40-6625 Self-Leveling Ultra-Bright Cross-Line Laser Level

Note from Johnson Level: 

The 40-6625 Self-Leveling High-Powered Cross-Line Laser Level is loaded with beneficial features.  The compact size and durable co-molded housing on this laser level makes it JOB SITE TOUGH.  Also, the multi-functional bracket allows the laser to swivel to any location and the manual mode allows it to tilt to extreme angles.  The 40-6625 possesses a multi-functional magnetic base with rare earth magnets which allows for use on walls, metallic surfaces or a tripod.  This review was written by Harold Therault and can be viewed in its original form on lunch.com.

Product:

Johnson 40-6625 Self-Leveling Ultra Bright Cross-Line Laser Level

Rating

5 Stars

Overview

Will wonders never cease?  Just when your head is turned you stumble across another amazing tool which will help you along with all of your projects.  It's the Johnson 40-6625 self-leveling cross line laser level.  When I received the laser level from Johnson Level & Tool, manufacturer of levels, laser levels and construction measuring tools, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I expected it to only do one specific job, but as it turns out this is more than a straight line laser.  I do have some of Johnson's other tools, but this one really does a lot more.  I was once involved in an accident which almost took my life, and while I was standing at the pearly gates to get in, I could have sworn I saw a sign that said that these gates were erected with the use of Johnson laser tools. Even God has a use for a very good laser. When they made the Star Trek movies, I would be willing to bet that somewhere in the mix Johnson was involved in the beaming up of Scotty.

You can find laser levels at many merchants (such as The Home Depot, Sears, Amazon, Quantum Gear, Deal time, and other various places, of which a lot of these places do not have the lasers in stock) and the prices will range from $150 all the way up to $250, not including taxes or shipping.  But no matter what price that you pay for this laser, you will not regret investing the money for a tool that will never wear out as long as it is taken care of.  If you do not have a tripod, I would highly recommend purchasing one of them, you can even get a camera tripod because there are two different threaded holes (5/8"- 11 and ¼"- 20 count threads) in the bottom of the base (the holder) and in the bottom of the actual laser, that you are able to mount this on one of the two different types of tripods.

Description

What you should get inside the box is a soft nylon orange pouch which closes with Velcro; this pouch has a Velcro strap on the back to allow you to attach it to your belt for transportation around the jobsite. Inside the pouch you will find a small manual and a see through red target magnet, one magnetic mount, one 23" nylon mounting strap (for piping or conduit or anything that you can wrap it around), one fully self-leveling laser level, and 3 "AA" batteries of the alkaline type. Let us not forget that all important warranty card too; 3 years of parts and labor warranty and 24-hour repair or replacement with proof of purchase.  Amazing!

This whole laser level unit including the pouch only weighs 2lb. and 0.7oz. When this is out of the pouch the unit itself weighs 1lb. and 12.4oz., and off of the magnetic holder it only weighs 1lb. and 3.8oz. The magnetic holder weighs 8.7oz. and can be mounted by the use of the strap or the round magnets that are located on the back and the bottom of this holder. The magnetic target that comes with this is a transparent red piece of plastic, this measures 2 5/16" x 4 ¼" and has a magnet located at the top, plus a foil backing for easier vision of the markings. All around three of the sides there is little white marks approximately 3/8" apart. In the center of this target it looks like a set cross hairs in a telescopic scope.

The laser level that sits on this magnetic mount measures 6.25" in height x 5.25" in depth (front to back) x 2" wide, this includes the mount. Off of the mount is measures 4.5" in height x 4.5" in depth (front to back) x 2" wide. To keep this secured to the mount there is a large tightening knob the will allow you to turn this from the right to the left without removing it from the tripod, with just a turn of this knob, you can tighten or loosen the laser level. On the front of the laser you will see a clear glass window in the shape of a cross, and inside you will see a horizontal and vertical laser glass that hangs from a pendulum. This is what makes it a self-leveling laser, as soon as you flip the on/off switch on the right side the two lasers (one horizontal red beam and one vertical red beam) will become visible on what object that you point it at. When you switch this laser off, the laser head will be locked into place with a locking compensator, so when you are traveling this it will not be damaged or thrown out of calibration. A nice added feature over all the other types of lasers is an audible alarm, so that when you go too far out of level, this will sound off. If you try and move this or lift it up after you switch it on, the alarm will sound off, so you know that is being moved or out past its level limits.  The beam is also very bright; the specifications are less than or equal to 5mW (milliwatts), putting in a ClassIIIa classification, as opposed to other laser levels at only 3mW or less.  Even though it's bright, it's only an indoor laser level since you can't see lasers outdoors in direct sunlight.

These cross-line laser levels are accurate to +/- 1/8" per every 35', and the wave length is 3mm for every 10mm. This has a very high powered laser regulated by the FDA; and can do prolonged damaged if the laser crosses your eyes for a prolonged period of time. The Johnson laser levels are in my book, the safest, and this one is no different; it is in the class II of lasers. The horizontal accuracy is accurate to +/- ½" for every 100' that is (+/-4mm -10mm) and has a range of up to 150' based on lighting conditions. There is also a self leveling range of 5° from the front to the back and 3° from side to side. You also have to remember that the lighting will depend on the working accuracy of this laser. If you use this outside you will need a receiver to get this to work outside properly. There is another feature about the outside casing of this laser and that is the fact that is has a rubber coating on the outside to help from slippage out of your hand and protection against the weather. One other thing there is a side calibration screw that this has but if you take care of this and not drop or bump it a lot you should never have to recalibrate it.

Experience

Ever since I started my remodeling projects for our new home, I have run across several problems of everything not being level and just out of sync. Having this laser level around has helped me draw dimensions so that before my cabinets and appliance come I know that everything is in the proper spots and that I have installed all of the plumbing and electrical outlets as level as I can get. Because once you put everything in place, it will be a real pain to change them to the proper spotting. Especially in some cases such as mine when you are using Granite there is no going back and changing where the holes are in the granite backsplash.

This cross-line laser level is very nice because you can use it in just about any application; we have used it sitting on the floor to check that the base boards are in the right spots and level. We have also used it on the tripod to see if there is going to be enough room for the cabinets to fit properly. The other nice thing is that if that audible alarm bothers you, you can simply hit the no sound button located on the switch side. With the fact that this has two lasers at once coming out we were able to properly place our shelves and cabinets vertically and horizontally at the same time. This is a money saver when it comes to ordering the right size cabinets, because once you order them and get them to your house you are usually stuck with them. 

Since I had no original gas line in this house this laser helped me make sure that I was cutting the hole in the floor and into the ceiling in the exact vertical and level positions. I know, that once you cover them up you will not see them but, I guess that's what I get for being in the military and being so anal retentive about all of my projects. Once you have used this one time you will never do another project without it. All of your projects will look more professional even if they are behind drywall, at least you can be proud of the end results with a Johnson level being used.

Conclusion

The most important key in using this type of laser, is not to let your wife know how easy that these are to operate. Once that gets out then she will expect more out of you. If you complain just a little you can milk it for all its worth and maybe even tell her that Johnson has other laser levels, spirit levels and squaring and measuring tools that will do the other projects a lot easier for you. But just between you and me, this is an excellent laser level and very easy to use; and you can always ask you wife to get a different one for Christmas. This way you can have a whole line of Johnson tools at your disposal.

Recommended

Yes