I purchased this unit only from Amazon. At the time, the unit was on sale and I saved an extra $20. This was a factor in my decision making. It was the cheapest laser level I could find that appeared to suit my needs, met a reasonable price point, and was available on short notice (Amazon Prime). Overall, I quite like this unit. It worked well for my needs. I used to own another, similar device that I paid >$300 for a number of years ago. This unit - while not as robust - is doing a decent job of replacing my old unit. What I like the most is it displays both horizontal and vertical lines, whereas my old unit only did horizontal. Bear in mind this is a light-duty, consumer-grade device. The laser level head itself seems very well constructed for this price point and target market. I have knocked the unit over a couple of times (with it on its tripod), and it has survived a 5' drop onto a wood floor. No perceptible damage or impact, which is good. If you are going to use this in a construction environment, it needs to be able to handle some scuffs here and there. So, from a build-quality to price-point view of the laser level itself, I'd give it 5-stars. The tripod OTOH is very flimsy and I plan to dig up my old pro-camera tripod that is decades old and use it instead. The tripod that comes with this unit should be considered only if you don't have a "real" tripod to use. It's a throw-away item IMHO. Thin, cheap aluminum. There are two big issues with the tripod from my perspective: a) it's too light weight, which means it's easy for it to be moved by accident, easily knocked over, and very susceptible to vibration; and b) it's too short. For example, I wanted to use this level to align a soffit in a room under construction, but was unable to utilize it for that particular task because there was no reasonable method of getting the level set to the necessary height (~8' off the floor). Caveat emptor if like me you are considering purchasing this for construction work. Though that said, I really like this laser level, so don't let that turn you off completely. Here's my comprehensive list of 'pros' and 'cons' to help you whether this product will suit your needs before you make a purchase: Pros: 1. Great price-point 2. Build quality of the level itself is good 3. Manufacturer claims self-leveling within 6° (all axes; x,y,z). I tested this and indeed it works, though I cannot confirm the maximum offset of 6°. 4. Displays a vertical and horizontal line simultaneously, so you get a cross (+) in the middle where the lines meet, at 0° vertical and horizontal axes. This is useful to ensure you have the device placed where you want it relative to your floor when using a tripod. 5. One of the brightest non-professional laser levels that I've used 6. Battery longevity is good (it requires 3-AA batteries; there is no wall plug) 7. Laser level may be detached from included tripod; has standard 1/4-20 tripod thread on the bottom of unit; bottom is flat and may rest on any suitable surface. 8. The (light) throw is good. I would estimate in a room with moderate to average lighting, you can easily get 16' of visible light. The included red tinted plastic glasses help increase that range slightly, or improve visibility in a brightly lit room. Cons: 1. Tripod is very light-weight, and constructed of (I believe) thin aluminum. I'd say the tripod is suitable for indoor use only. 2. Useful indoors only as the laser light will be too dim outside unless an overcast day or at night; however, this is typical for consumer-grade products such as this one. Exterior-rated pro units typically don't use visible laser light anyway. This is not really a 'con' so much as a warning if you are considering outdoor use (i.e. don't). 3. The tripod's maximum height is quite short. I didn't measure it, but would estimate the maximum height at about 1m. Perhaps a little taller, but no more than 4 feet tall. 4. The unit cannot be used in any position other than flat horizontal. This means it's less useful for certain circumstances, such as drawing a line level on a wall. It can be done, but you must move it away from the wall to do so. Not a huge 'con', but noteworthy. It is conceivable one could use velcro or another method to "stick" the unit onto a vertical surface temporarily, but I would not recommend planning on doing that. The laser level unit is relatively heavy for it size. 5. The placement of the unit often puts the user or other persons in line-of-sight of the red laser. This is not a Class I device, which means it is NOT eye safe. Be careful especially if you have small children or pets that will be in the vicinity of your use of the device. [note: I have a background in LIDAR systems; I know what I'm talking about here! This device CAN damage your eyes. There is a warning on the device (required by FDA).] 6. The unit is very sensitive to vibration. Walking on an unfinished OSB floor in the same room as the unit, every time I took a step the laser light wobbled (note: I weigh 175 lbs. FWIW). Once the vibrations stop, the unit stops wobbling after 4-6 seconds. 7. Carrying case is relatively flimsy, but suitable for indoor storage. It is made of light-duty plastic.
