High dollar laser level vs a cheap string line... which actually saved me more time?

I dropped $400 on a decent self leveling laser last spring for a deck build. It was supposed to save me hours. But honestly, I found myself grabbing my old $15 string line for the actual layout because the laser got washed out in the sun and the batteries died twice that day. Now I'm wondering if I should've just stuck with the cheap stuff and saved the cash. Has anyone else had a laser level fail them on a sunny job site, or am I just using it wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylanh971mo ago

Grab a pair of amber tinted glasses, makes the laser way easier to see outside.

the_julia1mo ago

My buddy tried that trick last summer at a competition and walked around looking like a budget Matrix extra for three hours. I bought a pair off Amazon for twelve bucks and they actually work decently, though I mostly use them now to look like I know what I'm doing when I'm just squinting at the sky. The really funny part is I still managed to lose the laser pointer itself in my toolbox for a week after that. So yeah, great tip for seeing the beam better, just maybe label your glasses so you don't accidentally grab them for your morning commute like I did. People definitely gave me weird looks at the gas station.