Customer Reviews

Black & Decker BDL300S BULLSEYE 360-Degree Auto Laser Level

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this thing to install a pretty complicated set of kitchen cabinets. Worked pretty well for that task. This is the onle self leveling laser line generator at this price, so you have to cut it some slack. You will have to decide if you want to pay for self-leveling, accuracy, or ruggedness. You will not get all three in this sub$200 category. Read on-

LASER HEAD- Simple design that sets three 129 degree laser line generators on axis and mounted on a gravity gimble. There as a result of the 3 lasers, there are 3 gaps in the line. Not a showstopper, but nice to know. There are no servos, so there isn't much to break. But, there isn't anything keeping the line steady. It takes a few seconds for the line to settle once disrupted- a pain if you are making "fine" adjustments, as you have to wait for the thing to stop wobbling to see if you are at your mark. Lastly, the laser line varies in thickness from about 1/16" to almost 1/4" at the right/left limit. Not good for accuracy, but adequate for many homeowner jobs.

TRIPOD-The tripod is flimsy, but adaquate for non-professional use a few times a year. When fully extended, it is about as stable as a stout reed. Any movement near it upsets the laser line. Not an issue if you use it on a concrete slab. You extend all but one section by pulling them out until they snap. Once set up, the last extension is a gear driven section that gives you about 8" of "fine" adjustment using a locking knob. Flimsy, but it works.

STORAGE- This is the best thing going for it. The thought and engineering that went into storing the unit is unbelivable. The whole thing folds up and stores in itself in a package no bigger than a large thermos.

I'd look at spending $50 more on a manual level/manual rotate, rugged and crazy accurate Stabila 02123 Laser Spirit Level Kit, or $100 more on a manual leveling/auto rotating, rugged DeWalt DW071KI for any regular use. Both can draw a plumb mark, somthing that the B&D cannot.

i got this thing to draw a line in a room to install a chair rail. it took ten minutes. i don't think i could have gotten it level and straight in three hours if i tried with a tape measure and a bubble level. it is well worth the money in the time it saved.

i was also able to visualise how the room would look before i drew the line and i made adjustments to the height before i put one line on the wall. that was an added bonus i had not anticipated.

it is well designed and space age, it looks like something from science fiction. i would recommend it to anyone who believes in the right tool for the right job.

3 Stars may be a bit much but it's been somewhat useful. I was very hesitant but optimistic. I was hesitant on Black & Decker period. I knew going into this that it would be substandard but thought it must have some merits right?

It's toy-like in construction and operation. The manual states if the beam is weak then you need a new battery. Given 2 new batteries the laser is still pretty darn weak projected within 500sq' and dim lighting. I can't imagine what the engineers consider weak.

My version seams relatively acurate unlike the previous posts experience.

I thought I could save some money and get away with this for a couple of chair rail projects and perhaps some other smaller things throughout the year.

Again, it's marginal but functional. I'm thinking of seriously just returning it for something better. In the long and short run if a tool is better to use, you'll actually want to take it out and use it.

I bought this laser to put in three-piece baseboard, two piece chair rail and wall frames. In short I'm throwing about $4,500 worth of lumber at my dining room alone (including flooring). Needless to say it must all be level due to the wall frames! If you're off much at all the eye will see it due to the uniform margins (spaces) between the chair rail - frames - baseboards.

After installing most of the baseboards I discovered that the laser was off 5/8" between two of the lasers (it has three). I then set it up and rotated the laser housing at 21' from a wall while measuring each laser at the same spot on the wall. One was 5/8" off from the first, the second was 1/8" off. Accuracy is supposed to be 1/4" @ 100'! I took it back and bought another. I of course checked this one first & found it off by 7/8" @ 22'! I had also cut 5/8" more off one side of the baseboard than necessary to compensate for a settled floor. I'm steamed right? Luckily I'd bought it (them) at a brand new Loews and the manager gave me a Dewalt DW071 for the SAME PRICE. AWSOME! ($149 for a $239 true rotary laser!).

Don't buy this piece of crap! The guy who hung wall cabinets with one must have had a really short run - or he's super lucky and got one that was converged correctly. I hang cabinets too - same deal. Rent one instead - hell rent mine! [...]

I can't believe the price now ($204.05). I bought this (thru Amazon) in Jun 2005 for $74.99 ($90.92 including shipping and tax). For my price, its an OK deal. It uses 3 lasers, each covering 120 degrees to get the total 360 degree coverage. There is a risk of one or two of the lasers to be mis-aligned; but I found that mine was pretty accurate. The self leveling worked fine. The packaging was also nice with the legs folding up to make a case.
I'm glad I got it at the $75 price; but I certainly wouldn't pay the current over $200 asking price. For a little more I think you can get something with more precision.

I needed a one time relatively inexpensive 360 degree laser level. I happened to find this lonesome level with tripod at the local home improvement store. I didn't need it to survey or
on the job contracting. Just enough to get the ceiling done.
Well my ceiling is level. Perhaps within 1/8 of an inch. Had a couple blind spots but I didn't need a continuous line to locate my brackets. Only other issue is initial wobble. It needs a little time to self level. I would recommend it for the do it yourself guy who doesn't want to spend a lot of money but wants to get the job done nonetheless.

B&D is not high on my list of preferred tools. I thought I'd give this a shot. One never knows about Black and Decker.

When you step down from top-of-the-line tools to less expensive ones, there are usually compromises to be expected. Still, a tool should be worth at least what was paid. Compared to the competitors, this is very inexpensive.

The accuracy of the line was dead on, to within the thickness of the line over a span of 40 feet. This was checked using a self-leving laser placed next to the BDL300S. The dot height was adjusted to hit the line projected by the BDL300S on a wall about 20 feet away. The dot laser was then manually turned to hit three other walls, each about 20 feet away. Remarkably, the dot landed exactly on the line on these other walls. Note that even if the dot laser had an error, shining slightly uphill or downhill, it would be the same in all directions and would not introduce an error in this test since it would be the same no matter which wall it was aimed at. A rotating laser does not have that advantage. B&D does not specify the accuracy, so there is no certainty that the next BDL300S would be so incredibly accurate.

The line was reasonably bright for indoor use, but don't let much of the sun in. It's thickness was typical of other laser levels.

The only negative is that it is slower to settle the dot laser and cross beam laser that I can compare it to, about 9 seconds versus 3. Whether this is inherent in a 360 degree design or if it's just a shortcoming of this model, I don't know. I doubt if it matters in normal use.

Considering that a laser level is a somewhat delicate mechanism, like an old fashioned watch, it should not be dropped or driven over. They both can take some bumps, but there is a limit. There's no easy way to tell how much this can take without actually reaching the level of causing damage. There are many types of plastic, some of which are very tough, others not. I cannot tell by looking which kind this is. I suspect it's somewhere between the extremes of brittle polystyrene and super-tough fiber reinforced nylon. Who knows? The construction of this laser does look sufficiently rugged for handling with reasonable caution. I wouldn't toss it in a tool box like a hammer. The on/off switch even mechanically locks the pendulum when in the off position, just like more expensive brands do. My guess is that this tool could probably take a pretty good hit, but I'm not going to test that.

The case is very cleverly designed an opens up to form the tripod base. It closes up very easily as well. Th only downside is the the height adjustment (rack and pinion) is a little "fast" and takes just a little care to set precisely.

This one is a terrific value.

I found this at Big Lots for $30. At such a low price, I figured why not? So I bought it, even though I had no immediate need for it. However, once home, I have found several things to use it for and found it very helpful. First, I installed some shelves in the garage, on both sides at once. The level line on each opposite wall meant the shelves are aligned at exactly the same height and are both level and symetrical. Not a big deal, since it's a garage, but it sure worked. They are level and aligned to within 1/8 of an inch, I would say. Certainly within the tolerance of my visual inspection.

Second, I hung a dart board in the basement with it. The dart board has a bracket on each side (it is in a case that hangs on the wall). The brackets are 19 inches apart, so getting the thing level would be difficult with a bubble level. This B&D auto level performed great for this task. It projected a level line, and zot, in went the screws. The dart board is level and it took less than five minutes.

Third, I hung tea light sconces on either side of a doorway. Grrrrrr, getting them level was a pain the last time I hung them. This time, the level line went up and extended across the door way to either side. Zot, in went the screws and the sconces were level to each other. What had taken me a frustrating hour the last time, took five minutes.

The reason I drop this a star is because of the tripod. It's flimsy and not easily adjustable in fine increments. Fortunately, I am a photographer and have light stands at home with a standard tripod connector. The B&D level has a standard tripod socket, so you can use any tripod you wish. My light stand extends to 10 feet, so I can get the laser level up as high as I want in the room. So, forget the tripod that comes with it, and go get a tripod and use that instead. The tripod that comes with it is useful for storage, however. It folds up and protects the level from bumps pretty well.

I couldn't justify spending $135 for this thing, but it would be worth it if you were a handy man/fix-it guy and were working indoors with it. The beam is easily seen in an indoor room (with the curtains closed).

I think this is a great product for the price. I mainly use it to hang cabinets, but have used it in other applications as well. I mainly use a standard lever to hang the cabinets, but I through the lazer up and measure around the room to find the high and low spots before I start which is really handy. I love that it is not manual. I don't want to have to make the decision if the bubble in perfectly in the middle on 20' worth of cabinets. I agree that the line itself is not the most precise thing ever but it is pretty awesome when the line shows up on the front of the cabinet and against the back wall. Honestly if I had 500 to spend I would get a much nicer one and I would like to do that eventually, but $75 is nothing for what this thing does. There is no way i would buy a manual one, as much as I set this up, move it, over and over. Anyway, just my 2 cents.

I've had this for a couple years now and decided to review for others. The tripod/storage case is a laugh. Not really good at either of its intended uses and silly looking. I threw it away out of the box. This mounts easily on a $20 camera tripod - not a big deal. The laser is actually 3 individual beams which balance on the same axis so they are subject to movement if disturbed but will level out again quickly. The beam is strong and very bright with a 9 volt battery. Shows up well. The lines do appear thicker as they extend from the unit but still are accurate enough for general work like chair rails, cabinets and drop ceilings. Durability is excellent. After 3 years of living in a freezing garage and sucking on an old battery this thing still works like a charm. I wouldn't trust it to laying out a foundation or ultra-expensive trim work (only because I haven't actually measured the accuracy). For the home user or for a one-time job, this is the way to go. The next step up is pain in the a** (but more accurate) manual laser or a very expensive auto rotating laser. I have both and still use this little sweetheart! Note: I think this tool has been discontinued but can easily be found on the net with a google search. Don't pay more than $100.