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That level of disapproval I had for laser levels finally broke after 8 years
I always swore by my old string lines and spirit levels, thought lasers were just for guys who couldn't snap a chalk line straight. Last month on a retaining wall job in Austin, my partner brought out his green beam rig and I watched him lay out 40 feet of block in the time it takes me to pull a tape. Has anyone else been humbled by a tool you thought was just overpriced gadgetry?
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taylor.paige14d ago
Is it really that serious though... I mean an 8 year grudge against a laser level seems like a lot of energy to spend on a tool. I get being loyal to your string lines and all, but sometimes I think we just get stuck in our ways and make a big deal out of nothing. A green beam is nice and all but it's not like it's gonna build the wall for you, you still gotta do all the hard work. Maybe I'm just old school, but I've seen plenty of jobs get messed up by lasers that were off level or batteries dying at the worst time.
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My buddy spent three hundred bucks on a green beam last spring and had it die on him halfway through a kitchen reno. Dead batteries, no backup, and he spent an hour running to Home Depot because the thing wouldn't hold a charge. Meanwhile my old torpedo level and a string line got the job done without any fancy electronics or app updates. I get that lasers can be fast when they work, but I've seen too many guys trust the beam and end up with crooked frames because they didn't double check with a real level. Batteries and sensors just add more things that can go wrong, you know?
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