For this product review Peter Gill puts the Bosch Professional GLL 3-80 CG 12V Cordless Connected Green Line Laser Level through its paces.
What attracted you to the tool in the first place?
Bosch Professional is a respected name in the construction industry and is renowned for producing good quality bits of kit, so when the opportunity came around to product test the GLL 3-80 CG Laser Level I was more than happy to have a go. This particular laser level utilises green lasers which, according to industry wisdom, is meant to be easier to see than red lasers, so I was intrigued to find out if this would be the case.
What were your first impressions of the unit?
The product came in a tough carry case with each bit of kit having its own place to keep it secure. It’s easy to see that the laser level is very well made and tough – just what you’d expect from a Bosch Professional product. It’s also very compact and surprisingly light, making it the ideal size to carry around on-site comfortably.
How easy did you find the unit to use?
After reading through the instructions for the tool I found the laser level to be relatively straight forward to use in its most basic format. There are, however, a number of innovative features on this bit of kit that require a bit more reading to understand. As with most tools, after I’d used it a few times I was much more confident in what I was doing.
Give us some examples of tasks that the unit helped you with.
The laser level was put to good use on a unit refurb that I was doing. There were a number of sockets, switches and other outlets that I needed to install in plasterboard walls, all to varying heights, so the laser level was perfect for this task. After setting the unit up I was then able to set the height using my phone that I’d connected to the laser level via Bluetooth, and then marked out where the points needed to be.
The green laser was extremely easy to see and, personally, I found this to suit my eyes much better than red lasers that I’ve used before. I’m glad to say that the laser level did the job exactly as I needed it to – it really showed up on the plasterboard and I found it very easy to change the height of the laser level by using my mobile phone with the Bluetooth connection.
Are there any features of the tool that you particularly liked?
The operability of the unit is something that surpassed my expectations and I love the fact that it can be controlled remotely and allow for contactless adjustments of the laser level while in-situ. It also has the features to allow for simultaneous horizontal and vertical levelling applications. The 12V rechargeable battery is also a lot better than using normal batteries, as is the case with most laser levels.
Are there any improvements that you would make to the tool?
The only improvement I would recommend is that it would be useful if it was supplied with a tripod so you could set it up from the tripod instead of positioning it on other surfaces. The laser level is supplied with a bracket so it can be mounted on a wall, but the tripod would be more practical.
Would you recommend the unit to other electricians?
If you use laser levels regularly on-site then this is a great piece of kit that does everything you need, and more. Whilst I was using the product at work my friend, who installs a lot of partition walls, also used it for a few jobs and was very impressed with the features and how precise it was. Whilst it may not be the cheapest bit of kit you’ll buy, it is a very sound investment if you use laser levels on a regular basis.
For more information about the Bosch Professional GLL 3-80 CG 12V Cordless Connected Green Line Laser Level visit: www.bosch-professional.com/gb/en/
