Bosch GPLL5 Laser Review

Having a fancy laser that shows dots, vertical and horizontal lines is great, but sometimes you don’t need all those options, you only need one line in a small package.  That’s where the Bosch GPLL5 is perfect.  The pen laser is small, accurate and inexpensive.  In fact you can pick this up at Amazon or Home Depot for under $40,  that is how I stumbled across this laser.  I was at a small job and when I was done, they wanted me to hang about 15 pictures, which spanned across the whole room.  A couple were on columns, but most were on the walls.   Yes, I could have just measured with a tape, but I had to hit Home Depot for fasteners and hangers.  While there I saw this laser and decided to give it a try.

As you can see, this is a single line laser in a small size.  Bosch states the laser projects a beam about 16′, which makes it perfect for a wide array of projects.  I found the beam to be perfectly visible for about 10′ and then it would be very faint after that.  The unit comes with a wall mount system which is just a magnetic base that uses two push pins to hold into the drywall.  I used the wall mount once and when I was done, it didn’t leave too big of holes.  One thing I read, but didn’t try is what some people said they used painters tape to hold the base on the wall instead of the push pins.  The laser has two integrated vials (a horizontal and vertical) which means you can project the laser in either direction and be confident of its accuracy.  The unit is powered by 2 AAA batteries which is located on the back side.  The compartment is very easy to open and access.  In regards to run time, I am not really sure how many hours you get per battery change.

As with other Bosch tools, this is built extremely well.  You can feel some weight to this unit and doesn’t feel cheap.  The on/off button is located on the top and uses a push button system.  On the side is a nice big clip that makes it easy to attach to your side, but doesn’t get in the way in case you want to keep it in your pocket.

The biggest thing I like about this laser is the magnets on the back.  Bosch uses strong magnets so you don’t have to worry about the laser moving or sliding when you have it in place.  In fact I mostly stuck it to corner beads to hold it in place and never had any issue.  There are also three small protruding dots on the bottom that can act as legs when using it flat.  My only real complaint with this unit is that it doesn’t come with a small case.  Not that it’s a huge deal since it only runs $40, but enough to mention.

Overall this is a great laser.  Very accurate, easy to use and the wall mount ioption is nice.  The magnets are strong and the tool is small enough to keep in your pocket or clip to your side.  For $40 its hard to beat.  You can pick one up at your local Home Depot or on Amazon.