Lost 3 hours on a single wall because of a bad laser level battery

Last week in Sacramento I was setting up studs on a tilt-up and my laser kept dying. Turns out the rechargeable battery I threw in was a dud from 2019. Has anyone found a reliable way to test those batteries before you start a job?

2 comments

2 Comments

wadeyoung1mo ago

Haha, "the Obama administration" got me good, that's exactly the energy of finding a old battery in your bag. I've been there, wasted a whole morning on a wall that kept shifting because my level was blinking like a dying Christmas tree. The freezer trick is solid, but honestly I just started labeling them with a sharpie and testing them against a known good one before I load my tool belt (it's about as low-tech as it gets). You can also buy a cheap battery load tester for like 20 bucks at Harbor Freight, which saves me from that "hope it works" gamble. Nothing worse than standing on scaffolding realizing your entire setup depends on a battery from 2019 that's basically a paperweight.

alex_taylor101mo ago

Nothing like having your whole day planned by a battery from the Obama administration. Just toss it in the freezer for 10 minutes next time and pretend you're a pro.