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The highest score · The best price per metre of range
Laserliner SmartCross-Laser GX
10/10
score calculated from published figures
A stated 40 m and ± 0.3 mm/m: the strongest sheet
Scored comparison
Eleven cross line lasers, scored on what the makers publish
Partition track, screed, tiling, decking pedestals: on a self-build the laser level replaces the string line and the straight edge for carrying a level from one wall to the next. The sheets shout about beam colour. What matters first is the tolerance the maker is willing to write down.
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Second-highest score
DeWalt DW088CG
8.5/10
score calculated from published figures
A stated 30 m, ± 3 mm at 10 m, IP54
Read the accuracy, not the colour. Across this panel the makers state between ± 3 mm and ± 6 mm over 10 m: a factor of two. On a 6 m partition track, ± 3 mm disappears in the adhesive, ± 6 mm shows on the skirting. A green beam buys visibility in a bright room, never accuracy: the two Stanley Cross90 units, red and green, state the same tolerance.
Projection
Beam
Budget
Sort by
11 of 11 machines
| Machine | Score | Stated accuracy at 10 m | Retrieved price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/10 | 3 mm | $82.57See on Amazon | |
| 8.5/10 | 3 mm | $181.86See on Amazon | |
| 8/10 | 3 mm | $447.52See on Amazon | |
| 8/10 | 3 mm | $73.31See on Amazon | |
| 7.5/10 | 3 mm | $293.22See on Amazon | |
| 7/10 | 3 mm | $222.82See on Amazon | |
| 7/10 | 4 mm | $147.55See on Amazon | |
| 7/10 | 5 mm | $44.81See on Amazon | |
| 6/10 | 5 mm | $85.25See on Amazon | |
| 6/10 | 5 mm | $118.70See on Amazon | |
| 5.5/10 | 6 mm | $67.37See on Amazon |
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How this score is computed
We have not switched on any of these lasers, and we present nothing as if we had. The score comes from four figures the makers publish: stated accuracy at 10 m 40%, price per metre of range 25%, stated visible range 20%, IP rating 15%. Each value is placed on a 4 to 10 scale relative to the other units in the panel. A figure that is not published drops out of the calculation and the remaining weights are renormalised, which the sheet says.
Bringing accuracies to 10 m
Bosch, Einhell and Laserliner publish accuracy per metre (± 0.3 or ± 0.5 mm/m); DeWalt, Makita and Stanley publish it at 10 m (± 3, ± 4 or ± 5 mm). We multiply the former by ten so that like is compared with like. Accuracy is a tolerance: smaller is better.
Range is the least comparable figure
Bosch writes "range", Makita "measuring range", Laserliner "typical visibility", Stanley "visible working range": no standard dictates how it is measured, and it depends on ambient light. That is why it carries only 20%, and it is this figure that hands the SmartCross-Laser GX first place. Price per metre of range divides the tracked price by that same stated range.
The IP rating read as a number
IP64, IP54 and IP50 are read as 64, 54 and 50: the first digit is dust protection, the second water. Four units in the panel publish no rating, so the criterion drops out of their score. That is not proof of no protection, it is the absence of a figure.
Before switching on
- Never look into the beam or point it at anyone, even at class 2: the blink reflex protects the eye for less than a quarter of a second.
- Lock the pendulum before packing the unit away. A compensator rattling in a case is the first cause of a laser going out of calibration.
- Check the unit on site: mark a line at 5 m, turn the unit through 180°, mark the same line again; the gap between the two marks must stay within the published tolerance.
- Outdoors, plan on the receiver: even a green beam vanishes in sunlight, whatever the stated range.
Where this tool is used, job by job
Choosing the machine is one thing, using it another. Here are the pages where it comes up, with the steps in order and the rest of the kit.
Building a metal stud partition
Set out, fix the frame, run the cables, screw the boards, tape and joint: six steps and the kit that goes with them.
Read moreTiling a floor
Base, setting out, adhesive, laying, cuts, grout: six steps, and the right tool for every cut.
Read moreFrequently asked questions
Green beam or red?
Green shows up better in a bright room and from further away, which is what every maker states as range. It changes nothing about accuracy: in this panel the red and green Stanley Cross90 publish the same ± 5 mm at 10 m. Green also drains batteries faster: Laserliner states 6 h in green against 20 h in red.
How accurate does it need to be for a stud wall or tiling?
A stated ± 3 mm at 10 m covers a whole room without the error showing on the skirting. The ± 5 or ± 6 mm of DIY lasers is fine for a border, a shelf or a small wall tiling, not for an 8 m track.
Do I need a 360° laser?
Only to carry a level round all four walls without moving the unit, for a suspended ceiling or wall tiling for instance. One unit in the panel does it, the Stanley STHT77504-1. For a partition track or a shelf, a plain cross is enough.