Tool Box Buzz

DEWALT DW089LG Laser

4.5/5

Manufacturer: Dewalt
Model number: DW089LG
Price: 529.00
Power source: 12 Volt
Motor size: Cordless

DEWALT DW089LG Green Line Laser Review

Growing up when the first Star Wars movie was shown in the movie theaters, lasers were something a kid would dream of. Today, light sabers and laser guns have lost their allure to real construction lasers.

From make grading and excavating measurements, such as determining a site’s area or verifying the percent grade of a slope, verifying stake marks, collect distance, height and azimuth measurements for material estimations, to instantly spot checking level and plumb layout marks on a finish carpentry job site.

As a General contractor and carpenter to me jobsite lasers mean; versatility meets efficiency! If your daily tasks require higher accuracy, which typically means working with tight accuracy tolerances, then you want to invest in a laser.

 What is a laser and how does it work?

The word laser is an acronym for “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.” A laser is a specific kind of monochromatic light, meaning it contains one specific color that is easy to recognize.
With dual-slope lasers, the beacon emits simultaneous horizontal and vertical beams to establish both level and plumb reference lines.

DEWALT DW089LG Green Beam Laser

We recently took a peek at the DEWALT DW089LG 12 Volt 3 x 360 Green Line Laser.
This laser is perfect for construction and remodeling leveling and layout applications. Measuring approximately 6.5” high and 6.125″ long this unit is used for projecting bright crossing horizontal and vertical lines, provides a 100 foot, indoor beam with ± 0.125″ accuracy (1/8″).

It features green beam laser technology which is four times brighter; the green laser diodes are more visible than red and allow for a greater visible range in interior applications along with better exterior visibility.
There are 4 new DEWALT lasers that recently came out. The green line laser versions come with 12V Max Li-ion battery packs, compared to the “AA starter pack” that comes with DEWALT’s red line laser tools.

Durability:

The DEWALT DW089LG 12 Volt 3 x 360 Green Line Laser has a durability rating of IP65. What does IP65 really mean, and how does it affect you?  The IP Code or International Protection Rating, consists of the letters IP followed by two digits and an optional letter, it classifies the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects, dust, accidental contact, and water in electrical enclosures. The standard was designed to provide users with more detail on the products durability in the elements.
The first digit always refers to the level of protection that the tools enclosure protects against “solids,” The letter “6” refers to the tools a having no ingress of dust; complete protection against contact.

The second digit refers to protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water. The letter “5” here refers to protection from low-pressure water jets from any direction.

Versatility:

The DEWALT DW089LG 12 Volt 3 x 360 Green Line Laser emits three (3) 360-degree green line lasers:

• One horizontal line
• Two vertical lines, 90-degrees apart from each other
• A full-time pulse mode allows use with a detector

This laser has an integrated magnetic bracket allows the laser to swivel 360-degrees on its mount. There are two magnets and they’re strong! I was able to securely mount the laser to an electrical bo, steel shelving, a lally column and all sorts of stuff.

Both 1/4″ and 5/8″ thread attachments are located on the bottom and a screw hold on the back for hanging it up on a wall or other surface.

An additional multi-attachment bracket, measuring approximately 9-inches long, allows several ways to use the laser in the field, such as:

1. Clamp onto suspended ceiling framework or angle iron [Spring clip]
2. Screw the bracket to a surface [top and bottom screw holes]

Once the multi-attachment bracket is installed the DW089LG laser securely mounts onto it with its two magnets and can be slid up or down for micro adjustment.

The laser has an over sized slide power switch, and an over-molded housing and a locking Pendulum that helps to prevent damage to internal components. One feature I noticed was when the unit is tilted it will pulse 3-times and then hold the line – perfect for finding the right angle on tile work.

The fact that this tool comes with a 12-volt lithium-on battery and charger means no more dead, disposable batteries when you pull the laser out of your freezing cold trailer where it has been sitting idle for several week. No more last minute trips to a store to purchase batteries either! Being cordless means that you can plug and play other 12-volt batteries, or wait for the charger, if even needed.

Improvements:

The laser comes in a DEWALT molded plastic case with room for an extra battery and god knows what else, there’s a lot of wasted space, making me think that they could have gone smaller on the box footprint.

It took me awhile to figure out how the laser and its accessories went back into the box – I hate when tool companies do this. The folks at DEWAT should somehow mark and label the resting location to save us the frustrating time trying to figure it out and slamming the hood” to see if it fits.

DEWALT DW089LG Laser Specifications:

•   Indoor Visibility Range 100ft
•  Accuracy +/-0.125″
•  Laser Beam Color Green
•  12V Lithium-ion Rechargeable Power Tool Battery Platform
•  Green Beam Laser Technology
•  Over-molded housing and IP65 water/debris resistance
•  Locking Pendulum – To help prevent damage to internal components
•  3x 360° line lasers for full-room layout
•  Built-in magnetic bracket with 1/4″ and 5/8″ threads
•  Rear-mounted magnets allow for flush attachment to metal track and steel
•  Full-time pulse mode for use with detector
•  Locking pendulum prevents damage to internal components
•  100 foot range (green)
•  ± 0.125″ accuracy (1/8″)
•  Includes blow molded case and extended ceiling bracket
•  Width (in) 17.75″
• Overall Length (in) 6.125″
•  Height (in) 12.5″

How Much and Where To Buy?

The DEWALT DW089LG 12 Volt 3 x 360 Green Line Laser sells online for $229.00 here: DEWALT-DW089LG-Beam-Battery-Green

Video Review:

Summary:

The DEWALT DW089LG Laser is a professional construction laser designed to deliver very tight accuracy, and trusted performance. I enjoyed using it and really like the fact that I do not have to purchase disposable batteries to power it.

1 Comment

1. Ed

   February 6, 2016 at 9:54 am

   Good review What’s the range of this unit with the dewalt green laser detector? Could this unit be used effectively outdoors with the detector, tripod and grade rod?

   Reply

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