Hands on Review – Huepar HP-603CG – Green Multiline 3D Line Laser

July 6, 2021

Huepar

14 10

Review of the Huepar HP-603CG Green Multi-Line 3D line Laser

A review of the Huepar HP-603CG Multi Green Line laser level.

The HP-603CG by Huepar is an auto leveling laser level with three 360 degree green laser lines. The laser level features horizontal and two vertical laser lines at 90 degrees to each other. This provides not just leveling, but, also vertical alignment, square and plumb floor to ceiling. The 603CG is designed primarily for indoor fit-out and installation applications but can be used over a limited distance outside with the help of the included laser target (4 or 5m depending on how bright the sun is). This Huepar model also has the ability to use an optional electronic laser line receiver for a greater range outdoors (up to 40m).

What comes in the Kit Huepar HP-603CG

The laser level comes in a soft carry bag with a foam insert for protection. The bag itself is fairly standard compared to other lasers levels at this price point. The foam, however, is pretty cheap and nasty and I would expect it not to last too long with regular use. In the case is the laser level itself, a magnetic mount, Li-ion battery pack, “AA” cell holder, charger, and green laser target. Also included is an instruction book in multiple languages.

First impressions

Picking up the laser level and holding it in my hand it feels substantial, and pleasant to hold. My first impressions are of pretty good build quality, it does not feel cheap like some others I’ve held. The covers of the three laser outputs are cast metal adding to the perception of quality. The covers add protection to the laser prisms in the event of a drop, I’ve seen some pretty flimsy ones in the market that would offer very little protection.

The Li-ion battery slides into the battery compartment and is charged in the laser level itself. The charging socket is located at the rear. Some brands will allow you to charge the battery when not in the laser. This is handy if you want to charge whilst still using the laser with the “AA” standard battery cells.

Powering Up

The Huepar HP-603CG is powered up by first sliding the pendulum lock, located on the side of the laser. I personally prefer auto levelling laser levels with pendulum levelling to have a pendulum lock. The lock prevents this pendulum from banging around when in transit, some major tool brands do not have a pendulum lock like this. It’s important on small pendulum levelling lasers like these to protect the gimbal bearings. As any even minor damage to these bearings will limit the accuracy and consistency of levelling.

When the pendulum is un-locked the horizontal line is powered up and the power indicator on the control panel lights up. To activate the vertical lines press the “Laser” button, each press toggles through the lines. To save battery power just activated the lines you need. The instructions state that with all lines on expect about 7hrs out of the Li-ion battery and 2hrs with the “AA” standard batteries.

The only other button on the control panel is the “P” or pulse button. This is required for a line receiver to be used. Pressing it, whilst a laser is active, will visibly dim the beam a little as it pulses rapidly. The pulsing allows an optional receiver to be used. Note it needs to be a line receiver capable to see green lasers, rotating receivers will not work.

This Huepar does not feature manual mode. Some brands and models allow you to power up the laser lines without unlocking the pendulum. This is handy if you want to shine a line at a specific angle e.g. fixing handrails on stairs. Upon further inspection, the Huepar does indeed have a manual mode. This allows you to set the laser line at whatever angle you place it in. For example, installing stairs, etc. To achieve this you will need to press and hold the left function button for over 3 seconds WITHOUT unlocking the pendulum. Ideally, it will be best to use a 1/4″ camera tripod with a pan-tilt head.

Using the HP-603CG

The control interface of this model is very simple and easy to use, making it great for the occasional user as well as professionals. The green beams seem bright and pretty crisp, although, after about 20m indoors they start to get a bit fuzzy. Its also clear to me that the laser diodes used are the cheaper ones compared to the German OSRAM diodes used in more expensive brands. From my experience, the cheaper green diodes do not have the same reliability over time compared to the OSRAM ones. However, for this price point, they are fine.

The instruction book indicates that this laser has a class 2 output of less than 1mW. I compared this laser to another with a class 3 5mW output and the brightness seemed very similar. I do not have access to a laser output measuring device so cannot check, unfortunately.

Accuracy

The stated accuracy for this model is +/-3mm over 10m, which is a little lower than some on the market, but, is fine for the types of applications you would use this for. I checked the accuracy of the example I had and one axis was within +/-1mm in 10m and the other was just inside the tolerance at +/-2.5mm at 10m. Again this is fine for the types of applications you would normally use this type of laser for. Finally, I checked the consistency of self-leveling of the bearings across the range of self-leveling. The results were very good with self-leveling accuracy remaining well within tolerance. This being better than some other brands I have looked at.

One other topic to cover at this point is recalibration. The Huepar does not have any external access to allow easy re-calibration in the event that it needs it. This is not that unusual with tools brands such as Dewalt and Bosch, but it is a little more unusual with the more generic brands. It does not mean that this laser cannot be recalibrated, it just means that it’s harder and more time-consuming and so more expensive. Compared to a brand with easy access to recalibration screws.

More Features

The Huepar HP-603CG can be used either on its own or with a tripod. handily, the laser can use either a survey thread 5/8″ tripod or a standard 1/4″ camera tripod.

The Laser can also be screwed onto its included magnetic mount, allowing it to be fastened directly onto steelwork. The magnets seem to be reasonably strong, although I have seen better. The base does not have any height adjustment or the ability to screw it to wood framing like some others on the market.

Conclusions

As stated I am impressed with the general build quality of the Huepar HP-603CG and would be happy to recommend it to both occasional home users and professionals alike. The only reservations I would have is with its long-term serviceability, in terms of recalibration and possible long-term reliability. However, for the price and the features, it provides great value for money.

There is another model the HP603CG-BT which is basically the same laser, but, with bluetooth. The bluetooth communicates with an ap and allows control of the laser level. I have not had the chance to try these features out, but all the other features are the same as the model I reviewed here.

You can also check out the video review.

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