9 Best Laser Levels of 2024

Specialist laser and measurement tool company Huepar have created a simple yet powerful green laser level for indoor and outdoor use. The BOX-1G is an accurate laser level that can be set up in seconds and is easy to mount on most surfaces.

Protected on all sides by thick TPR rubberised plastic, it’s small but very sturdy. The locking slide on the front controls the fixed and self-levelling laser option that works within four degrees. The best part of this laser level is that it’s green, but it won’t empty your wallet. You get all the crisp power and massive visibility range of a green laser for an excellent price.

The single-button operation cycles between a cross line, horizontal and vertical lasers. If you hold down the button, there’s even a high power mode. It’ll drain the batteries but shine a much more powerful laser beam. For outdoor use, you can use “pulse mode” if you purchase a separate Huepar laser receiver.

Running on four AA batteries, you won’t have any trouble finding replacements when you run out of power. If you have spares, there’s no downtime either. The laser level comes in a soft pouch. It isn’t going to keep everything completely safe but it’s better than not having one at all. The mounting system uses magnets, but you can just screw it directly into a standard ¼” tripod stand if you want.

This is probably one of the best green laser levels to get if you don’t need tons of features. It’s a whole lot of laser level for not a lot of money. It’s an easy favourite for me.

Fast becoming one of my favourite budget tool brands, HYCHIKA have produced a solid and reliable range of power tools that won’t break the bank. The same goes for their ‎LL-2R10C self-levelling red laser. It’s a robust and useful laser for DIYers that is easy to use and comes with an excellent magnetic bracket.

This is a robust laser unit with plenty of rubberised plastic in the construction and all the corners are well protected. Cycling through laser modes is straightforward. Choose from cross, horizontal, and vertical by simply pressing the button on top.

It’s powered by a pair of included AA batteries and boasts 20 hours of use before you need to swap them out. The laser doesn’t sit on top of the unit like the more expensive Kaiweets level, but for this price, it’s the ideal instrument for hanging pictures or even setting out timber studs accurately.

One thing I really like about this tool is that you can lock off the laser. Not only does it mean you can lay out lines at any angle but locking the internal pendulum mechanism can help protect the laser during transport. The included bracket grabs onto metal surfaces thanks to its pair of powerful magnets and can rotate through 360° for laying out lines anywhere you like.

Simple, affordable, and useful. The RockSeed cross line laser level is ideal if you just want a basic bit of kit that won’t set you back all that much. For the price, it’s a surprisingly good red laser level. It’s accurate, if not as powerful as some of the more expensive laser levels on my list.

Another extremely simple device, the laser level has just a sliding lock button and another button on the top to turn on the cross line laser. You can’t cycle through laser modes, but for this price it’s still an impressive bit of kit. It’s still self-levelling to within four degrees of laser level accuracy and you can lock the laser angle just like on the Kaiweets KT360A.

The build quality is surprisingly good. All the corners and most edges are protected by rubberised plastic and it’s even IP54 rated against dust and water ingress. The only thing that makes this a less effective tool is the red laser. It’s just not as crisp or easy to see as a green one.

Don’t expect this laser level to come with many accessories. Although it can attach to a camera tripod with a ¼” threaded port, it doesn’t come with a mount of any type. It’s supplied with just two AA batteries to power it up and a small canvas bag.

Whether you’re building a house, putting up shelves, or simply hanging a picture on the wall, you need everything to be straight, plumb, and true. Spirit levels have always been my go-to device for these jobs, but for hands free surveying, you can’t beat a good laser level.

I tested the Kaiweets KT360A laser level out around my house, in the garden, and further away outside in the twilight to get a good idea about how this laser level performs in different environments. I used my own tripod as a stable base because it fits the stand perfectly, and one is not included.

The Unit

On first impression, this feels like a solidly built and capable piece of kit. Decked out in yellow and black heavyweight plastic, the corners are rubberised to help protect against knocks and drops. The laser modules have sturdy aluminium caps rather than plastic ones on them, which is a good thing to see.

The laser level measures 12 x 14 x 10 cm and weighs just a shade over 1 kg at 1049 g with the universal base attached. Compared with some tiny laser levels on the market this one’s quite chunky, but with the three laser modules on board, you couldn’t make it much smaller if you tried.

The protection rating is listed as IP54, which means it’s protected against dust ingress, but not exactly waterproof. It’s going to be fine in a rain shower, but don’t expect to be able to drop the laser in a pool of water without damage.

Operation

Turning the laser on is done via a sliding switch, and the laser starts in automatic levelling mode. The laser flashes when it’s not level and will continue to do so until it finds equilibrium. It will self-level within ± 4°.

If you want to lock off the laser to project a straight line at any angle, you simply hold down the mode button until the line appears. Helpfully, it pulses every few seconds to remind you that your line isn’t level as well.

The two buttons on the front of the level are soft touch ones that cycle through the different modes and activate the pulse mode.

Cycling through the modes goes something like this:

The default mode is horizontal laser only, for putting up shelves or levelling pictures. Press again and it switches to the front vertical laser, for checking if things are plumb. Press again and you get both front and side vertical lasers at the same time, which is brilliant for jobs like tiling. A final press activates all three lasers at once, which shoots a grid on the walls, floor, and ceiling.

There’s only one more button on the front of the unit that operates “pulse mode”. But what does pulse mode mean on a laser level? In the case of most laser levels, you need to activate pulse mode to use it with a laser detector. Laser detectors significantly increase the useful range of a laser level and have centre finding modes for high accuracy.

The only feature missing from the KT360A is a plumb dot. Available on the Kaiweets KT360B, it shoots a laser dot vertically above and below the unit. This handy feature means you can find the plumb point in any given space. It’s great for laying out stud walls, so it’s a shame that it’s not on this model.

The Lasers

The three laser modules on this level are true 360° ones, and apart from the tiny gaps left by the shadow of the laser housing, it casts a bright and easy to read green laser around the room. They are powerful Class 2 lasers with a working range of approximately 30 m.

The green lasers really show up well against an internal wall, even in bright sunlight. I prefer the green laser colour to the more traditional red, but they both suffer in an outdoor setting. When outside, the laser is just about visible, but it takes a bit of hunting around when you’re more than a few metres away from the unit.

Anyone who has tried to use laser levels outside in bright sunshine will know that it doesn’t matter whether you’ve got a cheap red laser level or the best quality professional green laser, they’re really hard to see! That’s why the professionals use a laser detector for outdoor work.

Out of bright sunlight, and especially in the dark, the laser was easy to find up to 30 metres away. I was guessing at the exact distance, but it was far enough away to be impressive. For most jobs that a DIYer will take on, it’s absolutely fine.

There are three laser modules on this level. You get a horizontal one mounted on the top, and two vertical lasers mounted on the front and side of the unit. You can turn on each laser individually, or cycle through the different modes to shine lasers across the floor, walls, and ceiling.

When it comes to accuracy, the KT360A is ideal for the keen DIYer. The accuracy is measured to ± 3 mm/10 m and has an automatic levelling range of ± 4°. I used my spirit level to see if I could find any deviation, but everything seemed spot on from a metre up to 5 metres away.

Accessories

Alongside the level, you get a rather handy universal mount. This base attached to the level with a standard ¼” screw that you find on most tripod stands. Next to this is a larger 3/8” screw hole that you might find on more industrial size tripods or stands.

Bear in mind that this laser doesn’t come with a tripod. It’s an essential accessory to have if you want to use a laser level, in my opinion. It means you can use your laser on uneven ground, and if you have a tripod with an adjustable height centre column, it’s the easiest way to fine adjust the laser height.

You’re not limited to using a tripod though, as one end of the universal mount contains four small magnets. This means you can mount the laser on any ferrous metal, like a radiator, ladder, or even the metal corner bead found on plasterboard walls. Compared with the DeWalt laser level I’m used to, the magnets aren’t quite as strong on the Kaiweets mount, but they’re good enough.

As you’d expect from a decent mount like this, there’s plenty of room for fine adjustment. The hand screw can be backed off a little to allow the mount to slide around without you needing to move the tripod.

The other accessory that comes with the laser level is a laser target plate. Essentially, it’s a flat piece of green plastic with some measurements marked on it that can be stood up, hung off a nail, or attached to a piece of ferrous metal via a magnet on the top. It’s a useful thing to have, but it doesn’t seem to pick up the laser any better than a white piece of paper or my tape measure from across the room.  

The Case

The soft case is a made from Oxford polycotton material. It measures 26 x 21 x 17 cm, and the inside has been packed out with snug fitting foam. There’s no branding or logo on the case that might help it stand out on a shelf, but you could always put on your own label.

It’s a rather good case, in my opinion. It weighs close to nothing, so it’s not going to add to the strain of carrying the laser around between jobs. It might not be quite as tough as a blow moulded plastic case, but unless you’re unlucky it should keep the laser safe.

The case has a zip fastener and comes with an adjustable carry strap. At its shortest length, the strap works as a carry handle, and at its longest it’s about right for an over-the-shoulder carry. The foam inside has been cleverly cut out to hold on tightly to the laser, laser target plate, universal holder, and charging equipment. It really feels secure.

Battery

The removable battery is Lithium Ion, and it provides the laser with up to 35 hours operating time with one laser turned on, up to 20 hours with two lasers turned on, and up to 12.5 hours of battery life on full power with all three lasers visible. That’s impressive, and hopefully means you won’t run out of battery during the job.

Charging is done via USB-C, which is much faster compared with old style micro USB connectors you might be more familiar with. USB C can provide up to 100 Watts of charging power, which makes short work of topping up the inbuilt battery.

Kaiweets have also thoughtfully included a standard three-pin plug and a separate 1 m long charging cable, so you can plug in wherever you have USB sockets. It’s good that the battery can be replaced too, meaning you can buy spares or swap it out if the battery ever loses charge.

Something I really like about this laser level is that you can still use it while you’re charging. Too many USB powered devices shut off while charging, which is annoying if you just need to take one more measurement when the battery is running perilously low.

Overall

Having one of the best laser levels to hand comes in handy more often than you might think. Being able to shoot a reliable, accurate, and repeatable horizontal and vertical line or grid wherever you want is a game changer. Whether you’re laying out stud walls, hanging pictures at an angle up the stairs, or installing new kitchen cabinets, the Kaiweets KT360A is a brilliant piece of kit to own.

It has all the features you’d expect from a pro-level laser, but without the enormous price tag. The case is good, the build quality is top notch, and the replaceable battery charged via USB-C is even better. I’m really pleased with this laser level and it’s going to join my tool kit from now on.

Bosch’s Quigo range of laser levels fits into their “green” stable of DIY tools, and as it’s a green laser, it all makes perfect sense. The Quigo Green cross line laser is a small, lightweight, and simple laser level tool. It’ll make hanging pictures or other DIY tasks a doddle.

What stands out for me is Bosch’s design and build quality. This is a seriously good-looking and minimalist laser level that comes encased in durable rubberised plastic. It feels good in the hand and should keep all the internals in good order.

Operation literally couldn’t be any more straightforward. The lens case doubles up as the switch! You simply slide it out of the way and the green cross line shines out nice and brightly. You can’t cycle through modes, but for the price, this is an accurate and useful laser tool.

Because it’s got a high-contrast green laser beam, you can use this unit outdoors and even in sunlight if you need to. The self-levelling mechanism works well and can correct within four degrees of accuracy. Unfortunately, there’s no laser locking feature so you can’t set out a handrail or stairs. But for tiling, hanging curtain rails or other DIY tasks, this Bosch laser level is an ideal bit of kit.

The MM02 mount comes with the Quigo laser level, and it steps the tool up a few notches in terms of versatility. You can attach the mount to a wide range of structures, like a step ladder, and use the fine adjustment wheel for ultimate accuracy.

With an opening angle of just 85°, it doesn’t give you the biggest laser spread to work with. However, it’s an affordable green laser level that takes just two small AAA batteries to get to work. It’s a competitively-priced laser level tool from one of the best names in the business.

The clever people at HYCHIKA manage to make some excellent tools that somehow suit even tight budgets. Their dual-module green cross line laser level is a good example of a solid budget tool that works even in daylight.

For the price, you might think this is a bit of a toy, but the small unit feels robust as well as portable. The overmoulded, rubberised plastic edges and corners should keep it safe from the usual knocks and scrapes.

The dual beam lasers work on two planes. You can cycle through a cross line, horizontal and vertical lines with the touch of a button, and it self-levels within four degrees. You can lock off the angle with the power switch. This means you can use it to set a handrail or anything else at the angle you need.

What I really like about this little cross line laser is the standard micro-USB charger. You’ve probably already got a bunch of these chargers laying around, so there’s no excuse for not keeping it charged. The battery life is also excellent and can stay on for up to six hours at a time.

The L-shaped mounting bracket is simple. It screws into the ¼” threaded port in the bottom of the laser body and can be stuck anywhere metallic. The two strong magnets will hold it in place or attach it to a tripod if you’ve got one.

Forming part of Bosch’s excellent “blue” professional range of tools, the GCL 2-15 Combi Laser is incredibly simple to use. It’s a handy laser level that’s also well-built and tough enough for site use.

Supplied in a quality protective bag for keeping everything stored away safely, this is a compact, streamlined little laser level. It boasts IP54 water and dust protection and has rubberised corners to protect it from the usual drops and knocks.

The dual beam lasers are high power class 2 red ones that self-level within 4 degrees. But the feature I really like is the plumb mark. The laser can fire out a pair of highly visible dots that are perfectly plumb through the top and bottom of the unit. I don’t have to tell you how often this will come in handy.

Operation is as simple as it gets. The bright red slide switch on the side turns the unit on and selects either self-levelling or locked angle. The plus button on the top cycles through cross-line, horizontal and vertical lines, and plumb mark. You can also turn off the plumb mark individually with the two-dot button. There’s a handy battery life indicator on there as well, so it’s a remarkably easy laser level to get used to.

The laser mount is a sturdy little four-legged stand that has a smooth 360-degree turntable built-in for projecting the laser all around the room. The stand can be attached using the sturdy magnets on the back. Or attach it with the keyhole cut out that suits a nail or screw fixing. There are a pair of ¼” and 5/8″ threaded ports for attaching a standard tripod as well.

Power comes from three AA batteries. There is a range of extra accessories you can buy for the laser level to make it the last one you’ll ever need to buy.

One of the big boys when it comes to tool brands, STANLEY have a long history and a decent reputation for quality and reliability. They make a few different levels, but the STHT77498-1 Cubix cross-line red beam laser is a solid laser choice for DIYers. With an innovative mounting system and seriously handy support bracket, you can attach this level to most surfaces and objects.

Although you can’t cycle through any modes, the laser projects a clear red cross that’s ideal for indoor use. There’s a pendulum lock switch on the front of the laser that can help you lay out lines at an angle, as well as protect the mechanism when not in use.

What makes this a great DIYers laser is just how simple it is to use. Because there aren’t lots of modes, the whole thing is activated with a single switch. You’re not going to accidentally turn it on inside the case like some lasers with soft touch buttons.

With a 100° visible horizontal and vertical cross laser line, it’s just right for laying out things like wallpaper or wall studs without needing to adjust the position too often. It’s rated to IP50 dust and water protection and comes with a handy case too.

Quite a different product from the rest of my list, the Semlos Multipurpose Laser Spirit Level is a handy bit of kit that belongs in any tool bag. It’s a one-stop-shop for all things measuring and levelling, and I think it’s rather useful.

Starting with the measuring tools. The bottom part is an aluminium ruler that can measure up to 16 cm on one side and 8” on the other. You can never have enough rulers around the workshop after all. Then on one end, there’s a locking retractable tape measure. Eight feet or just under 2.5 m that feels a bit thin but will probably come in handy as well.

Then there are the levelling detectors. You get three spirit levels positioned along the body, measuring for vertical and both horizontal planes. They’re pretty accurate, but they need to be because this isn’t a self-levelling laser device.

When you turn on the red laser function, you can cycle through three modes, horizontal line, cross line and vertical. There’s a difference between this tool and the best laser levels on my list though. You need to use the spirit levels and the laser together to get an accurate straight line. It’s not difficult to do, but obviously takes more effort than a self-levelling machine.

So, it’s not self-levelling, and takes a little bit of fiddling to get right. But, for the price it’s a useful little tool. Keep it in your tool bag or workshop for when you need to do some basic measuring work.