BOSCH BT300 Heavy-Duty Aluminum Elevator Tripod

Purchased for use with a Bosch GLL50 -20G. Discovered that the BT300 HD tripod has only a 5/8 -11 tripod thread and the GLL50 - 20G has only a 1/4 inch threading mount. The two are not compatible. I should have carefully read the compatibility technical data before purchasing. The tripod is the very high quality. It is light weight but also very sturdy. The 110" height extension is impressive. I hope to find a bracket that will enable my laser so that I can keep this high quality tripod.

I went in search of a tripod for a laser level that I use in contracting services. I did lots of research and chose this one based on two things: 1. The other option in this price range (from PLS) had reviews that indicated the device would wobble at full Extention. 2. I use the Bosch Gravity Rise saw stands and they are SOLID. (Way better and more durable than the dewalt ones I had before). Even with the past positive experiences with Bosch, when I paid $130 for this I expected it to be fairly flimsy. I chose to accept that this might be the case due to the price point I wanted to stick to: under $150. When I got it though, this thing shocked me! I could immediately tell that this thing was just as sturdy as my saw stands. So, I put it to the test. I brought it to a job site where I’m building a second floor deck. I had it nearly fully extended and my laser level was still able to get to a still level point even on a windy day. UPDATE 12/27/2018: still solid. Works well. Windy days can be a pain when fully extended, but it still functions enough even then.

I used adapters to convert this into a video recording stand, and it works fantastically. If you need some added height for recording sporting events, like soccer, football or volleyball, this is a great choice. It's durable and easily fits into a car trunk despite it's size. It's Bosch, so it's durable and extremely adjustable.

I purchased this to use with a DeWalt DCE34030 laser level. Originally purchased the recommended Dewalt tripod which doesn't have an elevator pedestal. Pain in the butt to adjust horizontal level line up and down. This Bosch unit works great. Much easier to adjust height of laser line. I saw that some people had issues with locking down the pedestal. Using the crank handle and shaft collar I was able to secure the pedestal in place. I like the removable rubber pads on the tripod legs. They grip well on smooth floor surfaces unlike the DeWalt. The only thing I wish Bosch would have incorporated into this tripod is a built in spirit level in the pedestal. Otherwise I am very happy with this purchase.

This is a great tripod at an excellent price. I used it to help me install a lay-in ceiling in our basement. This unit is very solid and easy to level. It uses a lever to raise it to ceiling height which comes in handy! I would highly recommend this unit!

I was very happy to see how well it was built it holds my laser quite well the height adjustment works as advertised I was concerned about the height for the lowest setting if you spread the legs you can get it down to about 30 inches off the floor very happy with this product I purchased it for my M12 Milwaukee laser which fits wonderfully it also works for my LL 500 can't say enough good things about this product little spendy but worth the money

Needed a tall tripod for a laser level, tis worked out perfectly. Quality that you expect from Bosch.

I wanted a tripod for my Bosch GLS25 laser. I initially bought a simple camera tripod which actually worked well, but the issue was not having enough height, and the tilt/pan mechanisms that are standard on the camera tripods are another source of error when setting the elevation. Overall the camera type tripod was working fine, but I needed more height. I considered the PLS elevator tripod and this Bosch model. I ended up going Bosch because it was a little cheaper and matched the laser - in hind sight, I think the PLS would be better for the casual user who wants a sturdy tripod. One of the biggest killers for me on the Bosch tripod is that the top plate is quite large, and it blocks the plumb beam of my laser, so this defeats one of the functions of my Bosch laser. This does appear to be heavy duty and seems reasonably stable, but there are some limitations with the design which don't work for me. For the homeowner the heavy duty nature of this is overkill, and in the end it didn't perform any better for me than a less expensive tripod (other than the height). It still wiggles when you bump it like any other tripod, and when adjusting the laser, using the cranking motion to raise the elevator column, the laser sways around, so it is not rock solid smooth (nor did I think it would be realistically). The elevator works well, but setting the rotation with the top plate is just as imprecise and difficult as any other tripod. When using the thumbscrew to lock the rotation, this action caused the laser to rotate off my mark ever so slightly, so I gave up trying to tighten that down. Pros: - Spike feet tips for outdoor use are quickly converted to indoor rubber feet simply by unscrewing the integrated rubber foot. - Elevator mechanism seems sturdy and I didn't have any issues with the gears not being smooth like some others reported - Quick release levers work fine and tighten the legs securely. Tripod is large and heavy and sturdy overall. - Appears to be all metal construction, no plastic except the steps used to set the spikes I think. Cons: - One issue for me is that the three legs have nothing tying them together to the central elevator shaft. So when you extend the legs, they can be at random angles which makes it harder to make sure that the tripod is sort of close to plumb for a quick set up for indoor work. For pros this is probably ok and for outdoors I can see some advantages to this. With some practice (and with a bubble level, see next con), I'm sure the pros have no issue with this and may actually prefer it, but for me, I'd like the option to splay the legs evenly and have it pretty close to level on a flat surface. - No built in bubble level. Even the cheap camera tripod had a cheap bubble to help level the tripod. I knew this was missing from the websites description, but the descriptions of this tripod are so limited that I was hoping that maybe there was one on there. It is very difficult to get the tripod reasonably level without having this, and I'm sure the pros have a bubble level on the instrument or that they can mount, but for me, this is added cost and effort. I understand why they wouldn't put a cheap imprecise bubble on this, but anything would be better than nothing. - Rotation Plate. Very difficult to rotate the laser to a precise point. When rotating, there is just enough "stickiness" in the fitting that you have to overshoot your mark and hope the plate rebounds back the right amount to rest on your mark. Also, after fiddling with it and getting it set on the mark, as soon as I tried to lock it down with the thumbscrew, that action of tightening moves the plate rotation. I gave up and left it untightened. - Plate blocks plumb laser. The top plate is nice and big which may help stabilize large heavy lasers. But this one blocks the plumb laser point shooting downward from my Bosch laser. I realize this is supposed to be a "pro" tripod, and I knew it was going to be overkill for my use, but I thought at least it would be easy to set up with no play/slop. I think you need to get into the several hundred dollar range for something of that quality. This is a solid/rugged tripod with no bells and whistles, works fine if you have your own bubble level for plumbing it, and you don't have a plumb dot on your laser, and probably would take some abuse. Not worth it for the casual user though, this didn't perform any better than a camera tripod for indoor use.

I was searching for a reasonably priced Tripod that can elevate and extend beyond your typical units. This Bosch unit does just that and is priced well. It’s manufactured well not cheaply constructed as are others. I think its a good value for the price and I’m certain I will get good performance and long life from this Tripod.

Overall, quite a sturdy unit, with the choice of using spikes on the tripod legs. Good value for what it provides. Having used several camera tripods, I expected more from this unit. There is only the adjustment for height - and even then, there is no mechanism to lock the splay of the tripod legs. The height crank was plastic and if the tripod accidentally falls on this crank, I think the crank would crack. Also, the mount uses a 5/8" screw, not a camera screw of 1/4". Inexpensive adapters are easily available, though.

Awesome Tripod. Works well and it's built well. Price can't be beat.

Solid build, great value for the money.

This is a pretty stable tripod but it lacks cross anchors to keep the platform stable. If you're willing to fashion your own simple cross anchor with some (non stretch) rope or wire, or you get yourself a neweer tripod dolly, then this tripod is fantastic. If you're not, this tripod is probably going to disappoint you. Then again, if you're willing to pay what this tripod costs, you're probably okay with buying a tripod dolly or getting creative with some rope.