Unpopular take: Those fancy digital layout lasers aren't worth the hype

I keep seeing guys dropping $800 on a green beam rotary laser for boiler bank alignment. In 12 years on the job from Gary to Lafayette, a good string line and a 6 ft level have never let me down. Anyone else still using the old school method on high pressure tubes?

3 comments

3 Comments

emery8792mo ago

Huh, I used to swear by lasers but a job in Lafayette changed my mind.

noah_chen1713d ago

4 years running I was all about the laser life until I had a green beam unit drift mid alignment on a superheater bank and we had to redo 12 tubes. That one job in Lafayette with a busted laser made me grab the string line again and I haven't looked back since. The old school methods take a little more time but they don't lie to you when a battery gets low or the vibration knocks things off.

theaward2mo ago

String lines and a good level will get you through most high pressure tube jobs just fine. Those fancy lasers are nice for big open floor projects, but they can get knocked out of whack and cause more headaches than they save. If you know how to pull a tight string and read a level, you're already ahead of half the guys out there.