At 04:11 PM 12/11/2006, Marlon K. Schafer (509) 982-2181 wrote:
>Do NOT buy a cheap one. I have a black and decker. Decent unit, or so I
>thought.
>
>Can't see the lines in sunlight.
>
>What REALLY sucks though is that it's not really level! Over 30' it's about
>4" lower on one side than the other.
I would have said that you should get a new one under warranty, but,
interestingly, B&D has no performance spec for their levels. Shame on them...
A typical carpenter's level has a sensitivity of about 1/16" over 4
ft, if not better, and I would expect that the vial is parallel to
the long side within half that amount (or even better). (that is, if
I put the level on a flat surface, adjust the surface so the level
reads "level", and then flip the level around, it should still read
"level") I use some feeler gages on a flat table to "simulate" the
level surface. We're not talking about a precision theodolite here
trying to measure seconds of arc.
However, even my cheap $10 2' level from OSH has an adjustable vial
position (there's a hold down screw that you can loosen and
*carefully* rotate the level vial). You might check yours to see if
a similar thing is possible. Levels get dropped or banged or
mismanufactured.
It's just too easy to make a decent level, I can't imagine one being
off by 4" in 30 ft. Heck, that's a 1% grade, and you could probably
SEE that it wasn't level if you were driving on it. You'd certainly
feel it if you were riding a bike in both directions.
>I really like it, in fact I'm hooked on them. Gonna have to go find a
>really good one though. And test it well before buying it.
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