DeWalt DW0881T Type 2 Tripod Review: A Lightweight Workhorse for Lasers and Phones

Introduction

The DeWalt DW0881T Type 2 is a lightweight entry-level tripod aimed squarely at people who need a simple, portable support for a laser level or a phone. It has been in regular use since August 2019 alongside earlier versions of the same model, which makes it easy to judge how it holds up over real working life rather than just on day one. If you know you are buying an entry-level tripod and you set your expectations accordingly, it delivers.

Who This Tripod Is For

This tripod makes the most sense for light-duty work: shooting construction videos with a phone clipped to the head, or holding a laser level indoors or outdoors. It is not aimed at heavy camera rigs, and it should not be treated as one.

In practice, one unit was used roughly from August 2019 to August 2022 before the shoe on the head cracked and a leg came off, which is a reasonable service life considering the rough handling involved. These tripods get thrown in the back of a truck and used hard, and most of them survive that kind of treatment fine.

Main Strengths

The design is straightforward. You get lightweight aluminum legs with plastic flip locks, and plastic feet glued onto the leg ends. Head operation covers the basics: a vertical tilt, a horizontal pan knob, and a knob to flip the quick release plate 90 degrees. The panning is plastic on plastic, but it is smooth, and you can add as much resistance as you want to smooth out a pan. Importantly, the handles use metal bolts that thread into metal sleeves rather than plastic into plastic, which is a small but meaningful durability detail.

Weight is a genuine highlight. The spec sheet lists 3.3 pounds, but an actual unit weighed in at 3.1 pounds. That difference likely comes from the included zippered carry bag with a shoulder strap, which is a practical addition for transport.

Things to Consider Before Buying

There are a few compromises worth knowing about before you order.

The quick release plate’s twist knob has no bar on it, so you can tighten it reasonably well by hand, but for a fully secure lock you will want a screwdriver or a coin. Earlier versions of this tripod shipped with a bar on the twist knob that allowed full hand tightening, so this is a small step backwards on the current design.

Height falls slightly short of the claim. It is rated to reach 72 inches, but with the legs extended it tops out just short of 68 inches. The load rating is 8.8 pounds, which is adequate for lasers and phones but not for anything heavier.

Quality control on the flip locks is the biggest concern. Out of five units owned, two had to be returned because a flip lock on one leg would not hold; the leg still slid even when locked. The remaining units have held up very well. The practical advice: check the tripod top to bottom when it arrives and confirm every lock grips properly.

One more quirk: when you first open the box and the carry bag, there is a noticeable fishy, dirty-sock-like odor from the bag. Leaving the bag out in the sun for a couple of days airs it out completely, so it is a temporary nuisance rather than a dealbreaker.

Buying Advice

This is an entry-level tripod, and it is best judged as one. If you want a light, inexpensive support for a laser level or phone-based video work, and you accept the plastic flip locks and the hand-tightening limitation on the plate, it should serve you well. If you need precise maximum height, guaranteed flip-lock quality, or heavier load capacity, look further up the market.

Treat it a bit gently, inspect it on arrival, and it has a good chance of lasting several years of real jobsite use.

Conclusion

The DeWalt DW0881T Type 2 does what an entry-level tripod should: it is genuinely light at just over 3 pounds, it is easy to operate, and it holds a laser or phone securely enough for everyday work. The flip-lock QC issues, the missing bar on the twist knob, and the short-of-claimed height are real caveats, but none of them change the basic value proposition. Buy it knowing what it is, check it when it arrives, and it will not disappoint.