Talking with a young mason who said 'why do you guys still use line blocks'

Had this kid, maybe 25, helping me on a job last week. He was trying to snap a chalk line for a foundation wall and I told him to just grab the line blocks. He looked at me funny and asked why we don't use lasers for that. I told him I got a laser level at home but for a straight run of brick, line blocks just feel right to me. He said 'but lasers are faster.' And honestly, he's not wrong. Got me thinking though, am I just set in my ways? The line blocks my grandad used are the same ones I reach for. Anyone else struggle with new tools vs old habits?

2 comments

2 Comments

morgan91515d ago

Line blocks don't need batteries or recalibration.

mason_flores2115d ago

Ask me again in about 3 years when that internal sensor starts drifting and you're recalibrating it every other week anyway. I get the appeal of something that just sits there and does its job without fuss, but let's be real, nothing is truly maintenance free. Those blocks still get worn down, still get thrown off by temperature changes in a humid workshop, still need you to check your layout against a known square every so often. You're just trading battery changes and button presses for a different kind of headache down the road.