Been an expensive week for tools, already had to buy a new pointing trowel,as old favourite one has disappeared from it's usual home, also a new stainless finishing steel trowel, rivets popped out on old one & scored the plaster I was polishing, teach me for not using my plaziflex, but I have misplaced the new blades since having a spring clean in work shop. Then to cap it all, I now need a new spirit level,went to use my old stabila this morning & the centre bubble has gone awol. So, found another level,no idea of the make, & two of the three bubbles have lost their green colour & gone clear,making then hard to see. Other than Stabila any other levels worth looking at, had a quick look at Stanley, Dewalt boxbeam levels this morning. And I can't spell Spirit.
Stabila every time. Unless I'm whacking it with a hammer knocking something flat like block paving edges, than any old **** will do.
Screwfix euro box level 1200MM £15. Think that's what I'll get. Big uns are more useful. I bent 20 year old one some how so in the market myself. Might go longer? Fatmax are said to be good though.
My old Stabila must have been at least 20 years old, so it's had a good life. Had a look at at a few levels this morning, I do like the Stabila R-Type,rather impress with it,nice handling, but the price, should see me out. http://www.stabila.com/products/levels/type-300
Have 4 spirit levels here made by Stabila. Have a 10" one which I keep in the tool box, then 600mm, 1200mm (this one was purchased when at college on bricklaying course. And was what everyone seemed to buy at the time) and a big 2m one. Wish I had gone for a 1800mm one as this one is bigger than me.
I have the 6ft dewalt and the 4ft fat max both of which seem really good levels although the dewalt are fairly heavy
Got a 2mtr here, seldom used,when doing door frames, prefer my 1.8mtr Stabila. What I like with the Stabila R-Type is it's broad flat base, very stable.
This seems like a good site. The 1200 is similar to the 'masons' one, without the plastic protector on top.
I went looking at stabila 1200mm a couple of months ago, tested about a dozen of them and they were all off. Every last one. Settled on a fat max.
Have had many, many levels over the years. The best one for lasting in my experience is Fat Max. Who would have thought eh?
I have a1.8m r type - don't like it at all. I find the profile awkward when marking on a wall or using as a straightedge Funny enough had an expensive couple of weeks caught a router bit on a pocket hole screw, ruined a Freud blade on a mitre, knocked my Festool plunge saw off the work bench and cracked the case, cracked my routers dust extractor adaptor.
Some of the best levels I gave are the silver Magnusson ones that B&Q sold years ago. I have a 300 and 600mm really solid and chunky wish I had bought more when the were available.
Expensive week! With this extension it's painful watching money disappear so fast. Since last Wednesday I've paid for two skips, two grab lorries, a digger and driver, two loads of readymix, and bits of timber and sheet material for hoarding. I've already blown the budget for groundworks.
When I have more tiime next week I will have closer look at the R type & FatMax & also try them with a pencil.