Just thought you guys might want to know…
We had a visit from our Stabila rep earlier this week. He told us that Stabilas were going to have a substantial price increase.
Our next “buy” will reflect the new prices, but the ones we have in stock will remain priced the same until then.
Replies
thanks...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Dang it, I just spent a couple hundred on tools... I was gonna wait a couple weeks on the Stabila.
Now you're pushing me towards ordering it right away.
jt8
The reason so many people never get anywhere in life is because when opportunity knocks, they are out in the backyard looking for four-leaf clovers. -- Walter Percy Chrysler
If you listen here to most Breaktimers, its like, there is no other level but Stabila. You wonder how we ever were able to build anything beyond doghouses, until these magnificent things came along.
If I were in the sales department at Stabila, I would think, "Hey, let's raise prices! These guys sound like they'll pay anything to get our yellow sticks!"
A lot of the hoopla seems to revolve around the replacement warranty, which I view with a jaundiced eye. It matters more to me that a level stay true, than knowing I can get a free replacement if it goes out of whack.
My question is, OK my Stabila ain't readin' true, and you'll gimme a new one, right? But how about those last 47 doors I set with it, before I realized it was giving me the Pisa tower effect? Is Stabila gonna pay me to do those repairs?
When I was in the fiberglass door business, we gave a ridiculous "lifetime" warranty, and readily replaced doors that warped, twisted, or otherwise went bad. But so what? Wouldn't you really rather have a door that simply stayed put?
<end of Stabila rant>
P.S. The last level I bought was a Stabila P-L-360 torpedo.
Edited 3/3/2005 4:28 pm ET by Gene Davis
I've only even HEARD of ONE Stabila level going out of whack.... and that was on this site, so I can't even say for certain whether that is true.
That is why we buy them. Not the warranty. The warranty is just proof that they make very fine tools..... fine enough that they are able to offer a warranty like that. I've never heard anyone say that Stabila is the ONLY decent level on the market.... just that they are very good. Seems like a lot of folks get "level envy" when we start talking about the yellow sticks.
Seems like a lot of folks get "level envy" when we start talking about the yellow sticks.
So if I buy one of those I'm gonna need to spray paint my name on it? Or better yet, why don't you leave one of your Stabilas out and I'll spray paint my name on that ;)
jt8
The reason so many people never get anywhere in life is because when opportunity knocks, they are out in the backyard looking for four-leaf clovers. -- Walter Percy Chrysler
Sure thing...... but ya better get eyes in the back of your head.... cuz while you're tagging my level I'm gonna be loading your new router table into my trailer! Good score over at Amazon..... good on ya.
but ya better get eyes in the back of your head.... cuz while you're tagging my level I'm gonna be loading your new router table into my trailer!
Bench dog... Stabilia... Starrett... Lotta expensive gear for a pt muddler who hasn't had a REAL project for several months. Oh well, if I go bankrupt, I'm sure I'll have a good turnout at the liquidation auction. ;)
jt8
The reason so many people never get anywhere in life is because when opportunity knocks, they are out in the backyard looking for four-leaf clovers. -- Walter Percy Chrysler
They replaced a 48" level a couple of years ago and we are getting our 6-10' adjustable level replaced. Don't know what happened. They took it and said they fixed it and if it still wasn't right, they would take it back. Problem is that it won't stay extended.
Get a new level though :-)
I stand corrected......
But you framers are such neanderthals with your tools! :)
Totally true :-)
You should be using a plumb bob on walls.
they don't go out of whack.
much cheaper.
Yeah Yeah!
I knew you were gonna say it:
(in an extreemely nasal-whiny voice):
What about wind!
Mr T
I can't afford to be affordable anymore
Mr T,
Do I know you? Because the plumb bob has been a running joke on our job for quite a while. We have a plumb bob and we don't use it because it is slow and every time we use it, it costs us money compared to the PLS 5 laser we have and the 6-10' , 7-11' Stabila levels.
That's funny you say that because we have a framer who uses plumb bobs for everything over 10', but everything under 10' he uses a 4' Stabila :-)
If using a plumbob costs you money, I would guess you are making it more difficult than it has to be.
Mr T
I can't afford to be affordable anymore
What I said was "it costs us money compared to the PLS 5 laser we have and the 6-10' , 7-11' Stabila levels."
I guess I don't understand how a 10$ plumbbob can cost more than a 300$ laser + a 300$ level.
I know Time is money, but I can use a plumbob easy enough by myself.
and it gets easier with help.
Enlighten me to the error of my ways!!
Mr T
I can't afford to be affordable anymore
Ok, in the gang cutting thread I posted pics of a house we build. I think that is the 7th time I've framed it. Every wall upstairs gets framed to the rafters. That means every wall has to be projected to the roof. We frame the upstairs walls in 1/3 to 1/2 the time it took us with a plumb bob. Since we've framed it 6 times since the first time and we used a laser everytime but the first, count the days. It took about 2 1/2 days the first time and less than a day the last time.
Lets round to 1 day savings. 1 day times 6 houses is 6 days. We didn't just save 6 days, that day of savings then translated into other work we could accomplish that we couldn't on the first one. Economists call that opportunity cost. How much money have we saved compared to a plumb bob? It's a no brainer.
My question to you is have you ever used a PLS?
Tim, give us the details of PLS5 usage, in plumbing and aligning walls.
I don't recall mentioning plumbing and aligning walls. I use the Stabila plate level for all walls up to 12'. I can check a wall for plumb with that level before anyone can get a plumb bob set. I doubt anyone here will argue that.
Lets say I have a 25' tall rake wall and I want to use the laser to plumb it. I'll mark 1" on the floor and then climb the ladder once and tack a 2x block with a 1" mark on it. I don't have to climb the ladder again to finish plumbing that wall.
Have you ever used a laser for this or a plate level?
We borrow Tony's Stabila plate level sometimes, but mostly we use a Tajima plumb-rite rig with the big monster bob they sell.
How fast does the PLS5 set up? How well can the dots be seen in bright sun?
About 3 seconds.1 to set it on the floor,
1 to turn it on
and 1 to way for it to steady.
I bought a couple of Stabilas when they first came out. Nice levels I had a 2', 4' and 6'-6". I gave them all away when I bought my Levelution. Why would I need to return something when I can make the adjustment myself if it did go out? If the level just isn’t right they’d replace it. . . If they are still in business ;-)
It sets up really quick. The dots aren't hard to see unless the sun is shining directly on the surface, then you need a shadow to help. It is one of the best tools we have because it saves so much time and is easy to use. If I remember right, the accuracy is 1/8" in 100'. We've had it for awhile, so I may have that number off.
you and I are talking apples and oranges.
I am still not seeing how that tool can save that much time.
But maybe it can.
maybe I don't understand how you are using it.
and maybe you dont understand how I use a PB.
Mr T
I can't afford to be affordable anymore
Maybe neither of us care :-) I take a light hearted view to these topics most of the time.
I guess I don't understand what application a plumb bob could be faster than a laser that shoots a vertical dot and is self leveling?
"I am still not seeing how that tool can save that much time."
It won't ... because if U can't see how fast sitting a plastic box on the ground and pushing one botton is ... you are not going to ever let it save U any time.
or labor ...
or make U more precise ...
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
It'd be a long time before I believed you ever set 47 doors, ha, ha, ha...most real trades folks actually check their levels to make sure their readin' right...kinda why we use them<G>I have repository of levels with arrows on them to show which way is up or out, some have been shot w/ nailgun, used as pry bars(I guess), one has a saw kerf in it?!?!I have Stabilas, every one of them has taken some kind of shot, and most from at least one floor<G> Only one that showed any ill effects was my door jamber. I bought it from Tool Crib, but a local store gave me a new one w/ no problemo...they said Stabila was real about their replacement deal...I'm so old, I'll probably get buried with these LOL Don't worry, we can fix that later!
My first experience, working an instrument that relied on a bubble in a vial, and having a defective one cause me a problem, was running a survey crew on a steel mill expansion project, back in the 60s, shortly before the Tet offensive.
The instrument was a Keufel & Essel transit, and I was the instrument man, we were working with an ironworker gang, setting columns, and we set way more than 47 of them before I realized that my German-made gun was out of whack.
A few years later, I had been moved inside and out of the cold, to a desk job where the only bubbles I had to deal with were in the coffee cup on my desk, and in the heads of some of the people I was working with. No more loose vials.
So, what bubble-vial instrument were you using thirty-seven years ago?
Edited 3/3/2005 11:13 pm ET by Gene Davis
Hey, after seeing you tell someone to set that many columns wrong, maybe the company realized your talents didn't lie in bubbles...LOL.I'm sure you've heard the old addage "it's a bad carpenter who blames his tools,"...even transits with a fancy dancy double German name<G>...40 yrs ago I was carrying wooden behemoth spirit levels for Amish masons and carpenters, that's where I learned to check 'em...too bad, I could've gotten kicked inside, ha, ha, ha... Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Fine.
Don't buy a Stabila.
please ... !!!
woman...
take a breath...
have a seat...
woluld you like a cool drink...
pause....
here put this cold compress around yer neck...
relax a bit...
let it out...
ya feel better now...
whew.....
can't believe Darcy said not to buy tools..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
My only interest was to let you guys know that Stabila was going to raise their prices.
I have no idea why he chose to attack me, .....like I had any control over Stabila's pricing
What the F is that????
I tried to make lite of it...
grins to you...
let it slide....
just another poor representation of mankind....
some have a humongous chip on their shoulders that they feel they have got to share...
still don't believe you id not to b... bu.... buy... choke... gag... graon... oh the vapors... tools... faint... thunk...
ooohhh that hurt...
wait....
got it....
beg, borrow, steal or recieve as gifts...
that's what ya were tryin' ta tell us....
great plan....
okay everybody send me tools...
I'll subject myself to see if this wks according to plan...
10 year trial period to start...
so get those toys... er... tools in the mail to me right away...
reciepts upon request... maybe...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Hey Darcy, I, for one, appreciate the heads up on a good tool for housebuilding...weird that anyone wants to jump on a public service announcement;-) Don't worry, we can fix that later!
I did not read it as an attack on you but more of a question to the Stabila Cult, I think they are the militant branch of the DeWalt Hate Club. Or maybe an arm of the Jeff Gordon non-fan club. :-)
It's all good.
Bob
I am with you on this Stabila issue, which is why I raised some questions, and made some comments. Maybe even some too-snide remarks. Too often, I find myself taking stands against conventional wisdom, just to find out the basis for that "wisdom."
But it makes me think of this alleged huge price increase coming up.
If everyone that wants a Stabila, already has one, then isn't raising the price in some huge way somehow or other self-defeating, from Stabila's sales point of view?
Their levels will be jacked up to a cost at such a premium over the other levels out there, that many will just say, "Screw it, I'll buy the Kapro." Or, insert some other brand name here.
"It matters more to me that a level stay true, than knowing I can get a free replacement if it goes out of whack."
That's definitely how I feel about tools also.
The "substantial" price increase doesn't worry me too much. It could be the sales rep was trying to goad his customers into buying a big batch with the threat of an upcoming price increase. Or maybe he was exaggerating, and the increase will only be a couple percentage points.
Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?
I'm not concerned about the price increase either.If I buy a Stabila I'm trusting that the level will never need to be replaced with money out of my pocket. If a 48" level costs $100 instead of $60, that's still a good deal for me.If I could buy a set of Redwing boots for $300 that have a guarantee to match Stabila's I would spring for the extra cash in a minute.Of course, maybe my perspective is a little skewed as I already own 5 Stabila levels so my level buying days are mostly over...
Jon Blakemore
Gene, all this Stabila-worship has me a little perplexed, too. I guess I must be the possible-liar dieselpig mentioned, as I've reported here my experience with Stablia. I bought one through the mail. It was off. I sent it back, they sent me another one. It was off. I sent it back, they sent me another one. It was OK. I used it until the GC on the job I was on picked it up to check something, and said, "This level is off." "Bullsh*t," I said. But he was right, it was off. I took it to a local tool store, and they traded it for a new one. So I'm on my fourth or fifth level from Stabila. I only paid for one. But I only paid for one American wooden level in 1974, and I still have it, and it still reads as true as the day I bought it. The only way I can see Stabila being as good as they claim it is, is if the vial is truly "different" than those used in other levels. Here's what I mean: when I worked as a millwright, I owned several Starrett No. 98 precision levels. You could moved the bubble considerably by putting a piece of shim shock a couple of a thousandths of an inch thick inder one end. Those are very sensitive vials. Starrett also makes one that responds to changes measured in half-thousandths.So if the Stabila was nearly that sensitive, say the bubble was off just a bit, but that only represented 20 thousandths out of level, then I could see the hoopla. As it is, I don't know if I'll buy another one. I know that Starrett makes a 4' carpenter's level now, but haven't seen one.
Allen in Santa Cruz
Hey dink..... show me where I called anyone a liar. Sorry to hear of your misfortune.... must be that black cloud over your head or something.
<<<Hey dink..... show me where I called anyone a liar. Sorry to hear of your misfortune.... must be that black cloud over your head or something.>>>Right here, dink.<<<I've only even HEARD of ONE Stabila level going out of whack.... and that was on this site, so I can't even say for certain whether that is true.>>>I don't really consider buying a level that isn't true "misfortune," and there's certainly no black cloud over my head, so no need to be sorry.
Allen in Santa Cruz
Now I'm thinking that level wasn't out at all..... you just need to get your eyes checked. Read it again..... never called anyone a liar..... dink.
I guess you believe everything you read, huh?