What are people using for laser pointers to prevent bumping while checking arcs, etc.?
Lasers (the real ones)
Target Lock laser line from Army Painter http://shop.thearmypainter.com/products.php?ProductGroupId=5
If you have a store called "Harbor freight" near you ,they sell laser lines as well.about 5-6 dollars.
On the wall near the circular saw blades.
If you have a store called "Harbor freight" near you ,they sell laser lines as well.about 5-6 dollars.
On the wall near the circular saw blades.
This ^
Do not go to GW or Army Painter and pay 4x as much for something less durable. Dont ask me how I know about the durability :/
If you have a store called "Harbor freight" near you ,they sell laser lines as well.about 5-6 dollars.
On the wall near the circular saw blades.
Crazy. Never heard of that store, and yet there is one 15 minutes away. Thanks!!
If you have a store called "Harbor freight" near you ,they sell laser lines as well.about 5-6 dollars.
On the wall near the circular saw blades.
This ^
Do not go to GW or Army Painter and pay 4x as much for something less durable. Dont ask me how I know about the durability :/
My army painter one was £6 and has been fine for durability so far.
And we don't have harbour freight in the UK. I've never seen a cheap line laser anywhere other than wargame suppliers here.
DOn't go to GW though.
I got my army painter one for $8 from my LGS so if you can get one from harbor freight for $6... Then that's going to be a question of what's closer.
My army painter one however is just fine in terms of durability.
Warning: Most of the Harbor Freight ones that I have checked ARE NOT STRAIGHT LINES. They are designed to mount to the top of a circular saw, and project a 4 inch line about 3 inches away from the cutting surface. So the intended use, coupled with the low cost manufacturing of HF tools yields a lens on the end of the laser pointer that is far from straight.
And for those confused by how a laser can be curved, the straight part of the laser is the beam that is emitted out from it to the surface. The "Line" that it draws is actually caused by a lens at the end of the laser emitter that takes it from a single point/beam and bends it into a line.
Obviously this is an extreme example. The ones that I've seen are typically about 1/4'' off from the range ruler at the end of it. But seeing as you're using a laser to determine if something is/is not in arc, that 1/4'' is typically enough to alter the true results.
Yup. It's worth making sure the straight line... is actually straight.
Some of them are also a lot narrower than others, but the beam being a bit wider than it needs to be doesn't matter as long as one side of it is straight.
Warning: Most of the Harbor Freight ones that I have checked ARE NOT STRAIGHT LINES. They are designed to mount to the top of a circular saw, and project a 4 inch line about 3 inches away from the cutting surface. So the intended use, coupled with the low cost manufacturing of HF tools yields a lens on the end of the laser pointer that is far from straight.
And for those confused by how a laser can be curved, the straight part of the laser is the beam that is emitted out from it to the surface. The "Line" that it draws is actually caused by a lens at the end of the laser emitter that takes it from a single point/beam and bends it into a line.
Obviously this is an extreme example. The ones that I've seen are typically about 1/4'' off from the range ruler at the end of it. But seeing as you're using a laser to determine if something is/is not in arc, that 1/4'' is typically enough to alter the true results.
Exactly because of finding this out in the last round of a store champs a couple years ago... I set out to build the best line laser I could. I found out you can build a great one for under $20 on eBay. Find one of the "military" ones with a rechargeable battery like this one:
Then get a 60 degree line lens like this one:
You'll have to rotate the line lens on the top of the laser (remove the outer cap) until you get a perfectly straight line, then mark it and a dot of superglue will work! You have to rotate the lens because sometimes the laser isn't aligned perfectly from the factory inside the casing.
I really like the "focusable" lasers because you can *really* narrow down that line to get it as narrow as possible, I have a UV (purple) one that is as narrow as the line on the cardboard! Just keep in mind that a laser is perfect for figuring things out quickly, but if you have any question use a clear range ruler for more accurate results.
Edited by jonnydWhat? The ones are Harbor Freight are off? How badly off are they? Did you say 1/4"?
I built a sweet green laser line following techniques provided by Hexdot. I used one of those Chinese green laser pointers and it is powerful enough cast a clear line on the side of a house across the street. It comes with a key-locked safety, lol.
What? The ones are Harbor Freight are off? How badly off are they? Did you say 1/4"?
It will depend on the on the one you get. It *could* be ok. But really, why bother, they are crap. The batteries are horrible and for $8-9 you can get the Army Painter one that is way better built, straight and significantly brighter.
I got a Black and Decker laser at Walmart; meant to serve as part of a level, but it does the job.
Thing is, any laser will be off due to it already being bent to get that line. As long as you hold any laser straight down, not at an angle you will get the correct results. I've tested 8 harbor freight and 2 army painter ones like this. They all have beam divergence if you aren't directly over the area of interest. Get what ever is available. I know that no local shop currently stocks army laser guides so many players go the harbor freight way.
Thing is, any laser will be off due to it already being bent to get that line. As long as you hold any laser straight down, not at an angle you will get the correct results. I've tested 8 harbor freight and 2 army painter ones like this. They all have beam divergence if you aren't directly over the area of interest. Get what ever is available. I know that no local shop currently stocks army laser guides so many players go the harbor freight way.
They are not all equal. The Harbor Freight ones are utter garbage. They are cheaply made at all levels. They use hard to source batteries. The switches die. The diodes are short lived. The beam diffuser lens is glued in, and often off axis (projecting a curve). The is just no reason to get one ever. Especially when for a few dollars more you can get an Army Painter one that is way way better. Or for $20 or so you can build a crazy one (super bright green or red and rechargeable batteries) from a couple parts.
I have 3 personally, only one died and funny enough it was the one I didn't use. The other players that are in my area also have working ones as well. Harbor freight is known for shoddy construction on its stuff, but it's also cheap. I won't argue that point. But if you don't have the ability to buy a laser from a local game store due to them not having one, harbor freight lasers are still decent.
The Army Painter ones are also of mediocre quality. If you are located in Europe, get one from Laserfuchs. They are €20 but project a much sharper line.
The only issue I've had from the laser lines from Harbor Freight are the activation switch, actually. The army painter ones are a spring loaded "dead man switch", so you have to hold the button to hold the laser line on. The HF version has a spring loaded "click" switch on the back end, which turns the laser on and keeps it on until clicked again. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to end up having the pointer rattle around in my token box, and get turned on, resulting in very dead batteries the next time I try to use it... :/
Edit- All that to say that I've tried the harbor freight version, and though it's $4 cheaper than the army painter, I'll be buying the AP version next time I'm close to a store that carries them.
Edited by JasonColeI picked up one from Amazon £20 worked great for me.
The harbor freight line lasers are cheap, durable, and straight. I've had no issues with them.
I have two of the HF lasers. After reading this I did a series of test with them. They are straight. I had to create a mounting system to check because the biggest issue is shaky hands not a laser that is not straight,