Has anyone tried the Irwin levels with the adjustable vials? I was shopping for info on the Levelution and discovered they were bought out by Irwin. The Irwin cost is comparable to a good deal on a Stabila.
I like Stabila’s lifetime guarantee but prefer the option of tweaking the vials in the field with a water level and plumb bob and getting back to work rather than waiting several days for a replacement if something goes awry.
We only have one yard that carries Stabila here and they don’t always keep them stocked. Is Irwin the best buy on adjustables or are there better options out there?
Kevin Halliburton
“Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.” – Solomon
Replies
Master Level also has tweakable vials.
Namaste,
Gary
http://gwwoodworking.com/
Dang architect...can't trust that the engineers have built a fine tool...always gotta make their own adjustments.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
LOL - I just have a lot of confidence in the likelihood that I'll be making my own field adjustments to pretty much any level I buy, intentionally or not.
Bounce tests seem to be a fact of life on the job site. According to their web site, Irwins are guaranteed by the manufacturers to remain accurate after a two story drop or a fifty degree temp change. Now that is a feat of engineering I can appreciate... However, in the event that I drop mine from three stories, I like the idea that I can tweak, or completely replaced, the vials in a matter of minutes.
Just looking for some feedback from actual users to back up or refute the manufacturer's claims. I've never so much as laid my eyes on an Irwin level. Anything can look good on a web site.
Kevin Halliburton
"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." - Solomon
Edited 6/2/2004 12:37 pm ET by Wrecked Angle
ok I've never seen an irwin level...so this is pure conjecture.
buy the stabila, screw tweaking them, just one more thing to work it's way loose and get out of whack, and how often are you really going to be checking it anyway?
I'd rather have my set of stabilas anyday.
DITTO
More ditto. I've been using my Stabila levels all day long for quite a while, and they are as good as levels can be (aside from that damn gap in the extrusion where the horizontal vial is--sucks when trying to draw a line). I'm going to buy a couple more to complete the set and replace my newly re-vialed Sands, which are great cast aluminum levels but not quite as accurate.
--sucks when trying to draw a line).
thats for sure....and I always forget until I'm at the vial that I need to be using the other edge..
...but the other side of mine have the magnets. The mason's levels look like the best bet, solid on both sides.
Toolcrib has a pretty tempting deal on a pair of Stabila's Mason levels right now.Kevin Halliburton
"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." - Solomon
The ones on sale actually would not be an improvement over mine--the gaps at the vials are a real PITA. Here's the style that I'd rather have:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005V5NJ/qid=1086928183/sr=1-82/ref=sr_1_82/102-4498876-2848953?v=glance&s=hi
Interesting that there's a 40" length. Anyone know why that would be useful to a mason?
I gave their box beam mason levels a thought because of the problem mentioned about the open vial on the ones I ordered but I wanted the magnets. I honestly think I like the design of the Irwins a little more too but I'm just not patient enough to wait for them.Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
The only good thing about the magnets... the levels stick to the underside/inside of the top of my truck boxes. Otherwise they just pick up stray fasteners and metal scraps from the jobsite, which I find annoying.
Dude
You have that so right....I agree 100%.
Only tweeking I do on my Stabila's is to pull one cap off the end so its straight to the wall or where ever when I need to score a line on an inside corner!
BE well
NAmaste'
andyThe secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Well, guess what? I got tired of waiting on the Irwin's to ship. Apparently the torpedo and rafter hook were holding things up so I decided to listen to the voice of experience for a change.
Canceled the order and put in for the Stabila 38816 Model 96M Set of 48" & 16" Magnetic Levels. I think the 16" will be a lot more useful than the torpedo anyway.Kevin Halliburton
"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." - Solomon
Kevin,
I've got that 16" one as well. When I bought my 48", it was a promo....same price with or without the 16". Didn't know if I'd use it much. It now resides in my Bucket Boss and gets used more than I ever imagined. It's become one of the "must haves" of the collection. You'll be happy with your choices.
I'm glad that when the next level discussion comes up, we will have one more fan of Stabila's. I'm confident that you made the best choice.
Jon Blakemore
Oh, I'm cheering them already. I only own the best ya know! <G>Kevin Halliburton
"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." - Solomon
don't you own some dewalt tools?
I only own the best ya know! <G>
none-the-less, good choice and the stabilas...
I am still using a mahagony level with the side painted yellow that more closely coincides with the plumb bob standard and would like to get a newer model. But I was wondering, what about those with the removable electronic module that reset by simply turning them around? Are they too much gadget? A good simple tool usually wins out.
I have a "SmartTool Sensor Module" that I picked up used for cheap. I used it to determine the slopes when I was doing my site plan, for which it was pretty handy. I have never actually attempted to check it for accuracy. The manufacturer's claim is 0.1 degree. It is certainly easier to read the digital readout than to try and see if the bubble is equally spaced between the two scratches on the vile...
http://www.professionalequipment.com/xq/ASP/ProductID.1768/id.15/subID.252/qx/default.htm
http://www.professionalequipment.com/xq/ASP/id.15/subID.252/qx/default.htm
I see that Stabila now has an electronic level:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004T7YC/102-6276882-1228927?v=glance
http://www.toolking.com/shop/index2.asp?parent=567
There is another that appears to possibly be a bit more expensive:
http://www.hamarlaser.com/products/accessories/el-900.htm
Nope... a Craftsman here and there maybe, but no Dewalts. I have my standards ya know. :-)>Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
Now that you've been sucked into the Stabila hype, lemme level with ya, HA. They're ok. I have a stable of them...box torpedo, 16, 32, 48, and the long one. The door level DID get out of whack and was replaced immediately by a local vendor, even though I got from Tool Crib. Nice.
They bug me because there's a lot of slack between the lines and the bubble, the long edges are too rounded over for my taste, and those plastic hand holds stick out past the body...what's with that? makes it tough to mark a level line on the wall. I popped all mine out, along with one plastic end.
I love the case, packing 3 levels at once is sweet.
I have a bunch of other levels, too. Stanley box beam is pretty similar to Stabila. I like those I-beam 2'ers with sharp edges, but since I got the 16" and 32", I've stopped carrying a 2' around.
All of my adjustable levels are only adjustable to read out of whack. Once they've gone, I've never gotten one back.
Incidentally, my most accurate and oldest level is a 4' I-beam Sears (not even worthy of the Craftsman name!) that I picked out of a barrel of levels, for 10 bucks. I gotta leave it at home, though, 'cause yo know how cruel the other children can be<G>
Oh yeah, and, welcome to the "club" Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Some people lead, some follow! :)
Oh well, decision time... CHA-CHING! Kevin Halliburton
"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." - Solomon
You should always check your levels once in a while. For walls and such it will problely be close for its life but when the job is almost done and you want to set cabilnets or doors close just wont cut it. Besides it is so easy to check and set them why wouldn't you so you can work with confidence. By the way I just use the end for end trick and have double checked against my laser and it is always dead on . Good luck !
kevin,
i use my stabilla levels to calibrate my levelution levels, no need for the plumb bob or water lever just put them end for end, having said that i love my levelution levels because i can gang them together to make one big azz level. i have the 12' kit that goes into a 4' red bag that lives behind the seat of my truck. how many of you can say that you got a 12'er in the truck.
and if my forman is on the job with his truck he has the same kit in it, we could theroeticly put together about a 20' level if need be.
regards
james
I was shopping for the Levelution precisely for the ganging together capabilities James mentioned and discovered the Irwins in the process. Levelution is history now and the Irwins don't lock together.
The water level and plumb bob lines are marked on the first SIP I put up and the level gets checked often.
It takes all of five seconds to check a level against dead on vertical and horizontal lines drawn on the first sheet of OSB to go up on any job, another 10 or 15 to flip it and double check you lines if your anal. What sucks is discovering your level is out of whack at the start of the day with no way to get it right until lunch, or in my case if I buy a quality non-adjustable, until UPS ships off my defective one and brings its replacement back in a few days.
Hate to say it but I'd be better off with a lifetime guaranteed Craftsman I can replace with a 40 minute round trip to town than I would be with a Stabila that I accidentally bounce tested just right to make it wrong first thing in the morning. Sure they may be dang near impossible to get out of whack but some days I think I have a gift for making every level on the job half a bubble off plumb. Kevin Halliburton
"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." - Solomon
"Hate to say it but I'd be better off with a lifetime guaranteed Craftsman I can replace with a 40 minute round trip to town than I would be with a Stabila"
Keven,
I've read a ton of your posts and know that you are an intelligent guy with some very good knowledge to share. But that is the dumbest thing I've heard here in a long time. I understand your point, but you're missing the whole reason Stabila levels are so good....they DON'T go out of whack. I've got 5 of various sizes. They are guaranteed to stay accurate unless the frame gets bent. The whole "returning it for a new one" bit is just a safety net. I've seen my 4'er fall ceiling to floor probably ten times and it's still dead nuts. I buy 'em cuz I know I won't ever have to buy another.....not because I can return it if it fails.
LOL- Man I was disapointed when that didn't get a rise out of anyone. Thanks for setting me straight dp - I was beginning to think I was going to have to dopeslap myself. <G>
I do appreciate the fact that a Stabila will probably never, ever, ever lie to me but honestly I've never used a truly "good" level and I'll probably never trust one completely. It's just hard for me to imagine a level that will always be right no matter what. That is why I check mine all the time, I've owned cheap ones all my life and I just flat out don't ever feel like I can trust them. It's hard for me to drop all that history and believe a quality level will never let me down.
Don't know if that makes me level headed or un-stabila but I probably need help.
Anyway, I can trust my water level, plumb bob, and anything I calibrate with them myself. For the money, I just like the fact that I can tweak it if I have to and can teach my son how to do it when he inherits it from me. I am so done buying cheap levels but I'll probably be stuck with my "need-to-check-it-often hang-up" for a few more years.
If I'm going to be checking it anyway I might as well have the freedom to burn five more seconds and tweak it while I've got it on the line if it needs it. I would probably have gone with the Stabila if I had a local dealer that stocked them, or a little more time to let you and CAG talk me into it, but alas the adjustables are on the way.
Hope we can still be friends. <G>Kevin Halliburton
"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." - Solomon
One more vote for the venerable Stabila. I have 4.
I watched a guy using a cheap level today. He would plumb, then flip, then look at the level with a confused expression as he knew one was wrong (maybe both) but couldn't remember which one. With my Stabila, I put the skinny edge against the board and it's done.
BTW- you can still check your Stabila daily if you really want, but I don't think you will find any problems. But if that's what it takes...
Jon Blakemore
Kevin,
I had to blast off that post as soon as I saw your Craftsman comment. Posted so fast I didn't catch spelling your name wrong! My bad. What kind of an Irishman am I....spelling Kevin wrong.
Who's the dumb one now?
Peace :)
I think you just hit on something - I've got an Irish first name and a Scottish last name. Is it any wonder I have a hard time trusting a German made level? <G>Kevin Halliburton
"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." - Solomon