Laser spirit level for diy. PigletJohn?

[Pottedpalm]

I want to buy a laser spirit level as a gift for DS who is putting up shelves, building cupboards etc. He is pretty competent. Need advice on what to buy and does he need tripod or otherwise how laser is held in position. Many thanks!

Just buy one off Amazon with good reviews. You don’t need a tripod, most people balance them on a step ladder and then measure up/down.

buy one that is rechargable rather than needing batteries that will go down when you need it

Have a look at the Proper DIY channel on YouTube. He did a good review of them a while ago. I have one with a tripod, and a receiver for levelling over distance. Mine is a Leica, but there are much cheaper ones available now.

Just make sure you get one that has vertical as well as horizontal, self levelling, and a 360 degree broadcast if you can.

I’ve got the red laser dewalt one (number 3 in that image above). I think in all honesty they are all going to do a great job, especially for occasional use for DIY. One thing I would say is that you will need a tripod or other means to raise the thing if you are using it for shelves. This will add extra cost to it all. I never use my laser line for putting up shelves as it’s a faff that isn’t worth the effort. I simply use my trusty spirit level. I’ve only used the laser for putting in door frames, patio doors, stud walls and bigger jobs like that. You may find it just gathers dust if all he’s using it for is shelves. Thoughtful but pointless perhaps?

Thanks @NonmagicMike and everyone else; I don’t want to spend on something that will gather dust ☹️

I use mine all the time. It is no hassle to put in on a tripod, or I have a monopod it clips to as well that is sprung loaded and takes seconds to put up.

I did find it took me a while to let go of the traditional spirit levela as it was familiar, but then again, I have only recently embraced my multi tool which I've had for years too.

We have one. when dh bought it I thought it would be a total waste of money but it's been well used.

Thanks @ToHellBackAndBeyond and @HappiestSleeping
did you buy tripods with the level?

I used an old camera tripod to start with as it is the same thread.

Then moved on to one of these which is faster to use. I don't recall it costing that much though, so worth searching for a deal.
https://www.toolstation.com/ceiling-support/p72700

The laser level I have had a mount that can attach to the pole, but the cheaper ones may not. Also, I needed the prop anyway, so it was dual purpose. Much faster than the tripod and doesn't get in the way as I can set it up in the corner and have the laser line visible around the whole room.

Depends how much DIY he’s going to do. For putting up shelves it’s just quicker to grab a spirit level - by the time you’ve setup the tripod, mounted it, adjusted the height and so on you could have finished the job with the spirit level. However, I’ve had loads of use out of mine as others have posted, but I’ve also done a shed loads of DIY over the years.