A self-levelling rotating laser that can hold a grade on two axes at once - X and Y. In normal use each axis gives you up to ±5%, so you can pitch a parking lot to drain in two directions, or a pad with a crossfall, without moving the laser. The single slope RL-HV1S does X only.

Plan on ±5% on the X axis and ±5% on the Y axis with the laser set up normally on a level tripod. Cheat the tripod legs and either axis goes up to ±15%, one axis at a time - not X and Y together (see the next question). Set grade from the front panel (no number keypad, so it takes a lot of button pushes) or from the Laser Manager app, where you type the X and Y grade on your phone's number pad and press Set. Flat work is just 0.000% on both.

5% is the real number. Set up normally on a level tripod, the RL-HV gives you ±5% on an axis, and past that the laser shows rAnGE OVEr. With the legs cheated you can go up to ±15% - on the RL-HV2S that is X or Y, one axis at a time (not both at once); on the RL-HV1S, the X axis. You only get past 5% by cheating the tripod legs - tilting them so the head leans uphill toward the slope, which keeps the grade inside the self-levelling range. Two things to know before you do it: you lose Height Alert on that setup, so the laser will not warn you if it gets bumped, and you should re-check the beam against a known point more often. If your job is steeper than 5%, call us at 1-877-866-5721 and we will talk it through.

Topcon rates the RL-HV at ±10 arc seconds on both the horizontal and vertical axes. Working range is approximately 2 to 800 m in diameter (6½ to 2,625 ft) at 600 rpm, as measured by Topcon with the LS-80X level sensor. That range is the laser's; it is the figure to plan the job around.

Two speeds, 300 and 600 rpm, selectable from the laser or the Laser Manager app. 600 rpm is the speed the 800 m range is quoted at and the one to use when a receiver is on a machine or you are watching a display. 300 rpm is there when you want it.

It self-levels automatically within ±5° on both axes - horizontal and vertical. If it is set up beyond that, it will not level.

Yes. Turn it on its side and it self-levels in the vertical plane, also within ±5°. In vertical rotation, Line Control moves the beam left or right on the X axis, ±5°, so you can walk it onto a reference point without moving the tripod.

Matching Mode, also called Manual Slope, lets you match the laser to a grade that already exists - a slab, a road, a pipe run. You set the receiver on the existing surface, then use the arrow buttons to lean the beam until it lands on the receiver, so the laser matches what is actually there instead of you calculating a percentage. The manual slope range is ±5° when the laser is on a level surface. It can also be run from the Laser Manager app.

Masking switches the beam off in the directions you do not need - toward traffic, toward a neighbouring site, toward people - so the laser only turns where the work is. You set it from the menu with the arrow buttons.

If the laser is knocked or its height changes sharply, Height Alert stops self-levelling and tells you instead of carrying on working off a displaced instrument. It becomes active 10 minutes after levelling and can be switched on or off in the menu. It does not operate while you are setting dual-axis grade in Matching Mode or Manual Mode.

Yes. The Laser Manager app for iOS and Android connects over Bluetooth 5.0 and lets you control the laser from your phone - setting slope from the app takes far fewer button pushes. The laser's control panel has no number keypad, so you step to your grade with the arrow buttons; in the app you type the X and Y grade on your phone's number pad and press Set. The app also runs Matching Mode, manual line control, masking and rotation speed, and switches Manual Mode, Sleep Mode and the Safety Lock. Bluetooth range is 100 m horizontal and 20 m with the laser on its side, in good conditions. Topcon's Laser Manager quick guide is on this page to download.

On four D-cell alkalines, 120 hours. On the rechargeable BT-79Q NiMH pack, 65 hours, with about 13 hours to charge fully. Charge it between 10 and 40°C. The pack is interchangeable with alkalines, so a flat pack is not a lost day.

Rated IP66 for dust and water. It operates from -20 to +50°C (-4 to 122°F) and is stored from -30 to 60°C. Weight is about 2.6 kg (5.7 lb) with alkaline batteries, 2.8 kg with the BT-79Q. The tripod thread is the standard 5/8 x 11 used on surveying instruments.

Class 1, 635 nm, to IEC 60825-1 Ed. 3.0, as stated in Topcon's specification. It is still a laser: do not stare into the aperture and do not point it at anyone.

Right on this page. We host Topcon's RL-HV instruction manual (with our contact sheet added on the front and back), the check-and-adjustment guide and the Laser Manager quick guide as free PDF downloads. Topcon's own pages are untouched.

Contractors-Tools.com, an authorized Topcon distributor. We stand behind what we sell. Tell us the work - flat pad, single slope, dual slope - and we will check the laser, the receiver and the accessories together before you order. Call 1-877-866-5721.