Thought laser levels were just for fancy crews until I tried one on a deck job

I spent 10 years using a bubble level for everything. Thought laser levels were overpriced gadgets for guys who didn't know how to read a level. Last month I had to set posts for a 20x30 foot deck in Atlanta. After the third time rechecking a string line I borrowed my neighbor's green laser level. Set all 12 posts in under 2 hours with less than a quarter inch variance across the whole thing. The bubble level would have taken me all day and probably still been off. I bought my own that same week. Still feels weird admitting I was wrong about it. Has anyone else had a tool they dismissed for years that actually saved them time?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair7012d ago

Yeah man I fought lasers for years too. Picked up a little $60 green one for hanging cabinets and now I use it for everything from fence posts to leveling a camper. Best part is you can check your work from across the room without climbing up a ladder.

fionafoster12d ago

Wait, you're telling me these cheap green lasers actually hold up for outdoor work like fence posts? I gotta admit, I was one of those people who figured you had to spend a couple hundred bucks to get anything decent. Always thought the little $60 ones were just for indoor drywall or hanging pictures. But hearing you say you used it for a camper and fence posts... that's pretty convincing. I've been putting off leveling a big shed foundation because I didn't want to drop cash on a fancy red rotary laser. Maybe I've been overthinking this whole thing and missing out on something that actually works.