Customer Reviews

PLS Laser PLS-60523 PLS3 Laser Level Tool, Yellow

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been using one of these little laser plumb/levels for about a month now. It is the first, and often only level I reach for these days. It shoots a bright red dot visible in full daylight, and makes locating plumb and level points a cinch. Great for framing, layout, finish,etc.. It is rugged enough to handle the usual job-site bumps and scratches, and small and light enough to fit in your tool pouch. Long battery life too... The only drawback is that the other guys on the crew constantly want to borrow it!

I was concerned to read the comments from "Small Carpenter " Mountain Builder" regarding his recent purchase of the PLS3 laser from Pacific Laser Systems. Whilst I appreciate that very occasionally there is a defect out of the box for the most part PLS lasers are known for their quality and customer service. Our policy is to repair or replace defective tools within 48 hours of receipt and ship them back to our customers the way they came to PLS. So if a unit is shipped to PLS overnite then it is returned the same way under warranty.
I am most concerned with the comment that PLS suggested that contractors not buy from Amazon.com. There is no one within PLS that would suggest this. PLS sell our products through professional dealers throughout the world and Amazon.com is a valued re-seller of PLS. To suggest otherwise is without merit.
Finally PLS has entered its ten year anniversary servicing the professional contractor with quality products and customer service unrivalled in our industry.We take the comments of our customers very seriously and I invite the Mountain Builder and all other PLS customers to contact me direct to discuss this issue or other applications considered for our products.

D. Michael Tramontin
Partner Director Marketing and Distribution
PLS Pacific Laser Systems

I have been installing custom stairs and railings in the Chicago area for 21 years. And I am a very low tech person when it comes to my work. My square,divider and plumb bob are my primary tools for doing stair layouts and I rely on my stabila levels of course.Today I used my PLS3 to set up to build a basement to 2nd floor switched back stair and I did it a quarter the time and alot more accuretly. I recomend this product whole heartally. Dean L.

Does what it is ment too. It only puts a dot and not a line so if all you wan't is a level or plumb point it works but if you need a level line this is not the model to chose

The PLS3 is a great tool, but not very rugged. It shoots a bright red light in broad daylight that you can easily see from at least 50 feet away. I used it to level my 30x20 rectangular foundation and it was accurate to at least 1/4 inch at 30 feet. As long as you handle it with care, it is very accurate and self-levelling. Unfortunately, we dropped it a few times from a height of 2 feet or so to the ground. I would have expected the PLS3 to be more rugged than this since it is used at a construction site - but after it is dropped, it goes way off course by at least 2 feet per 30 feet. The self-levelling feature goes haywire too, and the color of the light won't change even if you tilt it 45 degrees. Then, when you shake it a little, the accuracy changes again, sometimes to 1 feet per 30 feet, sometimes more of less. I would feel more comfortable if it will at least flag an error when it is off-level, rather than making me think that it continues to work.

I used this in the past and finally bought one for myself. It is so good mainly because it self levels and is always accurate. I frame homes mainly and sometimes concrete form work and I couldn't imagine NOT having it. Layout is key and time consuming but this takes all guess work out of it and speeds up everthing. Another feature is that the PLS3 fits easily in my bags. It's light, durable,and never fails. I see the other brands out there but I'm totally happy with the PLS3. The PLS5 may be in the future when I have to do more layout being it shoots right angles.

This tool was a good investment. It beats a plumb bob for lining up plumb between points (which is the main reason I bought it). It's very handy for leveling jobs too. For example, installing shelves in a closet - I can mount one shelf brace and level all the others for the same shelf by resting the level on the brace and marking points where I need to install other braces. The beam is (if I remember right) 1 inch above the base, so I measure down from the first mark and that's where the top of the brace will need to be installed.

Have used the PLS on residential framing and light commercial metal stud partitions. It is small, accurate and fast for most plumb operations. Also use it for quick level checks. I own 3 Stabilas. MD smart level, 2 Wedge and 2 Robotools lasers and other stick levels because I'm compulsive about accuracy. Now, I hardly use my stick levels. I read most of the reviews for similar products and chose the PLS because they took the time to answer some concerns other reviewers had. Also, a guy I worked with recommended it over the brand I previously considered. The unit comes with two brackets and a nice case. The case is made to hold one mounting bracket but not both. I stuff the "raising" bracket under the cover. The case could be better designed.

Walk on any big commercial job and check what point lasers the framers are using. Eight times out of ten it will either be a PLS-3 or PLS-5. This is a major accomplishment since you won't see a PLS at Lowe's or Home Depot. I've been using PLS point lasers for the last 10+ years and have never had a problem with them(except for having one stolen). They've been used and abused and it takes a lot to stop one. I've seen every other brand fail from less than I see PLS lasers subjected to every day. It's not that you can't tear one up, but it takes something special to do it. My guys can use whatever they want. But when they ask me to order them a new point laser, it's almost always a PLS that they ask for. Hilti comes close for reliability, but I haven't seen anything that could touch PLS.

I just finished framing my large basement - PLS3 was indispensable, especially for aligning the top plate for each wall with the bottom, pressure treated plate which I first screwed down to the concrete floor.
Auto-levelling is great to have, seems to work w/o problems, I am still on the original battery after several months of use.
Antoni