Florian Wilhelmy puts the new
LAR 160 G rotation laser to the test
“The laser is really intuitive to use,” says master carpenter Florian Wilhelmy as he tests out the LAR 160 G rotation laser. Quality is his biggest concern when he’s choosing tools – and that’s why he looks for products that will make his day-to-day tasks that little bit easier.
Florian Wilhelmy definitely has a head for heights. Most days, the 27-year-old from Neustadt, Germany, can be found scaling a rooftop – a natural environment for a master carpenter like him. In addition to the practical work he does on Germany’s roofs, he is also responsible for the preparation that needs to be done beforehand, and for taking measurements and making calculations. Florian was one of the first tradespeople to test out the new LAR 160 G rotation laser, and even shared his thoughts with the developers at STABILA during the process of bringing the product to life, contributing key insights from his experience and feeding back his impressions. In this interview, he tells us more about his thoughts.
Florian, were you the sort of kid who loved climbing trees?
Totally! I was up there far too often, in fact – I did unfortunately manage to break a bone or two (laughs), so my mum knew the route to the hospital pretty well. Heights still never bother me, though.


You were one of the first tradespeople to test out the new LAR 160 G rotation laser. What were your first impressions?
Very positive – it’s a really compact unit and not at all bulky, which is something that’s really important to me. It’s also great that it has a sturdy surface it can rest on, as we don’t always use tripods with our units. I really love the fact that it’s easy and intuitive to use, and it has a great range of functions. My job often involves measuring and transferring heights, and performing both horizontal and vertical levelling: the LAR 160 G can do all that, so it’s a really handy, compact unit to have around day to day.

In just a few words, how would you describe the LAR 160 G rotation laser? What are the advantages of using it? And where do you use the laser?
The main advantages are clearly the broad range of functions and the product’s ease of use. The laser has 3 buttons for on/off, tilt and manual mode, which are all very intuitive. It’s also really easy and quick to change the battery by hand, which saves a lot of time. The fact that the tool has IP 65 protection is the icing on the cake, as this means I can carry on working even when it’s raining without needing to worry. We found the laser really useful in a new-build job where we had to install a set of steps on a roof. It was very important to the architect that the steps were symmetrical and looked in alignment with the existing steps. The laser’s vertical function was perfect for the job. We could also use that feature in other applications – for example, if we had to make sure that a number of windows were exactly aligned with one another. Nobody’s perfect, but STABILA products definitely help you bring things that little bit further towards perfection.

What do you look for when you’re choosing tools? And why are tools so important to your work?
Tradespeople use their tools every day, so the quality really matters – if you buy rubbish, you end up buying twice, and you just won’t achieve the high standards you’re looking for.
Florian Wilhelmy has an active presence on social media too. You’ll find him posting as @carpenter_flo on his Instagram account, where he’s built up a community of more than 16,000 followers.
Instagram: @carpenter_flo