Bought a cheap magnetic level for a big tank job, and it cost me a full day.

It drifted almost a quarter inch over ten feet. I had to redo all my layout marks. Is it worth paying for a high-end brand, or are there decent budget ones that actually hold?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor.phoenix2mo ago

Cheap tools are just expensive in the long run... learned that the hard way too.

margaret_flores172mo ago

What if you just need it once?

the_gavin1mo ago

Yep, I told myself that same lie and ended up with a screwdriver that bent the first time I tried to use it. The cheap tool sat in my drawer for three years after that, just a reminder of my poor decision making. Now I've got a whole graveyard of "just need it once" tools that I had to replace anyway after they broke. Figured out real quick that borrowing or renting was cheaper than buying junk. My garage looks like a museum of bad choices, but at least my new tools actually work.