Laser levels: the straight line goes high-tech.(Up front: news / trends / advice)

The laser level, which uses a beam of light to tell you when something's exactly horizontal or vertical, is one of the hottest tools on the market. But our tests show that it isn't exactly must-have hardware. Here's the lowdown:

Basic types. The smallest, simplest levels project a narrow horizontal beam; some produce a vertical beam, too. Most stick to the wall with tape or pins that leave holes or marks. Most must be leveled by hand with a built-in bubble-in-vial level before they're used. Prices range from $35 to $50.

The more versatile and costly models ($100 to $280 or more) are self-leveling and meant to be mounted on a tripod. (Few come with a tripod, though.) A few project a full circle to hit all the walls, useful for installing, say, a dropped ceiling.

How they performed. Levels priced at $100 or more project brighter, sharper beams. Some low-rated levels have a beam that proved almost invisible in a brightly lit room. Bumps on the wall blocked the beam. All the self-leveling levels were very accurate.

The bottom line. A regular bubble-in-vial level ($10 to $50) is a better choice than a laser level for most do-it-yourselfers. Laser levels are best suited for the people who always seems to be hanging new wallpaper or installing cabinets and paneling. We judged two Black & Decker laser levels CR Best Buys, at $100 and $150. The more expensive one projects a 360-degree line and comes with its own tripod that doubles as a carrying case.

 
Quick Ratings 
Laser levels 
 
In performance order. 
 
      Brand & model                  Price          Test results 
 
                                                                  Ease 
                                               Visi-     Accu-     of 
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