Jobsite laser showdown. In this video I review the Dewalt DW088lg to the Bosch GLL3-300 both at a price point of roughly $350 (US). I review the different design approaches, feature, and usability.
Thanks so much for all the support on this video! Lots of community feedback on comparing these two lasers....specifically red vs. green. The reason I chose these two lasers was because they were similarly priced. When I did this comparison (Sept '18) HD sold the Dewalt for $330 and the Bosch for $350 (now $399- March '19). I wanted to contrast the features of both packages for your money. Sorry if that was not clear.
When testing two different products you should use the same color laser level because the reason they came up with the color green made it easier to see outside so now you're taking a Bosch laser level that's made for indoors against the DeWalt that's made for indoor and outdoor the competition ain't Fair but still it was a decent test just goes to show that it's better to buy the green laser level over the red
*Completed my first project doing a walk in shower. Tiled like a professional. The laser is soo much better than a traditional level. I just leave it on vs marking a line, witch is difficult on tile. A grease pen works, but your line may be tight or away from the level as it is used. Setting your first row is critical for a quality job. The level made it a snap. Highly recommend. I have seen some that cost a lot and some that are cheap. This one got the job done. No complaints.*
A bump on a hard case will travel to the instrument without dissipating. A bump on a soft case will absorb the knock. Of course in extreme cases both will cause damage. The hard DeWalt case may also give the user a false sense that the instrument is safe, and so is likely to mishandle it. On the other hand the soft case can usually fit easily into a bag such a the Packout backpack, whereas the hard case with take up a lot of space and reduce the available space for other tools etc. I prefer a soft case. The laser just needs not to be completely abused by the operator. Enjoyed the review.
I have the Bosch on red, and just like the Dewalt, also comes with battery, charger, etc. and the box, I will recommend that if you work sometimes outside to buy the bosch on green, is little more expensive but I am sure is worth it
I have had both. I like the green laser on my Dewalt. However the Bosch has tilt a lock where I can project a line on a slope, useful for stairwell handrails or anything raking.a function Dewalt doesn’t have
We use the dewalt to project a straight line at angles also. You can lock the pendulum, which powers it off, then overide the off mode using the power buttons to project the line. Not as convenient as some, but still works great. I don't think you can go wrong with either one
As a carpenter, a good laser is a must have in the trade. And as a few words of WARNING, DO NOT BUY THE BOSCH! THE HOUSING DESIGN DOES NOT MEET PROFESSIONAL INDUSTRY STANDARDS! The four thin plastic pieces that make up the protective housing and hold the glass windows. Will break very easily. I recently had to buy one to frame an acoustical grid ceiling, and I thought I did my research and read the reviews and so on. Well, I went with the Bosch laser, similar to the one reviewed. Getting to the point, I dropped it from about waist high, and the housing shattered into pieces. And for a three hundred dollar investment, I'd recommend getting a default with an aluminum housing if you need a continuous 360. The Dewalt in the video didn't have any housing, which is a good thing; it won't break. I didn't give it any thought until it was too late.
Thanks for the feedback! Very very important point that is glossed over! Many thanks. (and by the way -- you have a typo -- saying "I'd recommend getting a default" -- not a DeWalt... damn auto-error correction. Cheers!
A reason for the Bosch's laser beam being dimmer might be legal limitations for laser power output in Germany. Contrary to the US regulations in Germany the output power must not exceed 1mW for it to be safe to use without eye protection. If I'm not mistaken in the US the limit is 5mW.
Nice review! It hit on lots of details that, as a DIY'er, care about. If you do any more laser reviews, I suggest covering a few more details: (1) the beam thickness, and (2) when running a laser parallel to a floor, ceiling, or wall, how close to that surface can the laser get?
Bosch makes a 360°, 3-line laser. I have it and it's really nice. I bought some extra strong magnets that allow me to mount it on a sheet rock corner bead. GLL3-330CG
Something Dewalt is overlooking on these lasers is the magnets are mounted to low on the bracket. The lower they are the more leverage it’s weight has to work against them and they won’t hang in to corner bead with to much mud on them. They need to slide the lasers up higher imo.
Anyone using these for grid are wasting their time anyways. A spinner & some string line, I'm sure you agree. What would anyone do with this in a department store setting? in a small room I hardly even pull out a tape anyways. can eyeball pretty much the whole thing. 52 1/4 and go! CHEERS!
A lot of info in that video. For the price, it seems like the Bosch is a more advanced laser. With the DeWalt you're paying for a rechargeable battery and the battery charger. The DeWalt in this video is the DW088LG they make a DW088CG which is a red laser and takes regular AA batteries and is about $180.0 - $200.00. They seem like the same laser but without a thick green line and rechargeable battery.
It's been a great comparison between these two tools, I am really appreciate it. You put an ittention to small small things, like how it's visibility and what is thickness of the line.. which is really great...
I would love to get one of these bosch lasers for stuff inside houses, I really could have used one a couple years ago installing chutes inside of refrigerated trailers. If I had to do stuff outside I would prefer a transit I'll pick up one of those one day too.
How do you compare cross line laser with 3 x 360 degree laser? The second one is much more useful to make walls plumb, leveling floors etc. The cross line is just not capable of those tasks. Also consider that longer the line - more power is needed to make it the same brightness. So if the line is only 120 degrees it'll become 3 times brighter.
Out of curiosity I watched your video. I liked it. I have the Bosch laser you showed. I wish it came with a green laser. I love it ...for indoor. . . Unless it's a very bright sunny day and the light is blasting in.
We really love our dewalt dw088LG and dw089LG lasers! Also, the pole we use is for a laser, and came with a fully micro adjustable mount. When we are using steel framing, I find the magnets on the dewalt are extremely strong. We like Bosch too. We simply upgraded to line green lasers and dewalt was far more appealing as far as batteries, and storage goes. Haven't used the new line green Bosch lasers. I doubt you can go wrong with either to be honest. If you are in the dewalt platform or use t stak boxes, the dewalt does stand out as far as that convenience goes. Thanks for thw video👍
I bought a 5 beam laser green line with a built-in rechargeable battery for £50 and can send a beam around all the walls of a warehouse. This helps for use on-site as if stolen won’t hurt pocket so much.
I'm an ironworker and we don't use anything by DeWalt cause it just can't handle the abuse. Seems fine in residential situations but not on a job site.
@@carpentryfirst3048 Bosch or Spectra as far as line levels. Klien also makes a decent one. As far as battery tools, Milwaukee is hard to beat the last few years. As far as DeWalt, thier levels are still pretty good but they've really seemed to slacked as far as power tools go. We just don't have good luck with them staying together and not burning up. In fact on the job site I'm currently on there's a DeWalt drill motor and a hammer drill model that are banned here due to a "fire hazard". But keeping in mind that Ironworkers are typically very hard on tools so DeWalt is probably fine for most "normal" tasks/jobs
What!! We still use an old dewalt nicad 360 degree laser for excavation - grade work, septics, footings, etc. That thing has seen more abuse per year than most people will do over a lifetime. And the new green line lasers we have from dewalt are taking the abuse great. Their 20v max power tools are a whole different story. They cannot take the abuse. The lasers are doing just fine. Our old Bosch red lasers are doing good still also. In fact I still enjoy using the Bosch 3 point / plumb bob when needed. I don't think people give credit where it's due. For sure. Everyone has an opinion. This is mine
Nice review helped me alot! I am just wondering which one is better for use in for example tile jobs where you can position the laser just 3 feet away from the wall but the width is like 10 feet?
Green and red lasers are different tech. Green diodes are more expensive to make and are MUCH more visible than red. Red lasers are useless outside over 10' and in direct sunlight they are literally useless. That's why a green laser will be 30-40% more in price, regardless of brand.
being a layman ... non-pro... took me a month to realize that these are different products with different niche purposes -- even though many say it but don't emphasize the fact. Glad I did not order too quick.
I bought a Bosch GLL3-80 + LR6 detector. But the detector gets too strong signal indoors at close range so it can't determine when the laser hits the middle of the sensor, it can only show up or down.
Can I use the DeWalt to plumb my walls when framing the basement? I don’t know if it can cast a beam on a chalk line on then floor, and cast a plumb laser to the ceiling above. Any ideas?
Hey Don. The Dewalt in the video will definitely make the job easier. But a cross hair laser is not as useful for a task like you describe as a 360 laser. More recently I ran across a great alternative that is very affordable. Take a look at this video where I show you a great 360 laser for a lot less money (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sTtes5AnkOY.html). Good luck with your project.
Makita is better because there is an option to use electrical adapter, bosch only manufacture battery only so it dont last long may for 10 minutes before your work is interrupted due to battery life already drained out.
It's not a fair comparison...when the light beam is different. Pls do another video with bosch GLL3-80 CG green laser and you will see who is the winner 😆
YES. It can easily be done. You will need the matching receiver (another $100). That's because you will likely not be able to see the laser line, outdoor and at distances commonly found in fencing work. The receiver is "tuned" to the laser. Simply move the receiver up and down on your post (or better yet, on a light weight guide pole you carry with you). The receiver lights up to show you when it is centered to the projected beam. Some receiver manufacturers also include a helpful, audible tone. Good luck.
Sorry, but you sound like a rookie. My go-to lasers are 1 - Topcon, 2 - Geo Fennel, 3 - Hilti and then Dewalt/Bosch although out of the two I prefer Dewalt since they usually have more powerful magnets and better range and come with a battery. For your info - green is for outdoors or bright light and red is for closer range and dimly lit indoors hence they usually cost 100 bucks less.
I would suggest using a expanding pole. There are ones made specifically for lasers but a 3rd hand pole (or similar) would work well and is useful for lots of other tasks.
How do you use the cross laser level on the roof pitch 12 12 so that you can put your metal roof panels on straight? the line goes left or right nephew go off center. How do you know where center is to begin with?
well that is what is good about the 360 type lasers is you can back sight with them ( measure a distance and adjust to equal the front sight). also you can get square due to there being 2 vertical lines, the 3 360 line levels are a much more versatile tool.
1weird Doe- A laser chalk line really isn’t very useful on a pitched roof. The gradual rise and inconsistencies that most substrates have are going to make it difficult to use one. In several years of installing standing seam panels I haven’t found a better way that using the 3-4-5 method based of the fascia edge.
Green lasers cost on average 50 to 80 dollars more then red of course they are better. Your comparison is somewhat skewed from the get go since your laser colors are not the same. Rather like comparing a Cessna to a F18 Hornet that winner is a forgone conclusion! Oh and my pole mount has a clamping base arm for the laser to secure into the lower tripod mount very tightly. Round poles aren’t designed for use with flat magnets at all.
The best laser pole I ever saw was an extension pole where the laser Mount could go 16ft anywhere on the pole from the floor to the ceiling and I've never seen one since
Not a far comparison. Why not compare that Dewalt to the Bosch with the green laser? Its two different classes of lasers. Could at least mention that Bosch does offer the green laser in that model. Reviews like this seem bias when one fails to mention stuff like this. I feel like I'm watching CNN or MSNBC.
Hey Richard, You're the second person this week to ask a similar question. I don't have a clear answer but recently I checked out the new Milwaukee digital level and it has an angle lock capability, which made handrail layout a breeze. I recently did a video on it ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zLdPIH7W0_I.html
You get what you get if you want to ride go to Old School they have done that for a long time this is okay for hanging pictures but not for construction closer Romanus of 3/8 of an inch for 100 foot is not good enough get it right ;-\ .
The review isn't really fair. You are comparing a 360 degree red laser to a 180 degree green laser and favor the green because you see it better. You can get a 180 degree Bosch with a green laser for around the same price as the 360 degree red laser.
My 30$ green laser have a brigter Light than this bosch, is it better then? No, but good enough for me.. Dont compare Green vs red laser brightneses, it is two different techs..
