DGSL Tile Leveling System with Plier, 300 Tile Spacers 1/8" and 100 Wedges

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!

Great product. Many pieces for an affordable price. I was able to reuse the levelers. It was easy to remove at time of removal. The tool helped to tight the levelers. I don’t know how I would have tight it without the tool.

Spacers worked better than the name brand ones from the big box stores. The best way to get them out is to kick from the "side" not straight on after 24 hours like you are playing soccer/kickball. Giving 4/5 stars as a firmer plastic for the spacers would definitely help

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.

These are amazing!! I'm 5' tall and usually struggle with installing shower tiles, especially vertically towards the top. (I'm a home owner and tile hobbyist) By using these clips I didn't have to continually check level, squareness, or whether the tiles were flush with the wall. Just snap them in place and you're on your way! Removal was super easy as well. All but maybe 4 of them didn't snap off because I put them too close to the corners and couldn't use the hammer to break them, but all I needed to do was use a small wrench and twist them and they broke off easily. I can't wait to use them on my next floor project!! I'll never tile without them. (I didn't use the pliers that it came with. They slide and snap in place easily enough :) Removing them was easy too, and the slide-ins are reusable. Mahalo!

Used this system to DIY a 140 sqft bathroom / closet tile installation. It worked great for that purpose. It does take some getting used to and after comparing the tool to the ones at the big-box, it does feel flimsier and cheaper. The clips feel roughly the same. I had no problem removing the clips with a rubber mallet once the tile was fully set. Would I recommend this to a pro? No way. But for the DIY-er that isn't on a time crunch and isn't doing a massive volume of work, this is an unbeatable value. Pro-tip: when installing your tile, clean up your grout lines as much as possible with a margin trowel to minimize the amount of mortar that oozes up into the clip. This makes breaking off the clips much easier later. I failed to do this in a couple of spots and it was a bit of a PITA to get my grout lines cleaned up. But this was a skill issue, not a product issue.

Levels really well. However clips do not breakaway very well. Would not buy again.

My first time using tile levers, it certainly does solves the problem of keeping the tiles aligned and is easy to use, but removing the wedges after the thinset has cured by hitting the them with a mallet is a bit of hit and miss, sometimes one side of the spacer refuses to break off but using a pair of pliers to twist them free solves that.

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!

Great little set to do my bathroom and at a good price. Used it on its thinest adjustment for my 6mm floor tiles.

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

Hints; watch a video how to break then off by hitting them with rubber malet on side. Works but there is a technique which takes a few mistakes. Buy a sodering iron to remove the ones that break off bad. Knife takes forever. Great price, good product.

Easy to use. Very convenient.