
Range: 200 feet
Designed with professional users in mind, this 360-degree laser level is priced like an actual professional tool. That means, it’s expensive as heck. For that price, though, you get a pretty insane accuracy of 3/32-inch at 30 feet, a maximum range of 200 feet, and an ultra-bright Class 3 green laser that’s perfectly usable in outdoor settings. We love the intuitive controls that make it an absolute breeze to use, the auto-locking pendulum, and the companion app, which makes it easy to select laser planes, adjust brightness, and a few more functions on the fly. It comes with a mounting tool that can clip onto objects, stand on flat surfaces, and screw onto drywall, depending on what you need, although it’s also compatible with standard tripods. The level can be powered using either a Bosch 12V MAX battery or four AAs, by the way, so you can switch to loose AAs if your rechargeable battery ever runs out in the site.
