CR700 Combination Laser Receiver with Rod Clamp and Magnetic Mount – IP67 Waterproof Digital Readout, 5-in Detection, 200° Reception, Radio Capability

In terms of laser receiver performance, this laser receiver from Spectra Precision (which is a re-branded Seco Apache Storm, Trimble owns both Spectra Precision and Seco) and outclasses not only the LS-80L that my RL-H5A came with, but the recommended Topcon upgrade (the LS-100D) as well. All three sell for about the same price give or take, but the HL-700 is the better performer of the bunch in my opinion. The HL700 is designed to be compatible with all red beam rotary laser levels, more or less. On the topic of compatibility, I'd say that compatibility is good, except for two noticeable areas: you lose the ability to monitor the rotary laser battery status and the height alert of the RL-H5A remotely on the laser receiver (you keep these functions with the Topcon LS-100D). Only you can decide if these are showstopper issues for you. They were not for me, as I tend to keep an eye on the battery status (4 D cells last over 100 hours!) and in my application no one really messes with my rotary laser. For me, I decided to trade off those two alerts for the added features and robust design of the HL-700. Note that I am referring to REMOTE alerts that display on the laser receiver, my Topcon laser itself will NOTICEABLY display that these conditions have happened locally on the rotary laser by flashing all of its panel lights and slowing down its rotation. Low battery occurs once the battery voltage drops below 4 volts, so pretty soon afterwards the rotary laser will just stop working. The only other nits I have to say about the current version of the HL-700 is that you will need a flat head screwdriver to pry open the battery compartment, the latch is way too tight to use your fingers. This is probably intentional, to ensure a strong watertight seal on the battery compartment door rubber gasket. And the included rod bracket should have a molded indicator pointer showing exactly where to read grade. On the HL-700 bracket, you need to realize that the top edge of the rod bracket handle is at the same plane as the indicator on the HL-700. Its OK once you realize this and are used to it, and just read off the top edge of the rectangular handle. One other thing to be aware of is that if you wear polarized glasses outdoors, you might have trouble reading the LCD displays on the HL-700. When I wear my polarized sunglasses, the LCD screen on the front and on the back has all sorts of rainbows on it, making it hard to read. I just peek over the top of the glasses to see the screen, but this might be a problem for you if you wear prescription sunglasses. Keep in mind that this happens with other LCD screens for me too, not just the HL700. Otherwise, for the money the Spectra Precision HL-700 tops anything offered by Topcon. One point to note is that the HL-700 is a much bigger and better built laser receiver than the LS-80L, thus it is noticeably heavier, which is to be expected. When moving it from section to section on your grade rod, it is much easier to fumble it and drop it. Thankfully, it is designed to take a 10 foot drop to concrete and survive, something I cannot say about the Topcon laser receivers. I do not think you will disappointed with the HL-700, it does everything the marketing literature says it does, and does it well even when paired with a non-Spectra Precision red laser (except the remote alerting described earlier). With Amazon's excellent return policy, you have nothing to fear buying it here!

Item was dfelivered 4 days in advance of promised (ordered in the afternoon and delivered next day , less than 24 hrs) undamaged. This receiver to replace a LS-80L Topcon 9 channel receiver that the batteries corroded in and caused it to fail (lack of non-use protection... arrrgh... corrosion was minimal... failure catastrophic) Current price of Topcon receiver is $428. This Precision receiver is quality made and while not 9 channel, but rather 5 channel, at the price point of $171 is a better choice for me (over $250 savings) as I never really needed or used the 9 channel capability. Field tested it immediately as I was very pleased to move forward on the project 4 days sooner. Works with my Topcon RL-H4c red rotary laser perfectly. Based on my experience, I would definitely recommend. If I have any failure in performance I will edit my review. BUT so far, it beeps fast, it beeps slow, and beeps continuos. AND I will keep the plastic battery shield for in-between periods so not to ruin this one as I did the last. (Of course, removing the batteries and placing them in the laser case is ALWAYS an option, lol... Live and Learn)

Works as described. Would buy again. Using it on lift boom arm of compact track loader (skid steer). Receiver is clamped to short aluminum pipe, bolted to on/off magnetic base. Safety chain between Receiver and boom arm. Can easily see grade LEDs in daylight thru side window.

I have been using lasers at construction sites since 1989. We were the first in our california county to get one. The 1st and 2nd gen receivers were fast response when using a tall rod and checking grade for an excavator where you have to move in and back out quickly to not slow down the machine. So the head has to tell you very fast if it's up or down. This HEAD does. For the last 15 years, I have not liked the $400 heads that come with my $4500 laser units. They respond very slowly, too slow for the above-mentioned use, nor for checking grade for a backhoe that swings out and then back in, and you need to check grade while the machine is dumping the dirt and tell the operator that he has to go down more or move ahead because it's on grade. Plus this head will tell you (with in 2" up or down) how many MM, inches, or decimal, the grade. It's been very nice for our grade checker to be able to say "1.5" down, and not guess how far he is leaning the rod over to make the receiver sing solid tone. Batteries (2 AA) seem to last shorter than the other heads I have used, but small price to pay for awesomeness.

Very nice. Works great with my pls 505 rotary. Has all the features I’ll need and feels very well made compared to the two other receivers I have.

The HL700 replaces the standard receiver that came with my spectra Laser. The old one would not tone and I just didn't trust it any more. The HL700 has features that my old one did not have. I can now just look at the read out and know how high or low I am. It also has more control, in that I can set it from 1/32 to 1/2 increments. It seems to be more rugged that the last one. I like that the rod clamp is removable. All in all, I would say that I got my money's worth. As an adder, after having had it for a while now, I would say that it is ABSOLUTELY worth the extra $ for my application. I would bump this up to five stars except that I wish it had one more feature; that being a laser catcher reader thingy on the back of the receiver. This one does seem to catch the laser at a wider angle that my old one, but still would be nice for it to read at nearly 360 degrees. Some times it is such that I can not get the story pole tight to the surface I am leveling to and I have to use a speed square to get an accurate mark. Not always a small thing when you only have two hands.

Best catcher on the market

Best laser receiver I have used.. mounted to Excavator boom yesterday and dug a level trench for a French drain. Wish I would have ordered it months ago!