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Moving house and would like a relatively good set of spirit levels to improve my chances of putting stuff on the wall straight.
Looking at sets and what people would recommend.
Got a stanley fat max and a couple of short brickies levels. To be fair whatever is on offer at the merchant's works for me
Just a bubble in a tube of liquid isn't it?
I wouldn't think there is much in it as long as it's long enough for your usage, or short enough for tight spaces?
I've got a big Forge Steel one and it's ok. Having one with a ruler measurements on the side can be useful but not entirely necessary.
The more you spend on a spirit level, the more you leave it standing upright and then it falls over with a bang and the vial moves.
I've got a nice 1800mm DeWalt one that I look after, but that's just because I make furniture.
I also have 900mm and 150mm Wickes jobs. I can go all around a room with the 900 and the lines join up. So it's accurate enough.
Try to get one that you can take the end caps off. They tend to be tapered and make it a pain when you're going round corners. Also the ones with the sticky out grips on one side so they don't slide down the wall as you're scribing can be useful.
I keep thinking about the laser ones, but I already have an investment in metal ones. If I was starting from scratch I might get one.
i was thinking of a laser level but not sure id ever be able to draw the line straight
I bought a set from Screwfix years ago, small-medium-large-massive ones in a big storage bag. You don't [i]think[/i] you need a 6' spirit level but at some point it'll come in handy.
Just a bubble in a tube of liquid isn't it?
Use a Hultafors or Stabila and you'll never ask "is *that* the middle?" again. The edges of the bubble touch the lines either side. Machined flat bases, too. You have to love a good level.
Stabila is the usual recommendation.
Just test them in store to determine if the actually read right before buying..!
EDIT - beaten to it..!
Don't drop it. Or stand on it, especially if it's a 6 foot level.
Leave in the freezer overnight if you want the reassurance that all your work is spot bollock level 😉
Also, just because it's level by gravity, doesn't mean your walls and floor are perfectly square, sometimes a bit of artistic licence is required.
I've got Bosch digital levels in 600mm and 1200mm .
Great thing is you don't need to look at the bubble as it also has beeps to tell you went it straight
(Useful when installing stuff overhead )
Pricey but worth it
Handy for determining slope angles too
Also, just because it's level by gravity, doesn't mean your walls and floor are perfectly square, sometimes a bit of artistic licence is required.
This. The number of times I've stuck stuff up level and then rehung it by eye......
^^^ that. When we moved in here I spent time trying to get stuff level until I realised the wallpaper had been hung wonky.
I've a stanley fat max set and ahort Wickes brickies level, all seem ok for the money but nothing special. oh the vertical vial in one end of one of the fatmax has leaked, but there is a voa either end so its still useable.
To test how good or bad a cheap level is check a level of something then swing the spirit level round, if its any good it will read the same...amazing how many cheap ones in wickes etc won't!
To get stuff vertical, a plumb line can be much better IMO.
No substitute for a decent level, but depending on what you're doing the laser levels can be great.
I've got this Stanley one and it was brilliant for a load of shelving I was doing recently. Throws a crosshair.
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Cack for outdoors though, unless you work at night 🙂
To test how good or bad a cheap level is check a level of something then swing the spirit level round, if its any good it will read the same...amazing how many cheap ones in wickes etc won't!To get stuff vertical, a plumb line can be much better IMO.
But perform the same checks with the plumb line as you would with a spirit level as they can be out of whack when you buy then too. In the shop mark a point on the ceiling and use the plumb line to find the corresponding point on the floor below- then mark that point and then do it the other way round. Hold the string on the floor and if the plumb line is adjusted correctly the plumb-bob should be exactly on the point on the ceiling that you marked. Take your time and be prepared to shop around. All the plumb lines I tested in B&Q were completely broken and would only measure one way.
Insert smiley face here....
There is a lot to levels. I've got a really handy one were the bubble can be rotated in a graduated protractor, so you can set it to read level at say six degrees. Very handy when building a pitched roof or access ramp etc.