I needed to rehang a whole room of pictures and wanted it to look like it wasn’t done by a monkey with a hammer. This meant I needed a way to mark the bottom of the frames so they lined up nicely with each other. Sure, I could have done it by eye, or with a level and some tape, but I wanted to try out one of the many homeowner laser levels on the market. I choose one of the least expensive options: the Ryobi AirGrip Laser Level.
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The Ryobi AirGrip is designed to stick to wall by continuously running a vacuum pump, but there are times when the non-marring rubber base won’t make a good seal with the wall. Ryobi includes a mounting aid for these occasions, a foam rubber ring that you place under the vacuum base to make a better seal.
The body of the AirGrip has two bubble vials, one for vertical level one for horizontal. These vials help you align the laser beam so it is level or plumb on the wall. The laser itself has a stated accuracy of 1/2″ at 20 ft, and the beam should travel at least 30 ft before diffusing too much to be usable.
Both the laser and the vacuum pump are powered by the same 2 AAA batteries, which can be replaced by removing the front shroud. If you look close enough, Ryobi thoughtfully molded the polarity of the batteries into the plastic.
I know the AirGrip Laser Level has gone through at least one iteration, the older, bulkier version is shown above. There is also an old Ryobi blue version of the current model that you can still find hiding in a few places, but as far as I can tell the specs are the same as the current model.
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The old AirGrip was built on an oval vacuum mount and required a rotating laser turret to position it. The new AirGrip’s circular vacuum mount allows you to rotate the entire unit on the wall, eliminating the need for the turret. But this can make adjusting the angle of the laser tricky on a surface where it has a marginal grip.
You can pick up the neon green AirGrip Laser Level for $20 at your local Home Depot.
Buy Now (via Home Depot)
Will It Stick?
This was my biggest question before buying the Ryobi AirGrip Laser Level: what surfaces will it stick to, if any? I had read several reviews saying it didn’t stick to the customers’ walls, that it was too loud, and other horror stories. So I decided to create a simple chart of the surfaces to which the AirGrip will stick to:
| WILL Stick | Stick with Ring | WON’T Stick |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
This isn’t a comprehensive list, but it should give you a rough idea where the AirGrip will work and where it won’t. Generally, it should stick to non-porous surfaces, and you might have some success with some porous ones. It won’t have an easy time sticking to very porous or textured surfaces.
How Long Will It Stick?
Another question that I wanted to answer was: “how long do the batteries last?” The manual claims that the vacuum can last for 2.5 hours of continuous use and the laser will last for 1 hour.
Using Kirkland-branded AAA alkaline batteries for the test, I stuck the AirGrip to the wall and started the timer. Every 15 minutes I’d take it off the wall and replace it in a new location. After 15 minutes, it was performing normally. After 30 minutes, the laser dimmed noticeably and I had trouble getting the AirGrip to stick to the wall again. After 45 minutes, I couldn’t get the AirGrip to stick to the wall at all.
I’m not exactly sure how Ryobi tested for 2.5 hours of continuous use, but maybe they used an ideal least-porous surface and never moved the AirGrip, but that doesn’t seem like a real world test. Still, 30-minutes with a couple of moves and constant use of the laser should be plenty enough for many around-the-home projects.
How Loud Is It?
As mentioned, I had read several reviews saying the AirGrip was too loud. While we were hanging up the pictures, my wife said the Airgip was annoyingly noisy, but since I’m used to working with dust collection running, the noise didn’t bother me.
I used the same Sound Meter app on my phone that I used on the Ryobi Vacuum Review post to get an idea of how loud the AirGrip really was. Keep in mind this isn’t a calibrated SPL meter, it’s only really accurate enough to get you a ballpark measurement.
The AirGrip starts out louder, but quickly settles down to around 60dB. On the other hand, my 8 year old son registered about 75 dB when he tried talking to me when I was taking readings.
Conclusions
Although the AirGrip Laser Level did help me get all the pictures hung at the same height, the buzzing sound annoyed my wife. While I didn’t run out of juice for that particular task because I used it sparingly, the longevity testing showed that it just doesn’t have the battery life for a longer project.
My dog ate the mounting aid/ring, so I’m out of luck if I need to use the AirGrip on any of the surfaces that needed its assistance. I really don’t like the idea that you need an easily lost accessory for the product to perform properly on some common household surfaces.
So for small projects where you’re working by yourself and don’t have another set of hands to hold a level for you, the Ryobi AirGrip might have a place. If you need a guide line for tiling your bathroom, I’d invest in more expensive tripod laser level.
Bob
I have had one for a while. My only complaint is that it is really hard to get it level. Once it is stuck to the wall the slightest adjustment risks popping the air seal and having to start over. And yes battery life really sucks. I’ve gone through 4 sets of batteries in just a couple of small jobs.
A better design would allow it to be stuck to the wall then rotated till level and locked into place.
Jon
I was on the fence about buying this a few weeks ago. I stayed away at the time because I wanted to see the reviews first. This is the first solid real world review that I’ve come across. Well done!
The chart is handy. For my purposes (hanging pictures on latex painted interior drywall) this seems like it will fit the bill.
I currently have a laser level that is about 9 years old. Some no-name brand purchased off of ebay way back when. The adhesives that came with it would sometimes take paint off of the walls. Also, attempting to lock the laser in place inevitably knocks it off-level, rendering the laser lock utterly useless. Basically, anything is an improvement from what I am using now.
I’m sure that Ryobi will put out an improved model eventually but, at the $20 price point with a 3 year warranty, it seems like a pretty good deal.
JG
Bloody hell Stuart, turn off the video autoplay, that is the worst website sin ever!
Stan
To my knowledge, there is no video listed in this article. In general, assuming you are mentioning the Youtube videos, you very easily turn off auto play with the videos.
Give Stuart a break, he can’t be responsible for everything.
JG
Stuart’s video plays in every window, from the embedded youtube on the right side and it cannot be disabled, so I assume SOMEONE put it in there.
Benjamen
I agree with you that autoplay is the worst, but I’m using Chrome with NO ad-blocker and it doesn’t autoplay for me.
I’m sure Stuart will look into it. He does take pride in making sure his site is performing correctly.
Stuart
JD, the problem must be on your end. I’m sorry, I don’t know what else to say.
It’s NOT set to autoplay – to my knowledge, there’s no way to even force it to autoplay. Maybe you have a plugin, add-on, or other 3rd party browser script that is causing this behavior.
In the past 22 months since you first complained about this (which prompted a post https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/video-autoplay-on-site-load-issue/%3C/a%3E%29, not a single other person has mentioned it, and I have never been able to replicate the issue myself. Not with a PC, not with a Mac, not with an Android tablet, not with an iPad, not with an iPhone, and not with an Android phone.
Since you left a phony email address last time, there was nothing I could do to follow up with you personally.
If other people have encountered the same issue, I invite them to come forward. The only way I can get to the bottom of the situation is if I have more information. And if you’re the only reader that has this issue, then the problem is likely with your setup, and not the site. I’m sorry, but a few more readers with the same issue would have to step forward, and I would have to deem it unresolvable before I stripped that feature from the site.
Jerry
I had videos auto play in several sites on my desktop computer, and it was some sort of bug. I ran my antivirus and it found some sort of self installed add on, which it removed, and cured the problem. It did this on many, if not most sites with a video link on it, though.
JG
Stuart I will check again on my home PC where this happens on Firefox and send you the details. Two years ago I had a different PC but also Firefox so it might be the culprit.
Stuart
Oops. That was JD that wrote in about this 2 years ago. You’re JG. Sorry about that. I saw the initial comment on my phone and then hit the desktop to write out the reply. You’re not the same person, are you? In any case, that would be 2 complaints spanned 22 months apart.
If there’s a glitch in my code, or the embed URLs I’m using I’ll fix it. But as mentioned I checked every main browsing platform and every major browser.
I abhor auto-playing videos myself. Anytime I catch a Google Adsense ad that autoplays or is otherwise obnoxious, I perma-block the advertiser.
I created a simple test page https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/youtube-autoplay-test-page/%3C/a%3E that has a simple YouTube video. All I did was include the URL, and the WordPress software that handles ToolGuyd’s backend takes care of the embed code. If that video autoplays for you, then the issue is almost definitely on your end.
YouTube videos can be set to autoplay, but it must be manually enabled. The default for the setting, unless deliberately overridden, is to not autoplay. (https://developers.google.com/youtube/player_parameters)
Even if not malware of some kind, it seems that some add-ons can force videos to autoplay. One support thread (https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1013153) suggests the user had a 3rd party add-on that had caused the bad behavior.
I’m running Firefox 38.0.1 on a Windows 7 PC, and the YouTube video doesn’t start buffering until I hit the play button.
JG
I think I found the cause, it was on my side – one of my firefox plugins that is supposed to switch youtube to HD automatically somehow gained new autoplay “feature” in a recent update and activated by default so sorry for the commotion.
FYI the plugin is called Youtube High Definition and I have no idea what the author was thinking adding that autoupdate.
And no, I wasn’t JD (I think) although I did use a fake email years back before I knew if this website is legit.
Stuart
I’m glad that you were able to get to the bottom of it!
I greatly loathe video-auto-playing websites, and am glad that this isn’t something that I’ve unintentionally inflicted on readers. I’ll look into ways to prevent this from happening, but if the auto-playing seeing is being overwritten anyway, there might not be anything I could do short of nixing the video box. I’ll make a note to work on this soon.
paul
Stuart… I was also on the bubble to buy this tool. Thank you for saving me aggravation and time wasted. Speaking of time, thank you for the time invested in testing and reporting on this tool – and the hundreds of others – that you’ve shared with us.
Do you have a recommended tripod mounted unit? Wait… let me search your blog first.
Stuart
This was Ben’s review, but thanks! You’re not alone in appreciating his hard work.
I bought the blue version of the AirGrip, and while I can’t say it’s useless, I’ve used my Craftsman laser more. Both are packed up at the moment, but I can’t say I miss them terribly either.
I think the Craftsman one I have has a tripod mount or attachment somewhere in the box. But it’s not auto-leveling. There’s a Bosch self-leveling laser at the $79 price point. That might be a good starting point to look at. Homeowner-grade are less expensive, pro-grade with more features and greater range get pricier real quick.
fred
Our first batch of tripod-mounted rotating laser levels were Johnson-Acculine Pro – 40-6520 which we purchased more than 10 years ago – and are some are still providing good service – although they have needed recalibration and some repair over the years. When we finally needed to replace one about 5 years ago – we switched to a Stabila 05600 which (based on our one unit) seems to be of much higher quality (and I guess higher cost too). We did no great comparison when we purchased either brand – and the market is now much more crowded since we bought our first Acculine-Pros. If I were looking again – I think that I’d still be comparing offerings by Johnson-Acculine – but might add Bosch, CST Berger (a Bosch company), and Dewalt. If your budget/needs permit – then I’d highly recommend the Stabila kit – or you might compare their offerings to ones from Spectra and Topcon.
Mike
Do you have any rechargeable AAA batteries you could use to test the run time?In devices with short runtimes like this they often extend the time substantially.
I laughed when I read that your dog ate the ring. You never know what they’ll go after sometimes.
Benjamen
You have a point rechargeables sometimes do better in high drain applications. I’ll run the test tomorrow, probably…if not Friday. I’m wondering if with lower voltage rechargeables the AirGrip will even stick to some of the surfaces it did before. I’ll try a few of the surfaces again too.
Benjamen
Alright, results in using freshly charged Rayovac Hybrid (think Eneloop) NiMH AAA 1.2V batteries (the only rechargeables I use anymore): I ran the same test as above, starting a timer the first time I stuck it to the wall and removing and resticking it every 15 minutes.
The pump definitely did not have the same suction power with freshly charged rechargeables as with fresh primary batteries. I was having problems getting it to stick to the wall again after 15 minutes, but it did eventually stick. After removing it from the wall at 30 minutes, when I tried to stick it to the wall again it shut down right away.
I’m not sure about the mAh ratting of the batteries I used. I do not know if the runtime results would be different if I used non-hybrid AAA batteries. I suspect that any battery that is 1.2V or 1.25 V is just not going to have the same suction power as a 1.5V nominal battery.
john
I had one of the original ones of these and it was a bit rubbish. It just seemed to absolutely hammer the batteries and wasn’t terribly accurate.
Stanley make some great little lasers at a really good price. I have the CLLi one mounts on a pole or tripod . Also got the little Cubix too for around £40.
The Ryobi is a little novelty toy really.
Andrew
Bought one of these for $8 a few months back at Direct Tool Outlet. Used it twice. Works, somewhat, on my 100-plus-year-old brick walls. Not great, but not the worst piece of junk I’ve owned, either.