Customer Reviews

DEWALT DW087K LaserChalkLine Self-Leveling Line Laser, Horizontal & Vertical

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The company I work for started buying these when they hit the market, and now they have a couple dozen of these, and they seem to be holding up very well. Generally there are very few tools by DeWalt that I like, but I absolutely love these lasers. We use them for steel framing (walls, ceilings, soffits)and trim (setting cabinets and making sure that head casings align) and I ended up liking it so much, I bought my own. The only complaint that I and my co-workers have is the laser line is hard to see in bright light or long distances.

I do kitchen and bath remodels all the time. I don't use much of traditional levels(I use Stabila) anymore after I purchased this. Just put this level on my regular camera tripod and turn it on. Perfect level all the time.
If you put this in the corner of a room, you can project laser lines the whole room. Then you just work on what ever you have to do. Laying tiles, hanging cabinets, etc. Very convenient, seems like the batteries last long time, and comes with sturdy case you can throw it in the back of your truck. I wanted to get the one from Hilti, but the price is more than double for same thing. I think I made a great choice and highly recommend.

It took me a week to trust this device, now my levels stay in the truck. I install window coverings. I can determine if the floor slopes and or the ceiling, find the low spot, measure up from there to set my laser line. Now i can project a level line to set for my brackets and hang curtains, toppers, shutters, verticals, vertiglides, luminettes, silhouettes, woods, fauxs, composites, minis, honeycombs, softviews, pleated, tucson rolling shutters, anything the industry has I install 5 days a week. This has fell from 8 feet up many times and keeps going. You will love it once your comfortable with it.

i've been using these lasers at work for about a year now and they've become indispensable for many different tasks. i use them primarily for commercial HVAC layout and they've proven to be a real time saver and allow you to take the fit and finish to the next level. i used to prefer the higher dollar 360 degree rotating laser, but now that the chalkline is available, there's no need to break out that bulky rotating laser and fumble with the tripod. the magnets and clip are pretty handy but around the house i found that a homemade bracket attached to a 3rd hand telescopic pole gives the ability to adjust the height of your line whether you're hanging cabinets, chair rail, tile, door jambs, shelving, window treatments.... you name it. this laser is very durable. on more than one occasion i've seen this thing fall from a scissor lift, to my surprise, the thing didn't miss a beat.

i recently purchased a chalkline for personal use, actually i have about 400sq/ft of tin ceiling to install over the weekend. unfortunately, the laser came to the house and when i turned it on, it wouldn't stop blinking. this is common when the laser resting on an unlevel surface, but having called DeWalt tech, it turns out the laser was defective. i was amazed, i guarantee UPS would have a hard time abusing this thing anymore that my coworkers and i have on a regular basis. Nonetheless, i emailed Amazon about the issue and a short while later they sent an email with a link to print out a prepaid return label. I contacted them at 4pm yesterday, and they overnighted a replacement laser to me that arrived to my door less than 20 hours later! all i had to do was drop off the prepaid package to a UPS store and that completed the transaction. I have to hand it to Amazon, at a time when customer service is an afterthought in most businesses, they have gone above and beyond and for that i am thankful. great laser, even better customer service!

Let me start off by saying this is the best laser I've used to date! I'm sure more 'robust' units exist but not likely at this price point.

Pros:
- Well designed, durable contractor grade lockable injection molded case, made from recycled materials! Includes dedicated space for manual and an extra set of batteries (Way to go Dewalt!!)
- Strong Magnetic base with a 'functional' 180 degree rotating rear base plate.
- Includes multiple mounting options.
- Appears to be 'water resistant' (Not personally tested)
- Powerful class 2 laser. Strong horizontal and/or vertical laser projection on walls and ceiling.

Cons:
- Some think it's pricey. Following the theme "you get what you pay for", I think it's well priced for the performance and features offered. To each his own.
- Laser projection on floors is much weaker than I expected. This was my biggest disappointment and resulting 4 stars. (Note to the Flooring folks)
- Mounting 'clamp' is designed for thin metal such as a ceiling tile grid or piece of thin angle iron. For perspective, you'll struggle to fit a wooden ruler in the clamp.
- Users Manual. I'd love to meet the Dewalt Employee or committee who decided it was a good idea to combine multiple languages in one over-sized, cluttered & confusing poster style manual. Every description/picture requires you to 'search' the entire poster for the language you know. Tip for Dewalt: If your intent was to save paper/printing costs, then at least separate the languages into sections on the poster sized piece of paper you currently use. Everyone, regardless of background will thank you for the improved readability!!

This is a great level in both its' build quality as well as features. It works great for hanging items or for new construction when you are mounting boxes, etc. The carrying case it comes with is also very nice; it matches other DeWalt cases and protects it well. The only downside is that it's a bit pricey but if it works for years to come then it really isn't; only time will tell. So far, excellent and highly recommended.

I work for a plumbing and heating shop which primarily does large scale commercial projects. And this laser level is ideal for figuring and transfering angles and also laying out hangers. Today I let a co-worker use it and he asked me to order him one.
I've done lots of research, and for my trade it seems like a perfect tool to make my job easier!

I've used a couple of different types of laser levels at work and so far this is the best. I install elevators for a living and use it for everything from setting entrance sills to leveling my conduit runs.

Pros-
I really like the magnetic pivot bracket. It provides a lot of placement flexability in the tight spaces I work in.
The laser has a pretty wide field even when placed close the area of work.
Nice sturdy case.
Comes with batteries, always a plus.
I read some people had an issue with the laser line being hard to see but since I do about 99% of my work in dimly lit areas I have had no such problems.

Cons-
Wish you could lock the laser self leveling feature when not in use. It has not been an issue but it would just make my feel a little better knowing it wasn't bouncing around in between jobs.
Full price is a little high. I got it for around $100 here at Amazon as a Deal of the Day. Lucky me.
It needs a device to help me locate it because all my coworkers keep taking it.

The unit I received had a drop of one inch over a distance of 40ft, which is well beyond the stated tolerance 1/8" over 30ft. The roll was off a bit as well, so it got confusing to use. This is fine for hanging pictures and indoor work but for building a house or large deck, this one needs to be recalibrated before I can use it. I gave it 3 stars because if you can't trust it, it usually stays in the box.

I purchased this laser chalkline for my husband for Christmas. He really uses it alot for tasks like putting up shelves to hanging pictures. The best part is he can do this easily and accurately. It's really been a time saver.