The laser level hype took me 6 years to buy into

I spent years calling laser levels a crutch for guys who couldn't read a string line. Then I took on a retaining wall job in Akron last August, 140 feet long with a 2 percent fall. The string sagged in the heat, I re-shot it three times, and still ended up 3 inches off at the far end. Borrowed a buddy's rotary laser for the second half, finished in one afternoon, no rework. I'm not saying ditch the string entirely, but for anything over 50 feet I'll eat my words now. Anyone else hold out on a tool way longer than they should have?

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the_emery10d ago

Akron in August, that's brutal, I can already feel the humidity just thinking about it. Three inches off on a 140 foot wall is basically a full block of concrete you have to make up somewhere, I don't blame you for switching. I held out on a chalk reel for years, thought I was saving money, then watched a guy snap a perfect line in ten seconds while I was still fiddling with a tape measure.