Spent $80 on a laser level and it paid for itself in one day

I was laying a long garden wall last week in Columbus and kept second-guessing my lines with a string line. Grabbed a cheap laser level from the hardware store for 80 bucks and got that wall straight on the first try, saved me at least two hours of rework. Anybody else find that spending money on layout tools saves you more than you think?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaretm232mo ago

Why not just take your time with a string line and a level? I mean that $80 could've bought a few bags of concrete or some nice plants for the wall. Seems like a lot of money for something that only saves you a couple of hours if you already know what you're doing.

jenny_coleman26d ago

That 40-foot run is exactly where string fails you. I learned that the hard way on a retaining wall last summer when I hit 30 feet and the line had about a half inch of sag that completely threw off my first row of blocks. Had to pull the whole thing apart and start over. The laser pays for itself the first time you don't have to redo a days work. For small projects under 10 feet, sure, string is fine. But anything longer and you're gambling with your time and materials.

ruby_patel272mo ago

Margaret, I used to be right there with you on that string line and level. I was the guy who’d say "why waste money on fancy gadgets when you got two hands and a bubble." But honestly, after fighting with a 40-foot fence line last spring and having to redo half of it because the string sagged in the middle, I finally caved and bought a laser level. That $80 saved me from another weekend of cussing and pulling up posts. The time you save adds up fast, even on smaller jobs, and that’s worth more than a couple bags of concrete to me now. I wouldn’t go back to guessing with string, not for anything.