Picked up a cheap laser level from Harbor Freight and it actually saved me time on a long run

I was dead set against those cheap laser levels, figured they'd be junk and just throw measurements off. But on a 300 foot fence job last month near Springfield, I tried one just to see if it could help with that slight slope we were fighting. It got the posts dead level and did it in half the time of using a string line. Anyone else found a cheap tool that worked way better than you thought?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles6784d ago

Read a blog post from some builder in Texas who swore by those cheap laser levels for setting deck posts and it convinced me to give it a shot. He said the key was just double checking the calibration on a known flat surface before the actual job. I did that and it was spot on, saved me from measuring and remeasuring everything twice. The thing is these cheaper tools often use the same basic diode technology as the expensive ones, just without the fancy housing or warranty. For a one off job or something you might drop in the mud, it makes more sense than dropping 800 bucks on a Bosch.

karen_nelson403d ago

That 300 foot fence job sounds brutal (string lines for that distance is pure misery). I used a cheap laser on a set of outbuildings and was shocked it didn't lie to me, but I did triple check it against a level I trust first. For the price of a couple lunches, it's worth the gamble even if it only works half the time.