Which is better red or green laser level?

Before the first purchase, the question always arises, which is the best red or green laser level? More precisely, with what color of the laser to buy.

And this is quite a reasonable question, since the price of a laser level with a green beam is much higher than with a red.

Do you know why this happens?

The thing is that in the production of emitters of a green laser light beam, almost 50% of the finished emitters are rejected, and are recognized as unsuitable for further use. That is why their cost is 2 times higher than red emitters, where only about 10% is rejected.

But is it worth overpaying for a laser level with green beams?

It is difficult to answer this question unequivocally, since there are no large, global differences between the red and green laser levels.

But with a small caveat: all other things being equal, the green laser line will still be visible better than the red.

Let’s look at some specific examples:

  • If the marking is done in a normally lit room, then at 20-30 meters, you will be able to see both a red and a green laser line on the wall and, accordingly, you will be able to make a mark. But again, the green laser will be visible a little better.
  • There is a place on the wall in the room that is flooded with direct sunlight, then in this place you will not see either red or green lines. You will only see how both lines enter this illuminated area and then simply dissolve. This is not surprising, since the most harmful thing for a laser is sunlight, it very much scatters any laser beam.

    In this situation (indoors), special laser glasses with built-in light filters really help, which highlight exactly the red or green spectrum, which makes the line more visible.

Visibility of the laser line with and without special laser glasses.

Red glasses do not match the green laser and vice versa. For example, if you look at a green laser with red glasses, you simply will not see it, it will magically disappear.

Visibility of the green laser line in red laser glasses.
  • When marking on the street in clear weather at a short distance of about 2 meters, there are also differences in favor of a green laser. In a shady place where there is no direct sunlight, you will clearly be able to see only the green laser line, the red line will not be visible.

    But this is only for a short distance, a little further and the green line will also become invisible. Here, a special receiver is needed for comfortable work, or you can use some life hacks of working with a laser level on the street.

In fact, there can be a lot of variations in the visibility of both lasers, since this indicator directly depends on the degree of illumination. It got a little dark and both lasers became visible on (N..) meters or centimeters more. But green will always win a little.

Therefore, in certain situations, the green laser level is better than the red, this is a fact!

The thickness of the laser line is usually the same, but due to the high brightness of the green line, it may seem a little thicker.

Comparison of the thickness and brightness of the lines at the green and red laser level.

If we talk about energy consumption, then the red laser wins here. Therefore, if we consider the green laser level, it is better to choose a model with the maximum power variability, for example, Huepar 603CG, or at least so that the device works from a rechargeable battery, so that in the future it will not be spent on alkaline batteries.

Since the green emitters are much brighter, the tails of the laser lines at the same 2D levels with different beam colors will be slightly different in a limited space.

For example, if you take the Firecore F113XG laser level with a green beam, and the same model F113XR with a red beam, and put them at a distance of 1.5 meters from the wall, you will clearly see how the green vertical line goes to the ceiling, and the red line does not. And this is provided that they have absolutely the same body design.

Comparison of the tails of laser lines from the green and red laser levels of the same design.

So, returning to the question – ” Which laser level is better red or green?”, I still choose green. Anyway, the advantages in its visibility in bright light are obvious.

Video comparison of the red and green laser level

Sergei Mikhailuk

For seven years I was engaged in various interior decoration and construction of country houses. Then I opened a shop selling laser and geodetic instruments. For nine years I have been selling and making alignment of laser levels, so I have accumulated a lot of experience in this area. Now I am writing and shooting detailed reviews of the laser instrument. For more details, see the page about me.

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