miab87•2mo ago

Question about using a cheap $20 laser level for hanging shelves

Honestly, I was totally skeptical that a $20 laser level from Harbor Freight would work. But I used it last weekend to hang 8 shelves in my garage and every single one came out perfectly level. Has anyone else had a cheap tool like this actually hold up better than expected?

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oscarb712mo ago

Used a similar cheap laser level to hang some heavy cabinets in my kitchen. The thing was off by maybe a hair on the first one, but I chalk that up to the bracket not being perfectly straight. Rest of them lined up fine, saved me a lot of cussing. Good enough for garage and shelf work where you aren't looking at the line from a foot away.

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butler.abby2mo ago

Yeah but see that's where it gets tricky with those cheap ones. The bubble vial on them is never really calibrated right from the factory, so what looks level to your eye might be off by a good 1/8 inch over a 4 foot span. I've had guys on my crew swear a line was dead on only to flip the level around and see it read completely different. That first cabinet being off a hair might not have been the bracket at all. Next time try checking the level itself by setting it on a counter, marking a line, then flipping it end for end and marking again. If they don't match up, toss it and grab a halfway decent one from the hardware store. Worth the extra ten bucks to save you from redoing all that work later.

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