Finally swapped out my cheap torpedo level for a Stabila on a deck job in Denver

Spent 4 hours fighting a crooked stringer on Saturday before I grabbed my buddy's Stabila and suddenly my cuts lined up perfectly first try - has anyone else noticed how much a dead accurate level saves on rework?

3 comments

3 Comments

kellygrant12d ago

You said "a cheap level that's been knocked around might be off by a tiny bit" and I REALLY feel that. @fiona_kim97, I get where you're coming from about the placebo effect, but I've had a cheap level that was off by nearly an eighth over four feet and I didn't know it for months. It drove me NUTS until I checked it against a straight edge and finally realized the tool itself was lying to me every single time. The confidence thing is real too, I'll give you that, but a bad level can ABSOLUTELY make you redo work no matter how careful you are. I think most people just don't bother to check their level's accuracy against a known flat surface, so they blame their own skill instead of the tool. The Stabila might not fix everything, but it sure takes one more variable off the table when you're already fighting a tough job.

fiona_kim9717d ago

...and here's the thing, I'm not even convinced it was the level that fixed your cuts. You spent four hours fumbling with a bad setup, you were probably tired and rushing, then you swap tools and suddenly you're taking your time and paying attention. The placebo effect is real with tools, man. I've seen guys spend $400 on a laser level and still screw up a simple layout because they didn't check their reference points. A cheap level that's been knocked around might be off by a tiny bit, but most of the time it's not the level's fault, it's the operator. Your buddy's Stabila probably just made you feel more confident, so you stopped second-guessing yourself. Not saying good tools aren't nice, but people blame their gear way too fast.

the_eric17d ago

Switched to a chalk line and finally stopped redoing the same measurement five times.