Tried a laser level on a pad pour and it bit me in the ass

Last Tuesday I was setting up for a small footing pour in a tight spot near a fence line in Akron. Usually I just use the old optical level and a string line, but I got a laser level from a buddy last month and figured I'd give it a shot. The beam was dead easy to shoot across the forms, but the sun was hitting that stupid red dot just right and I could barely read it. I set the forms about a half inch low on the back corner, and of course the concrete truck showed up and we didn't catch it until the screed head hit the high spot. Tore out the forms, leveled the mud with a shovel, and lost maybe 45 minutes. I learned my lesson about trusting new gear on a sunny day without a target receiver. Anyone else had a laser level fail on them in bright light, or is it just my cheap setup?