Photo: CST/Berger
What We Like
- Horizontal and vertical self-leveling
- Superior 2000-foot range
- Long 85-hour battery life
- A convenient remote controller
- Durable rugged construction
- Intuitive leveling indicators
What We Don’t Like
- Weighty at 20 pounds
- Short 1-year warranty
Bottom Line
Superior leveling capabilities, a rugged durable build, and advanced usability enhancements make this rotary laser level a great companion for professional contractors.
Introduction
When it comes to professional-grade performance, the CST/Berger RL25HVCK rotary laser level excels easily with its perfect balance of advanced leveling features, ease of use, and durable build for operation in harsh job sites.
The tool goes all out when it comes to performance. With its vertical and horizontal self-leveling, long 2000-foot range, and extended battery life, it excels even in the busiest of construction sites.
CST/Berger RL25HVCK Review
Photo: CST/berger
Application and Performance: Heavy-Duty and Jobsite-Ready
The RL25HVCK was designed for the most demanding job sites. The heavy-duty rotary laser level offers all the features professionals in construction demands from these tools, and much more.
It is a versatile unit that has many applications across construction projects of varying magnitudes. The tool is especially suited for exterior leveling projects such as foundations construction, footing excavation, grading, and related site work.
One of the key performance highlights of this rotary laser level is its superior 2000-foot range when using the laser receiver. And even without the receiver, it still manages a decent 200-foot range. These ranges are great for covering expansive worksites.
Closely tied to the range is accuracy, and the one achieved by this tool is ± 3/32 inches at 100 feet, and even more at closer distances. This performance is pretty standard for this category of laser levels, so you can be confident in the tool’s accuracy.
This rotary laser level’s versatility is brought out by its leveling capabilities. It supports both vertical and horizontal self-leveling. Not very many rotary levels support vertical leveling. With this model, you can lay on its side, and it will create a very bright vertical beam.
The vertical leveling has especially proven reliable in establishing level, plumb, alignment, and a square reference point in applications such as outlets/lighting fixtures, framing, HVAC layouts, plumbing, patio installations, and piping.
You can use the included mount kit to mount your laser on a wall to support drop ceiling installation. Simply adjust the mount to the laser’s required distance, and then use the magnetic target to help with the hands-free installation of a drop ceiling.
With its single-axis slope control, you can turn off the self-leveling function and manually adjust the laser’s slope to accomplish some complex leveling applications, such as when you want the water to flow away from the building in a gentle slope through swale-graded fill dirt.
There’s an anti-drift feature fitted into the RL25HVCK and its purpose is to power down the laser when a bump is detected, or when the unit shifts from the original benchmark level. This feature helps preserve the level’s accuracy despite the disturbance.
Finally, the red laser beam is very visible and utilizes a Class 3R laser diode with a <5mW power output. You might notice, however, that bright sunlight may overwhelm the laser’s brightness a bit, but the laser detector does a good job of rescuing such situations.
Design and Construction: Rugged and Protected against Harsh Conditions
Because this rotary laser level was designed to withstand harsh operating environments, the manufacturer adopted a rugged design to enable the tool to thrive in such conditions.
Its housing is made of over-mold plastic, which is especially prominent in those areas that are prone to impact, including the laser, and main control panel. According to the manufacturer, this housing is designed to protect your tool from drops of up to 3 feet (1 meter).
But with a rugged over-molded housing comes bulk. This rotary laser level weighs 20 pounds, which far from lightweight considering there are similar models that weigh less than 10 pounds. Since its used when mounted, the weight should not be an issue unless its during transportation.
The tool is also IP56 certified for protection against water and dust, two of the most common occurrences in most job sites. It will resist high-pressure water jets and minimize dust ingress.
It’s worth noting, however, that this certification does not translate to complete protection against these elements, so extra caution is necessary when handling it in such environments.
Finally, the top housing, which hosts the rotary laser, is glass-enclosed. The glass is hardened to ensure that even when it is providing a clear view of the laser, it is offering maximum weather and environmental protection to the delicate unit it houses.
As a bonus, the RL25HVCK comes with a hard carry case that fits the main unit and other small accessories, including the receiver, battery, remote control, and laser glasses, for additional protection especially during transportation.
Battery Life: Long Operating Time
Powering this rotary laser are 3 high-performance D-alkaline batteries, which have a decent operating life of up to 85 hours. For a unit that is used pretty much all day in busy construction sites, this battery life is commendable considering you won’t need to pause work to recharge it.
A battery-saving feature in this laser, which shows the manufacturer had the users’ best interests in mind, is the hibernation mode. When you press the power button on the tool’s remote control, the laser level goes into hibernation mode for up to 2 hours, to save battery power.
But that’s not the best part. While in hibernation mode, the level line benchmark you had originally set is saved in memory so that the tool will not have to self-level again, an occurrence that often leads to new benchmarks almost all the time, in other models.
To keep track of battery performance, the laser level has a battery level gauge, which will not only show the current status but also alert you when the batteries are low so that you can either change or recharge them.
Ease of Use: Superior Operating Convenience
The design and functionalities of this rotary laser level have proven to be considerate of the busy contractors who demand high operating convenience from their tools, allowing them to focus on the tasks at hand.
And the RL25HVCK delivers well in its ease of use. When working with the laser detector, it produces a loud chirping sound after you find the laser line. It has LED indicators on both the device’s back and front such that you will be able to monitor the detector regardless of how you hold it.
You won’t even have to crane your neck at odd angles to observe what’s happening at the detector. When the bottom LED lights red, that’s your cue to move the device upwards, and when the top LED does the same, reverse the motion until the level is obtained, in which case the blue LED lights up.
As if that’s not convenient enough, this rotary laser comes with a remote control so that even when you’re far away from the unit, you can still control it without having to navigate a busy job site just to perform basic operations.
Price: Worth the Value
The RL25HVCK is not cheap, and is somewhat close to the pocket-friendly territory for this class of levels. The price is actually a bargain given the tool guarantees to offer nothing short of professional-grade performance.
It is the kind of rotary laser that once acquired, will thrive through multiple construction and similar projects for years to come. When you think about its value from this perspective, it’s easy to see why getting one of this is a worthy investment.
You’re getting a superior range, industry-standard accuracy, a heavy-duty unit, convenient controls, and application versatility that only the premium models offer.
CST/Berger also offers some worthy competitors to this rotary laser level. One of the rival models is the RL25HCK. It offers pretty much the same accuracy and range as the RL25HVCK but misses out on vertical leveling and variable speed.
For some reason, the RL25HCK costs slightly more than the RL25HVCK, even though the former misses out on some important accessories such as laser glasses and remote control for convenient operation.
Find Other Options: The Best Rotary Laser Levels
Verdict
A high-performance rotary laser level offering all the features a professional contractor needs for diverse and demanding leveling applications.
The RL25HVCK’s superior range, vertical and horizontal self-leveling capabilities, single-access slope control, and rugged build make this tool a great rotary laser level for exterior projects such as excavation and foundation building.
Specs
- Product Name: CST/Berger RL25HVCK
- Product Brand: CST/Berger
- Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 8.6 x 7.7 inches
- Accuracy: ± 3/32 inches @ 100 feet
- Range w/ Receiver (diameter): 2,000 feet
- Range w/o Receiver (diameter): 200 feet
- Electronic Self-Leveling: Yes
- Scan/Variable speed: Yes
- Laser Beam: Red
- Slope: Manual single
- Slope Range: ±8%
- Laser Class: 3R
- IP Rating: IP56
- Battery: (3)D Alkaline
- Battery Life: 55 hours
- Product Weight: 20 pounds
- Product Warranty: 1 year
Key Features
- Superior 2000-feet range with laser receiver for wide site coverage
- Horizontal and vertical self-reveling for level, aligned, and square reach
- Variable speed (0,150, 300, 600 RPM) for beam visibility enhancement
- Long 85-hour battery life on the 3 included D-cell batteries
- A long 8-foot heavy-duty grade rod for supporting accurate readings
- IP56 water and dust protection to help the tool withstand tough environments
- Durable rugged housing with over-mold to protect critical components
- The glass-enclosed top housing provided maximum weather protection
- Remote control to enhance operational convenience