Side by Side Comparison of: DEWALT vs Black & Decker

Works EXCELLENT. I am upgrading from a Bosch single line self-leveling laser and am wondering how I ever lived without this! It is surprisingly compact from what I was expecting. The lines are SUPER bright compared to the Bosch that I had. The case it comes with is high quality and appreciated. Nice job DeWalt!

I love my laser. It gives you a more accurate sense of alignment than you might expect visually. I actually had to measure to convince myself about lines of sight are can lead to optical illusions that were simply wrong. My use was tiling in my bathroom re-model. As a DYIer, I thought it might be overkill, but it wasn't at all.

Love these little lasers. Seeing how I do Tbar ceilings for a living the grid clamp it a big plus. I even use the 90 on the floor. Go to the blueprint ,check layout and figure out your cuts and put it on the ground and go for it. Or mark the wall angle and put strings up where laser was. Dead on accurate, perfectly square grid every time. My only beef about this laser is it Does Not have a pendulum lock. Which means the laser will not be true forever. I have 2 and one is about 3/8 out it 30' or so. but the 90 is still true on it. I don't know if dewalt can recalibrate or not and or is it even worth it seeing these lasers are about 300.00. the amount of time and space it saves pays for it regardless imo.

I've been using the Dw088k for a few years now and it got lost, so i bought this one, it is miles ahead as far as usability, the beam is clear and well set up for ceiling applications. The steel roll cage is suspect, i would have liked a rubber bumper on the outside of the steel, lets hope to never test that.

first of all this is also a laser plumb bob! at the time i purchased this nothing online had really specified it being able to be used as a laser plumb bob... it makes a cross hair on the floor and on the ceiling which is what i needed more than any of its other features, I almost did not purchase this until i watched an online video of someone using it as a laser plumb bob! that's the great thing about this laser its like an all in one laser! it does wall grid square,ceiling square and can even be used as a giant floor square! it shoots lasers everywhere everything has a laser on it! and they are all square,level and plumb!what i purchased it for mainly was to do custom wall framing what i mean by that is like for basements and other areas where you cant really stand up a pre built wall and it saves hours and hours of time! occasionally other projects the beauty of this laser is its so fast to set up( like 2 min) so it becomes more practical than the old way of doing things before lasers came out... can be used as a chalk line too!what i noticed:the magnet on this thing could pick up a car! its good in a way but in another way its so ungodly strong im always afraid the bracket holding the tool will break trying to remove it from a metal surface...the case it comes in is awesome! perfect and has room for spare batteriesthere is no pendulum lock i have no idea why they didn't include it every other laser dewalt makes has it but this one so why?I have no idea why some people say its not calibrated mine was within 1/8" at 30' or even less im sorry if that happened to you

You can go less expensive and still get pretty good quality. However, nothing with a beam this strong (at least from the solid red lines options). Indoors it can span any room from end to end. For a the extra cost you get: stronger beam, a 3rd plane, fine tune micro-adjustment for the vertical alignment, a magnetic mount, and a another type of clamp mount for more versatility. Very convenient and endless uses for little effort. For any type of construction, it adds instant value and will pay for itself quickly. Even as a weekend warier it is worthwhile. You can even level pictures all at the same time for the entire room in one setup. I used it last weekend to install a new door frame and was able to get the layout dead on. It doesn't make me any faster but it makes my work look better.Fine-Tune for Vertical Alignment is worth the cost alone:I never before realized until using it, the micro-adjustment vertical alignment is an absolute must for certain applications. Say you are putting in a tile floor - you need to control the vertical alignment plane to dissect on the correct source location as well as the target location. What are you going to do, move the tri-pod, move the device to zero in on your target? There is no moving to fine tune for the target without effect the source location as well. There is no way to control and fine tune for one variable without throwing off the other. You end up spending more time than is warranted or learn to live with in-exact results. This is when the vertical find adjustment becomes a life saver - you can tune the target location without moving or impacting the source location. Now your 1/8" variant becomes that much more precise because you can at least factor out error in proper placement. I wish it also had another fine-adjustment control for horizontal plane for those times when you don't use a tripod but that is minor grip in comparison to the vertical control.

I had an old one from my father and let me tell you that this is not your Dad's laser level.. it is wonderful, light, easy to use and the disk on the bottom is a genius idea. I love it.

Works good. Unfortunately it has a “pin” to keep it in position if you choose a hand free option. I would rather recommend having someone help and hold it rather than sticking a metal nail into your drywall.

great just what i needed, it works the way they say.

This is great, I wish I had bought it along time ago.

My husband and I just moved into a brand new home (we built) and we had so many projects we wanted to work on. Purchased this because I am incredibly OCD and love straight lines and uniform looks. This made hanging curtains, pictures, mirrors, installing tile, etc, a breeze.

This is so cool!!! It saved us a lot of work while remodeling our home. Yay! Even came with batteries.

These device is really relatable at field in roughing and finish environment.

First one went out of whack really quickly. Fingers crossed for the replacement to hold true level.

Couple blind spots in the laser line... Not sellers fault, product quality...

Dewalt really impressed me with their self leveling laser and Plumbob. I use this every day in commercial construction as a union plumber very strong magnets very strong Bold laser line. Very good for straight piping. Wish the laser can give 1/8 per foot of fall for drain waste and vent but I'll do the math till they figure that all out. Gave 4 stars because the laser does not give u all 4 corners of the room only 3 corners of the room.

I was led to believe by reading countless reviews and ads concerning this item that its light was "twice as bright" as its former version. Such is NOT the case in the one I bought.It may be defective I don't know, but I have not had time to check into that.Otherwise, it appears to be as advertised.

Bought this for a tile floor job and loved it, brought it to work and the Electrician ended up buying one which he loves and the Super on site is going to be buying one as well.The adjustable wall mount is great, though one of the holes for the screws is angled a bit oddly making hanging and removal a bit annoying.Fine internal line adjustment is incredibly helpful and saves tons of time fine tuning the line over a longer distance.Laser itself is a bit front heavy so using the 'taped metal ruler' to the wall trick is a bit nerve wracking, but still works.Laser lines are easily seen indoors; hard to see outdoors (you won't be sighting any stone walls with it).Right Angled lines are great for ceiling light layouts or anything needing 90 degree layout (tiles, lights, walls).Battery life is good also, but helps if you don't let the thing just sit on with all 3 lasers running.Would absolutely buy another.P.S. Likely buying one of the extension mounting poles next since screwing holes into the finished walls makes the painters cringe.

Light is dimmer than I thought it would be and I'm scared the little wall mount pin will break up in use. But it was shipped on time and matched all descriptions. Glad I purchased it.

The only complaint I have is the base pin is too short and unstable, especially when inserted into ceiling

Works very well, but I had to break off the nail that is supposed to be used to hang it. It's pretty silly they expect you to put holes in the wall just to use the level. I just replaced it with a velcro Command Hook and it does the job just fine. Helped me level the 7 posters I have hung around my living room.

This is a GREAT and affordable level. I originally purchased it to help me paint stripes on a wall in my daughters room and have used it many more times than I thought I would. The option to use the attached nail to hold it in place is great, however I do wish it had another option, or a smaller nail because it did leave pretty visible marks on the wall each time. It stays sturdy and in place though. When using it for longer lines I found having the room darker to be a big help in seeing the laser line as it got further away from the base.

This came in handy when hanging up curtains in our new house. I had another one over 10 years ago, but when I went to use that one the laser was dead.

I used a Stanley laser leveler and it broke after using it 3 times. I got this black and decker one and it hasn't failed me since. My brother in law has the same one but he has had it for many years and has never had an issue with it. Good product for the price

Wanted to use this across a 60 foot span with it being in the center, there is a noticeable degradation of the quality of the line, the drop is also noticeable, closer distances it works great.

Good laser, but without locking pendulum. Much brighter than Bosch.However, Dewalt's new green (although a lot more expensive) is the brightest, most visible out of all of them. While this one is quite bright indoors, it doesn't work so well in bright conditions and certainly not outdoors (unlike the new green one).

Im a full time Carpenter in nyc . These lasers are very handy. I like that the price isnt too high compared to other brands and the 90 degree is great for making corners. Fits in your bag.What i think should be fixed:1. I own both the small dewalt vertical and horizontal lazer and the larger 90 degree lazer. Ive dropped the small lazer over 100 times! Probably more. Still spot on! And ive checked it with my level. Now the reason is can.do this is because its covered in rubber!This 90 degree laser is covered in rubber except the most important part of it. Where the laser actually comes from. Ive seen so many guys drop this laser and crack the glass on the job. They have to send it to dewalt and it over 100 to fix.Dewalt if your reading this please fix the head of the laser with rubber. Thanks2. The magnet isnt as strong as the smaller sized laser and thats a fact if you actually have both of them to compare on metal. Which i do.3. Battery life. 4 double a batteries in Manhattan are like 15 dollars. So if im caught off guard and my laser is dying and i dont have spare batteries i have to go pay top dollar. Dewalt.should have the laser fitted with its own charger. I would actually pay more money for a product like that.

I have no problems with the laser, which I use only occasionally. Good luck however trying to attach it to a story pole. You would think that the body or the included bracket would have a screw hole tapped the same place that a standard laser detector has, so that it could be used with a standard story pole bracket, but noooooooooooo.

Mine was accurate but as one reviewer mentioned it will/can slide down a metal stud due to the weight or the metal housing. I'm going to try to perform some southern engineering to correct the problem.

This is one of the best lasers (size, price and 3 beams) for layout that I have found on the market. The beams (all 3) are bright, BUT, like many other reviews for this product. The unit arrived out of calibration (1/2" out of square in 4' using the 3, 4 and 5 rule). I like this unit so much that I will drive 100 miles round trip to take this to a certified Dewalt Service Center so they can send it out to get it calibrated. If it comes back still out of calibration. I will return it to Amazon. But, I am willing to give Dewalt one more chance to correct their error. It's too bad this product is living up to it's past history of being sold and delivered out of calibration. I have many Dewalt products and they are served me well in the past. I am hoping for the best.

Works great

It does the job

I love the way it works but the bubble that tells you how level your line is seems off to me.

the cover that holds the batteries in doesnt stay shut. and if you try to put a nail in the wall with it on the wall... it moves and then you have to re-align it each time.

It gets the job done, and it's somewhat cheaper than other options. What I can't get my head around is why the nail on the underside is not removable. I don't always want to poke holes into my wall so this thing can swivel. Sometimes (most times), I just want to get a level value and extend that evenly across a wall so I can mark it with a pencil. The way this thing is designed, you have to swivel the bottom-side nail out and punch it into your wall. If you don't do this, the nail doesn't rest flush within the unit, and it prevents the unit itself from resting flush against the wall for your leveling tasks. ... This kind of renders it useless as you're left unable to rely on the leveling bubbles.Break the nail out. You'll be happy you did. After that, it works like a charm. Still, such a flawed design deserves mention.

The drywall mounting mechanism for this is bigger than I elected--it's like putting a small nail in your wall every time you use it. And it's not that easy to get in the drywall. Now I have a bunch of level pictures hanging up but also a bunch of little holes all over my bedroom walls. I like the idea better than the execution.

"PLEASE READ BEFORE BUYING THIS"I own an acoustical ceiling company and have been doing ceilings for well over 21 yrs.I use my lasers in commercial contracting to level drop ceilings in small to medium size rooms.I'm a huge Dewalt fan but they dropped the ball on one detail of this laser of which I will explain in a bit.I had been using their predecessor DEWALT DW088K for quite a while and loved it so much that I figured I would get this new improved, brighter, more expensive model.I ordered two of them. When I took it out of the box and turned it on I was impressed by the brightness of the beams. I don't personally use all three beams on a regular basis but its a cool feature for someone that does.So, I sent my guys to the jobsite with these new lasers, sure that there would be no issue. I got a call shortly after from my guys telling me that the laser was gradually sliding down the wall mount bracket. At first I though they must be doing something wrong. When I got to the jobsite I realized that even though it was an intermittent issue, it was definitely an issue. Especially when I got a guy running wall angle and the laser starts sliding down the bracket and he starts running the angle out of level.I never had this issue with the DW088K model. After looking at the laser closely I quickly realized why it was sliding. When they came out with this new "improved" laser they added the metal housing in the front which adds a substantial amount of weight compared to the previous model. Unfortunately they did not add another magnet to the laser to compensate for the extra weight so it would stick to the metal on the wall mount bracket. I haven't tried sticking it to a metal stud or any other metal yet but can only imagine that it would be worse than on the even/flat bracket. Just the slightest vibration causes it to start sliding downward. I was able to use a spring clamp to the wall mount directly under the laser to prevent this but that is annoying and who wants to spend nearly $300 for a laser that you have to use a spring clamp on?Until Dewalt fixes this ridiculous issue, I would NOT recommend this laser to ANYONE unless your not sticking it to anything via the magnets.For what its worth the two lasers that I bought were not just a bad batch. They came from two totally separate lots, two ends of the USA and purchased from two different suppliers.Taking these to Dewalts repair center would be a waste of time unless they can modify it to use another magnet which isn't going to happen without remaking the laser.So, now I'm stuck with two brand new lasers that should have never made it past the drawing board.EXTREMELY DISSAPOINTED

Was almost 1 inch out of calibration at 18 feet. No way to field adjust. Dewalt has dropped the ball on this one. Great idea poor excution!

The user guide consists mostly of instructions for a field calibration test.Being a nerd, I followed them.And I was shocked.Out of the box, my unit's horizontal plane was off by one inch at 50' - well outside acceptable parameters.Maybe if DeWalt performed a calibration test at the factory they wouldn't need their customers to do it in the field.Disappointed.

It's okay. It has a pin that supposed hold the level. It spins or falls off the wall, defeating the hands free. You have to hold it and mark it.

Hard to adjust to level, hard to see laser line. Leveling vials are hard to see.

On the one I got, the light isn't straight, so forget to use it for jobs where you need precision. To measure small surfaces or simple stuff it's just ok.

The pin that holds it. To the wall keeps retracting and drops the level off of the wall

I assumed that it 'self leveled' once you put it on the wall...it doesn't. it would be the same as holding a laser pointer across the wall

Reason for low review is similar to reviews I see after the fact of purchase: alot of similarities to problems others appear to have had. Flimsy and not good quality that one expects from Black and Decker, which saddens me. Revamp of design would be good, such as the ability to attach securely to any/all surfaces. Perhaps velcro, suction cups. **I even pre-drilled a hole and the "pin" came right off. Not good. Wrapped up, returned and got a refund. Went to hardware store and bought the snap-chalk line. It works as this product couldn't hold it's own weight w/ the flimsy pin/spike.

I usually love this item but this it was 1 inch off

Can't use it the laser beam keeps getting stuck and doesn't self level.

The leser level was badly calibrated, and I dont have time to send a brand new item back to the manufacturer to fix.I was very disapointed.

doesnt have a lock for laser. as a contractor it wont transport well....

I have had this unit almost a year. Although I purchased it on September 23, 2013, I had a friend ship it to me in Thailand and it arrived along with some other tools from the US in early November. Today is October 14, 2014.The DW089 would have quickly scored five stars from me had it arrived properly calibrated. I agree with all the wonderful features posted by all the five star reviewers and need not repeat them here. I would even go so far as to vote the tool MVT (Most Valuable Tool). The first thing I did right out-of-the-box was to perform the field calibration tests. I have a large shop/garage with level concrete floors and clean painted walls and ceiling in which to perform the tests. I am a very meticulous person and performed all the tests twice; obtaining the same results each time. Although the calibration was close, each of the three was outside the acceptable limits set by Dewalt. There are several Amazon reviews mentioning this problem. Like another one star reviewer, I wonder if all the five star reviewers even checked calibration. For one thing, the field calibration test is almost impossible to perform if you do not have a very large space (100 feet) with walls and ceilings for projection. Most people have no such space available.I have used many Dewalt tools for over 35 years and have been mostly satisfied. But selling an out-of calibration laser level is totally unacceptable. There is simply no excuse for it. It would be like selling a precision bevel sliding miter saw with an out of balance blade and spindle that wobbles. Who would accept that? This is why it gets One Star.Since the calibration was close, and I planned to use it for short distance work (error reduced at shorter distances) and low tolerance work (like concrete), I went ahead and used the DW089, thinking I would return it for recalibration before the one year of free service was up. Being in Thailand, shipping is both time consuming and very expensive. After 11 months or so, I thought, “Gee, I better get this thing returned or calibration.” But when I checked the Amazon receipt, I discovered that even though I had had the tool less than 11 months, I had actually purchased it 12 months and a week earlier.In 35 years of Using Dewalt tools, I have never contacted Dewalt about any issues. My first attempt to use their customer service arose out of this issue.I contacted Dewalt service by e-mail and thoroughly explained the situation, including the fact that I am in Thailand with high shipping costs and giving the out-of-the-box calibration errors (I kept notes). I asked if they could extend the one year period under the circumstances or if recalibration was covered by the three year “limited” warranty. I also explained to him that to return the DW089 to the Dewalt Service Center, it would cost me $75 to ship the unit back to Dewalt, another $75 to have my friend ship the unit back to me (I seriously doubt that Dewalt will pay international shipping costs) and that I needed some answers in advance of doing so. After several exchanges, “Jeffery” just kept repeating the same basic chorus line, which goes something like this: “You need to send the unit to the Dewalt Service Center before you can have any kind of an answer.”Here is one thing Jeffrey did say in our most recent e-mail communication (direct quote):John,Upon checking with the service manager they informed us that the DW089 was not able to be calibrated. It would need to be replaced if under warranty or a defect however they would need to physically examine the unit to determine if the unit could be replaced under the 1 year full service warranty and 3 year limited warranty.ThanksJeffNot able to be calibrated??? Huh? All these out-of-calibration DW089 units that customers return to Dewalt for recalibration are thrown on the trash heap and replaced with new ones? Could this be? In any event, that rules out repair. So the next question is simple, as a matter of customer service: Will Dewalt give me a courtesy extension of the one year full service warranty? If the answer is no, it generates another simple question: Is calibration covered under the limited three year warranty? If the answer is no, there is one final question: Is there any remedy available and what are the pricing options? Moreover, though, I wonder what are chances, after going through all this, of even getting a properly calibrated unit from Dewalt? One reviewer says he returned out-of-calibration units three times and each time received an out-of-calibration replacement. At $150 a pop, that little exercise would cost me $450! If this is how Dewalt is now doing business, it just is not worth pursuing.In any event, according to Jeffrey, who can’t seem to get meaningful information or provide a real answer, I am supposed to pay $150 in international shipping costs before Dewalt will even give me an answer. I thought Dewalt could simply recalibrate it for a fee if the warranty will not cover it, but Jeffrey says it cannot be done. I cannot envision gambling $150 on shipping costs only to be told, “Sorry, the first year is up and the limited warranty does not cover you”? I would end up with the same out-of-calibration unit back in my hands and $150 gone from my pocket. Jeffrey wants me to buy a pig in a poke. This is not reasonable.And all this because Dewalt sold an out-of-calibration tool to me in the first place! It’s an outrage. It seems that Dewalt’s marketing success has made it over-confident. I am losing my confidence in Dewalt. I expected better.

Recently purchased the DeWalt DW089. Performed the field calibration accuracy test out of the box. Wow. Per DeWalt's instructions I checked the laser at 30' and found it to be off more than 1/2 an inch. Ran the test several more times and got nothing near the allowable distance of 1/8". So I took it to the DeWalt service center for service. They told me they would do a service test here (Kansas City area) and if it needed more service it would be sent to Houston, Texas. Never heard anything and I called and they said they had to order a new part.Thought about it and decided why should I be replacing a part on a new tool so I went and picked it up (told by service center that they had actually ordered me a new laser). Called Amazon and got a replacement laser level today.Decided to perform the field calibration accuracy test again before using on job next week. Wow. Not any better results. Actually worse. This time its out of wack 5/8" over the same exact 30'.So am I expecting too much? Am I doing something wrong? I don't think so. But it begs the question of what my results should be for distances less than 30'.And if the service center actually performed the same accuracy test and decided that I warranted a new laser lever then I have to assume that the accuracy test if performed on most of the levels purchased are not that accurate. And what are the chances that I can get two out of calibration levels in less that 4 weeks.My question to the other reviewers of this laser level is did you perform the field calibration test upon purchase or at all at any time after? And what were your results.I will say that the laser line is very red and easy to read at 30'. Not that impressed with the magnets. Don't seem to hold tightly to base. Seems to slide a bit more than it should.

Didn't work right out of the package. Tried new batteries and everything.

does not work well at all

Low light intensity and very difficult to align to ensure accuracy

Broke within a week!! Absolut junk pay the extra for a better one

Terrible. Dosnt work Tried 3 different sets of batteries.

The "hands-free" mechanism is just a push pin that isn't firmly attached to the unit and, when pressed into drywall, will simply fold over on itself long before enough pressure is put on it to drive into the drywall. After half an hour of trying to get it set in and a lot of scraped up drywall, the pin ended up snapping off altogether. Don't buy if you need actual hands-free operation.