M12 12-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Green Cross Line and 4-Points Laser Kit

This Milwaukee laser level (model 3624-21, Made in China) is an industrial strength, professional grade beast. It projects a bright green Class 2 laser visible with the naked eye at well over 150-ft away at night. Specifications say it is visible to 250' but I couldn't test at that distance. It has three operating modes for projecting, horizontal lines, vertical lines, or both. There is an excellent feature where the laser flashes every 8 seconds if the self-leveling pendulum is locked, meaning you can't trust that the lines are either plumb of level. Self-leveling works over a range of roughly +- 4 degrees when unlocked. The base offers several mounting options for use on a tripod or vertical steel surface; 4 rare-earth magnets hold the unit securely to steel studs, for example. It holds TIGHTLY. The laser unit itself can then rotate 360 degrees within the fixed base, providing great pointing flexibility. The kit includes a Laser Alignment guide for precisely measuring offsets and easily aligning the beam, but when placed on the floor all the measurement markings are upside down – I'm not sure why. It also includes strong magnets for securing on ferrous surfaces. The kit comes with charger and M12 battery, all stored in an oversize case with foam inserts to protect the equipment. The unit comes with a conformity certificate of accuracy and the instructions offer highly detailed, step-by-step ways to verify calibrate when needed (such as after a physical shock to the unit. Unfortunately it begins by setting up the unit in a 66-ft wide area demonstrating once again this unit is intended for industrial use, not by a homeowner mounting pictures on a wall.

This is a fantastic 2 plane laser set. You will need to buy your own tripod, but it is worth it. It has made installing cabinets much easier. The battery lasts over 10 hours with is convenient for a long day's work. Just charge the batter at night and you are ready to go all day. It is self-leveling within 4 degrees and has a working range of 125 ft.

This tool can save a lot of time for certain kinds of projects, like setting deck post heights, precise marking of plumb points (far faster than a plumb line), etc. In a simple test outside in full daylight the laser is visible at about 60’ using the included alignment target. The instructions say the working range is 125’ and extends to 165’ with a detector (not included). It has an on position with self-level locked which will warn you it is in that position by turning off every 8 seconds. This is useful for quickly starting the alignment to a target. In its self-leveling mode, if it cannot achieve level it has a great feature that will flash the beams 3 times a second to warn you immediately (I tested it) that it is temporarily inaccurate due to a mounting position problem. Included: 1. A large, strong case to protect the laser unit. It has molded foam inside to hold the various included items and it seems to have spaces for optional accessories. 2. A built-in pivoting base plate (bracket) which allows for nail/screw mounting, magnetic mounting to flat steel surfaces, tripod mounting, and the bracket includes a horizontal micro adjust knob. 3. Laser alignment target 4. Battery & Charger Good to Know: 1. The instructions provide a set of procedures to double check accuracy when you first use the device. You need a fairly large walled open space, at least 66’, to perform the check. It would probably be easier to perform the procedure indoors for beam visibility reasons. The various checks are fairly time consuming; so, check it well before you need it for a project. Better yet, check it soon after you buy it in case there’s an issue. 2. The laser level can be damaged by a fall or other strong impact. The manual recommends performing the accuracy checks after any such incident and before any highly critical projects. 3. Vertical adjustments must be made through the mounting process or with a tripod. Possible Improvements: 1. It would be easier to use with a micro adjust for height. 2. It would be easier to use in bright daylight, at distance, with a setting for a single point high power beam to make it easier to align to a target point. I have a green pen laser which produced a dot outside, in bright daylight, which was easily visible at the same time that I could not see the beam from this level without the target and, even with the target, the beam was still difficult to see. Conclusion: This is a very useful tool that can save a lot of time.

Another Excellent Milwaukee Tool The Home Depot gave me the opportunity to evaluate the self-leveling Milwaukee M12 12-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Green Cross Line and 4-Points Laser Kit. It came nicely packaged in a hard protective case, there was no damage or missing parts. The kit includes (1) M12 green crossline and 4-points laser, (1) M12 3.0ah CP battery, (1) M12 charger, (1) laser target and (1) carrying and a leveling plate to make sure it's working properly. Many optional accessories are available. I did a lot of research before ordering this. I do a lot of tile work and carpentry and a laser level is always a nice tool to have on hand when professional results are your recommendation for future jobs. The Milwaukee brand won me over as a loyal customer about eight years ago. I have never had a Milwaukee tool fail including their batteries. I can't say that about any other brand I've used. The green beam is super bright and easy to see. It has a 125 ft. working range or 165ft. using the optional laser line detector. The backside has amplified rare earth magnets that can be stuck to any ferrous metal surface. The base has two thread mounts, 1/4 - 20 and 5/8-11, for use with a tripod or it can be hung from a screw or nail. The controls are intuitive and easy to use. Milwaukee offers a 3 year warranty on the laser and 2 years on the battery. Home Depot's return policy on this item is 90 days. If your purchase was made with The Home Depot Consumer Credit Card, The Home Depot Commercial Revolving Charge, or The Home Depot Commercial Account, you have 365 days from date of purchase to receive a full refund.

This laser level provides horizontal and/or vertical lines as well as horiz. / vertical plumb marks. All one may need, I would always recommend getting the unit with all the options, makes it so much more useful. Brightness is good and a included 'cat eye' target helps to increase range in sunny conditions. We have used it in regular daylight up to 35ft. The best feature, of course is the self-leveling head. A pendulum provides leveling of up to +/-4 degrees from level, settling time is only a few seconds. As the manual points out, the self-leveling must be verified occasionally, especially after dropping the instrument or a rough transport. There is no way to tell, if one of the two laser heads is misaligned, relative to each other or relative to plumb or level. This is different from manually leveling lasers which have levels mounted right on the rugged laser housing and a centered level guarantees a level laser. Alignment checking of this self-leveling unit is involved and requires 30ft wall distances. We set it up in a large garage and put markings as recommended in the manual and check against those whenever required. We found the observed deviations to be smaller (up to 50%) than the specified errors, which is excellent. We like the unit, but it needs to be handled carefully even inside the case to avoid any misalignment (which we have not observed at all) because you will not know when it is out of alignment, unless you run the checks. There is not much soft support in the case and the laser head rocks on the mounting bracket. The fine angle adjust has 1/2 turn backlash! Due to this, rotational line alignment is not easy. Still 5-star, because it simplifies and speeds up the process of usage very significantly!

This Milwaukee M12 Green Cross Line laser is compact and high-quality. The green line is visible even in full direct sunlight so you know it will work well on your construction job. It has a self leveling feature and magnetic brackets so there lots of ways to attach it no matter the site. It also has four modes so you can get lines or points depending on your need. And it’s part of the M12 battery series so it’s interchangeable with other Milwaukee tools. The only thing about it I don’t love is that the case is far too big. While it provides good protection it’s also really bulky and hard to store. The tool itself is fantastic though!

This makes it quick and easy to get things aligned level and plumb. I used it for the first time while hanging shades. The laser line thickness was closer to ⅛” than 1/16” and made lining up all the shades in the room effortless. The laser shoots out over 180 degrees so I was able to install brackets for shades in three walls before moving the laser. It mounts securely on my large tripod, but the house has 9- and 10-foot ceilings so I had to set my tripod on top of a table to reach the right height. [Later, after I took the photos, I moved it to a “Baker” scaffold so I could spread the tripod legs a little wider for extra stability.] The laser works great. It self levels within a good range. Also, it is easy to select the correct mode. I used just the horizontal line for this job, but I look forward to using the cross lines and plumb points on future jobs. This set includes a very compact 3 amp-hour battery which I love. I put a 2 amp-hour battery in the laser and used the 3 amp-hour for my drill driver. The smaller battery was more than enough to hang shades in 4 rooms. The laser unit is larger than I expected (roughly 7”x6”x3” & 2-½ pounds), but the case is HUGE! Roughly 19” x 20”x 6” & almost 10 pounds with the laser, etc. inside’. It has space for a lot of accessories that didn’t come with this set, and I don’t anticipate ever needing. The case is sturdy and protects the laser well, but it takes up a LOT of extra space. It is a really nice, hard plastic case with metal latching loops and custom molded black foam to hold the laser, charger, battery, target and other stuff. There is even a place for a padlock under the handle for extra security. Actually, the opening in the foam follows the shape of the laser with a 4amp battery installed. When I opened it there was a chunk of cardboard filling in the gap where the larger battery would be. For now, I am keeping that chunk of cardboard in place for extra protection, but the laser seems sufficiently secure using just the foam.

This is such a helpful piece of equipment in so many ways and you won't always need a helping hand to do your layouts with this. The green beam is so much easier to see and work with. It will mount to a tripod using either its 1/4"-20 or 5/8"-11 threaded mounts or use the amplified rare earth magnets to firmly attach to a steel stud or beam or use the nail/screw hole. It has a 125' working range, 165' using the detector. Accuracy is +/- 1/8" at 33ft and it is self-leveling +/- 4° tilt. Once you are satisfied with the setup, the pendulum can be locked. The micro adjustment helps to get it exactly where you want it. The plumb bob feature is so helpful and easy to use. There is a 2" access point for that. Quickly and accurately find and mark your points faster than you have before. It is one of the greatest time and manpower savers that you'll use. It has 9+ hours of run-time, a three year warranty and it has a IP54 rating. It uses the handy and ever popular M12 batteries. All comes in a hard case with molded padding inside, including a battery, charger, detector and an operator's manual full of information,  especially on how to check for accuracy.