DGSL Leveling System with Plier - 600-Piece Spacers Clips and 200-Piece Reusable Wedges - Tools Set for Tile and Stone Installation 1/8 Inch

We are building a new house and we had a few floors and a couple showers to tile. I purchased this tile leveling system based on a recommendation from a favorite Youtube channel. These are a great value. They work very well and they are available in thicknesses not available at the local home store.I found that I can often install the wedges without using the tool, but the tool definitely makes it a little easier. The wedges have proven to be durable enough to use them a few times. The only gripe I have is that sometimes the spacers don’t break off at the base so I have to grind out the plastic that sticks up into the grout joint. It would save a lot of cleanup effort if you purchased a thinner leveling clip/spacer and then used a separate spacer to set the gap. The thinner clips/spacers would break off a little easier and would be easier to grind or cut out if required.

First the good. This system is the equivalent of the QEP and other high cost, name brand tile leveling systems. It is easy to use, works well, and best of all, about 1/4 the price of the HD and LOWES ones.The bad. Yes... sometimes the spacers do not break off cleanly. However, the one star reviews are as much user error as a fault with the leveling system. (See more on that below)I used this to put some 4x12" subway tiles on a shower surround, and against manufacturers recommendation, I did a 50% overlap. The reason the tile manufacturer recommends against a 50% overlap is to avoid lippage. (Where the edge of one tile is not even with the adjacent tiles.) The larger the tile, the bigger a problem it becomes.It worked extremely well. I compared the results against a 3x6 subway tile job I did a few years ago, and I saw less unevenness across the board. I was rather impressed.Now, I did have a few spaces that did not break off evenly on the first wall I did. It was frustrating, and I needed to diagnose the issue before I did the remaining walls. Here is what I found out.1. When breaking off the spacers/wedges you have to hit hard and quick. Swing as if you were kicking (or hammering) something about three inches on the other side of the spacer. A wimpy hit will guarantee a bad break.2. Do not allow mortar to harden around the spacers. After I got the best method to hit the spacers down, the only time, and I mean the ONLY time I did not get a clean break was where the spacer was embedded in hardened mortar.3. Adjust the pliers before using. There is a limit set screw to ensure you do not over tighten (and potentially snap off the spacer while snugging it in place.) It is easy to do a few tests before you start setting tile. The spacers and wedges work just fine on loose tiles for this purpose. Lay the tile out, spacers between them and try to set a wedge. If it does not set securely, back off the set screw, if you can squeeze the wedge to the point the spacer deforms, screw the set screws in a bit more.Final caveat.The spacers will sometimes be unusable. I found one or two spacers per 100 to have their feet bent. If you insist on using that, expect your tile to not line up. The wedges are not enough to overcome a seriously bent spacer foot.Recommendation:Buy more than you think you need. This is cheap insurance. I purchased this kit, a bag of 300 spacers plus 100 additional wedges, and another 500 spacers (because it was only slightly costlier than the 300 bag). And, I am glad I did. With the extra spacers and wedges, I am sure I will be able to finish the shower and floor without needing to order more.UPDATE!After using the leveling system to install the floor tiles, I discovered a rather frustrating item. Not enough to adjust the star rating, but it is an ongoing problem.What, exactly is the problem?The levelers are clear/translucent plastic. Because you have to hit them hard and quick, they fly everywhere. And, because of their color (or lack of color) they are impossible to find.Seriously, manufacturer, put a color into it. Any bright color, except yellow, would do. It has been about two months since I tiled, and I am still finding these things. They are showing up everywhere, but you cannot see them until the vacuum sucks them up, you step on them, or whatever. Color! Color people. Make it easier to clean up, and you get a win!

This tile kit include tile plier, tile pacers Clip and wedges.The Plier is easy to use, seems good quality consider the price.The spacer work well, easy to kick off from the bottom when the job is done.The yellow color wedge is a little fragile than the red color wedge(LASH brand) from HomeDepot, when trying to use rubber mallet to knock it off, some of the wedges become broken, could never be reused again. It does work for the purpose, just not impressive, so 4 stars.

Used with 6" by 24" floor tiles. The spacers and wedges worked well keeping tiles level. Wedge tool is easy to use and worked well. Used my foot with sneakers on, to kick out the 150 spacers used. Only a few did not completely break off below tile surface. Used a vibrating tool to quickly cut them down for grouting. Very satisfied with the kit.

Nice complete package. Did the job.

These devices effectively level adjacent tiles when the thinset on each of the tiles has not hardened and level disparity is that driven by unevenness in the substrate surface below. If the tiling takes place over multiple days or widely spread out during a day keep in mind that the strength of this system is when both adjacent tiles are movable, if one is hardened in place then all the movement has to be in the newly placed tile. Also you must insert these before the thinset hardens on an existing placed tile or you won't be able to slip them behind times because the hardened thinset will obscure the placement. The last point is that nearly 1/2 of these levelers will not break off cleanly, leaving pieces of the leveler sticking out from between the tiles in the grout spaces. When they stick out into the area that the grout will occupy, you have to pull them off by pulling them out with pliers. You should brace the tiles that they're trapped under because the amount of pulling force required to break these can be enough force to pull a tile off the wall in some areas! In 100 ft of 12x24 tile area I spent an additional hour picking out pieces of the levelers that didn't break off cleanly and thinset that creeped up between and around the levelers despite having cleared the thinset from the border areas of the tiles as these levels were put in place. I would use these again but will try a different brand in hopes that they'll break off more cleanly. If you do use these, when you swing your rubber mallet to break them off, do so fast and hard like your swinging at something a few inches beyond the leveler. These can not overcome inadequate surface prep and basic good tile setting technique.

Great quality for a great price

Great value compared to the QEP product at Home Depot. Works great but as a beginner, I had to learn by making a few mistakes first. Here's a few tips from my experience:- Don't apply too much thinset around the edges of tiles as it will seep into the grout lines when you push the tile down and make it harder to remove the plastic clips- Use a rubber mallet to hit the clips off, and give it a good swing to get it off; a bad break will result in painstakingly trying to remove the remaining plastic with pliers- If you do not tile an entire wall on the same day, make sure to put the clips in on the last row of tiles so it's ready

Made tiling my bath so much easier.. Clips seems sturdy enough.Only issue I had is that a few of the clips were slightly bigger than suggested and didn't notice until I started to grout.Will purchase again

That tool sure does save the fingers.

It was my first time using this type of spacer.I loved it. Much easier to keep a level than with the old style rubber X spacers.And, my work came out perfect level and spacing.I used this for tiling with both mastic and thinset. Both came out great but I recommend to mix the thinset a bit thick to make the process easier.I have had some experience tiling before this project. I've have had the chance to see many professionals work and ask them questions. I also watched youtube videos about using this type of spacer before I started.I will definitely use these if I ever tile again!

Considering the alternative is ~$80 here in Canada at the homedepot, I highly recommend these for novice use. I’m not a professional and this was my first tile job, where I tiled my entire shower from floor to ceiling using this system. The tool works well and is sturdy. The yellow wedges are good too. The spacers themselves seem to be a crapshoot in terms of their strength. They are either normal strength (what they should be) and break-off easily, or they are sometimes stronger than they should be and more difficult to break-off. My suggestion is:1. Most definitely use a rubber mallet when breaking these off, I don’t want to get too technical but believe me it will save you a lot of headache from having the clips break at the tip and having to chisel the rest of it out and potentially chipping the tile/stone.2. Try your best not to get any thin-set on or between the clips when placing your tile and if you do, spend the extra 20 seconds to clean it off completely. If the thin-set dries around the clips, it is a nightmare to break-off the clips (i.e., they will break at the tip)3. If you are finishing a row of tile and coming back later to continue the row above it, and placing the spacers in advance (which you should be doing), MAKE SURE (and I emphasize!!!) that the buttom of the clips is touching the back of the placed tile and not all the way against the wall. The reason for this is two-fold. One because if you push the spacers against the wall and they dry that way, it will not allow the spacer to push against the tile to level your next row to the now dried row and it will not do what it’s supposed to. Lastly, it will be very difficult to get the yellow wedges underneath the clip as you have not left enough space between the surface of the tile and the clip for the wedges to slide in.Hope me learning from my mistakes make your installation easier some. Good luck.