Craftsman 48250 Review

The Craftsman 48250 2-beam Self-Leveling Laser Level is a powerful laser level that projects a beam up to 100 feet – the longest we saw when we reviewed the best laser line levels.

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

It is an excellent tool that you can use in a variety of situations, but it lacks the high level of accuracy that some of the best laser line levels offer.

Pros

  • +

    At 100 feet, this laser line level has the longest projection we saw during our evaluation.

Cons

  • -

    It lacks a manual lock as well as clamp and suction-cup mounts.

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The Craftsman 48250 2-beam Self-Leveling Laser Level is a powerful laser level that projects a beam up to 100 feet – the longest we saw when we reviewed the best laser line levels. It has an excellent mounting base that adds extra layers of usability, such as the ability to dial in on a specific height and attach to a wall or tripod.

This laser line level will auto-level a vertical or horizontal line if within four degrees. But once leveled, you can’t use it to project diagonal lines. Since the laser is on a gimbal, you can turn off the out-of-level alarm and rotate the laser to a perfect 45 degrees on a tripod. But the machine’s auto-leveling feature will not fine-tune angular beams.

Once you move the laser line level or bump it, it takes approximately five seconds to self-level. It has a loud out-of-level indicator – it’s helpful, but slightly annoying after hearing it a few times. That being said, the loud indicator is definitely preferable to not having an indicator. It’s also worth noting that this tool does not have a manual lock, so you’ll have to take care not to bump or disturb it once it’s in place.

This tool projects both vertical and horizontal lines, either individually or together. The level projects a line that can be moved within a 110-degree range, meaning it can spread across an entire room with-out issue. According to Craftsman, the laser level can project a visible line up to 100 feet away, but during our tests, we found the line was difficult to see at 50 feet and very blurry at 100 feet.

This cross-line laser level includes a base mount that allows you to quickly adjust the level to your needs. In addition to a standard camera tripod connection, the base mount includes strong magnets that allow you to attach the level to a metal surface, pushpins to attach to drywall and double-sided adhesives to attached to other surfaces. However, it’s missing other mounting options we look for such as a suction cup or clamp.

This tool will last 20 hours on fresh batteries, which is the longest among all the laser line levels we re-viewed. However, the batteries are not included.

The Craftsman 48250 projects a line up to 100 feet, but it becomes blurrier and less visible at the high end of that range. It has many but not all of the mounting options we look for, and the auto-level feature doesn’t work as advertised. Nevertheless, it’s a versatile tool that’s worthy of consideration when you’re shopping for laser line levels.

J.D. Chadwick
TTR Contributor, Yard Tools & DIY

J.D. Chadwick joined Top Ten Reviews in 2008 and quickly became known for thoroughly testing and reviewing yard tools, grills, and cordless drills. His software and video creation expertise added a unique perspective to his articles. As a Multimedia Editor, Chadwick's work became essential to the TTR team, and he authored comprehensive reviews covering a wide range of products, including antivirus software and video editing apps.