Spent $180 on a laser level, turned out to be worth every cent

Back in March I had a big modernization job in a 12 story office tower and the old plumb bob method was eating up my mornings. I finally caved and bought a self leveling rotary laser for $180 from a supply house in Cincinnati. Set it up in the hoistway on the first day and it saved me at least two hours per floor on guide rail alignment. I was skeptical because I usually just buy cheap tools, but this thing paid for itself by the end of the first week. The only catch is you need good batteries, I burned through a set in one day. Does anyone else use one for rail work or is that overkill for you guys?

1 comments

1 Comment

palmer.jana1mo ago

Wait, is $180 really "cheap" for a laser level though? I mean, I get that it saves time, but I've seen guys do fine with a $60 plumb bob and a good helper. My take is you're paying for convenience, not accuracy, and that two hours per floor might just be the learning curve of the tool itself. Once you're used to the old method, it's not that slow. Plus, burning through batteries in a day is a real cost nobody talks about, that's like $20 a week right there. For occasional rail work I'd honestly stick with the bob and save the cash for something else.