I’m looking to buy a laser and can’t decide which one. It will be primarily used for framing layout. I’m leaning heavily towards the PLS2e kit which comes with the detector. I like a line laser and not a point to point or ‘dot’ laser. I’d like to keep it at or under $500. I love the fact that the PLS2e comes with a protective pouch and the whole magilla would fit right into a pouch on my belt. Being able to use it outside or in poor light occasionally would be nice. This little laser seems to fit all of my criteria quite well, but I value the input from you guys so I figured I’d check in before I pull the trigger.
I’d be curious to hear what you’re using and why. What is ‘must have’ and what isn’t necessary as far as options. If yours broke tomorrow would you buy another of the same or is there a better model you’d pick up… and why?
Any and all thoughts welcomed and appreciated.
Here’s the one I’m leaning towards:
Replies
That's the laser I have and use the most. (Drop tested it yesterday and it checked out 100% against a level and verticle line I had just transferred to a closet wall.) Even with the detector, though, it's more of an indoor tool than exterior. I find the PLS5x is better for outside work; it has more visible range, although you can get a detector for that as well. I usually layout decks using the 5x and have yet to need the detector.
I use the PLS2e to set up walls, tile, etc., all the usual stuff, and the horizontal line makes cabinet and shelf installs easy. To get the most out of the laser, I bought a Stabila adapter and use a camera tripod as well as the Stabila tripod; the lowest height on the Stabila picks up at about the maximum height of the camera tripod. Also, a laser mount from Fastcap comes in hand occassionally.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
I'll have to go look at the '5' before I can respond, but thanks very much for your thoughts. I just assumed that to work outside I'd need a detector, regardless of which model I chose. Thanks again.View Image
Nick, I talked to a couple of other framers I know today. I just pulled the trigger on the pls2e with the detector. Just thought I'd let you know. Thanks again for your help.View Image
uh...............glad to see you finally made a decision!! Been thinking this one over for a while eh??
Now we want a review!
How's the running going? Just passed 700 mi. on the bike so far this season.
Eric[email protected]
It's Never Too Late To Become What You Might Have Been
Yeah I actually mulled this one over for a few months. I've got a really good friend who runs a much bigger framing outfit than I do and has been at it much longer. He stopped by my job this week and had a look around at what I'd gotten myself into. (adding a 2nd floor to a couple hundred year old place) He went back to his truck and came back with one of his lasers and showed me a bunch of great applications for it.
That was the kick in the azz I needed.
The running's going pretty good. I actually already had to take about 4 days off as I developed a wicked case of shin splints from trying to bump up the mileage too quickly on these tired old chicken sticks. So I'm back down to just running a 3.5 mi route and will slowly start adding mileage on again. I'm really enjoying it though and can't wait to start running a little distance again.
I want to run the Portsmouth half marathon this fall. The course just looks gorgeous....
http://seacoasthalfmarathon.com/Course%20Photos%2001.htmView Image
Well, you've had it for over a month now. What is the dieselpig review?
I've got one w/o detector (but most of what I do is indoors). We should start a thread to see specifically what folks are using their PLS2e's for. I feel like I'm not using 10% of its potential.
jt8
"A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love." -- Saint Basil
love it... I just finished a outdoor project with 3 seperate decks,.. many changes in levels.. pool and hot tub coping etc.. and it worked great...http://www.notsobigbuildingcompany.com
Nice website! One question . . . why the name change to "small" from not-so-big?
thanks .. well .. regarding the name ..quick answer.. after getting back into the work in '98, I adopted the name right after the book came out (not so big house'98).I love some of her design principles and philosophy. I liked applying some of those values to an actual company as well as the work. Since then, inspite of how much my customers and I love the name. After talking to Sarah Susanka's business manager, she has really established 'notsobig' as a brand.. together we decided that legally there was potential for some confusion. Arthurhttp://www.notsobigbuildingcompany.com
That's what I thought. The old copyright police. We built a copy of her original St. Paul NSB house for ourselves, and have a sign out on a tree at the drive entry, "Camp Not-So-Big." Hope the enforcers don't clamp down on us.
Re your site, here's just a suggestion. A short scope description at the head of each group of portfolio pics might be nice. I couldn't tell whether you did the whole house, ground-up, or just some addition work.
Maybe it's you, or a hired gun web guru, but your site layout, and the way things work, is really super.
I've only used it three times John, but so far I think it's great. I think it's a lot like the forklift in some ways in that as I become more familiar with it and get in the 'mode', I will find more and more applications where it will prove to be as efficient as it is accurate. Like you, I know I'm not yet using it in a way that even resembles it's full potential.
The first thing I used it for was setting gangs of windows in an addition I framed. One part of the addition had a bank of 6' tall double hungs spaced 3" apart with matching width transoms above each double hung. From a trimming stand point, getting these windows installed in a plumb, level, & parallel grid was essential or they would have been a bear for the finish guys to case. It worked beautifully there. The master bath of this addition had one entire 18' wall that had 24" transoms spaced 3" apart for the length of the wall.... accurate installation here was critical for the same reasons I described above. Again, the PLS2 worked great and made short work of a finicky job.
Next time I used it was in the addition I just completed. The second floor living space in this addition was all cut into the roof framing. The roof was cut up pretty good, bastard hip main roof with two 20' shed dormers on each side, and two 10' bastard hipped dormers on the front. Imagine breaking up the attic of a cut-up roof into living space... that's essentially what we did. So most of the wall framing consisted of knee walls running perpendicular to the rafters and basically rake walls in other areas with graduated studs. To futher complicate things, the roof was a bastard hip, so the exposed portions of the hip rafters didn't land in the corners of the rooms... they were slightly off set. The laser lines made layout as painless as I think it could have been.
And finally I used it again today. We demoed a front porch yesterday (on the addition described above), excavated the footings and then poured them. Today we went in and framed up the new porch. I knew it was going to be an early day, so I took the time and set up the laser and used it to do some things I usually would have just used the old whiskey stick on. We used the outdoor sensor to level the ledger, and cut both the upper and lower posts. Again, I really liked it's accuracy, but I think it actually slowed us down some on this stuff. Part of that is just the learning curve though.
So that's my review. So far so good. :)View Image
I have the pls2e, and love it. If you're working in a fairly large space, get some decent garage sale binoculars to go with it.
-- J.S.
I bought a PLS5X first and couldn't justify the additional $$$ for the PLS2, so I got the Stanley Fatmax version which does the same thing for $100. Seems to work fine, but for constant jobsite use, I dunno. I baby mine and keep it cased up anytime it's not on.