John Garner
Titanium
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2004
- Location
- south SF Bay area, California
Good Afternoon, All --
A shirt-pocket level has been "everyday carry" for me for the last fifty years, but I have yet to find one that pleases me. My dissatisfaction is not with the precision -- which is consistent with carpenter's and mason's levels -- but with workmanship.
Of the brands I've tried, Empire has been the best, as vial bubble is centered when the base in level BUT the molded-plastic stocks are either curved when viewed from above, and/or the two halves of the case are not fully bonded together. Most of the other brands haven't had the crooked-or-split case problems, but their vial bubbles aren't well centered when the stock sits on a level surface. The 1970s Stanley shirt-pocket levels were probably the most satisfactory of the bunch, but their stamped-and-folded-aluminum stocks badly needed deburring, and besides, I haven't seen a new one in probably 30 years.
I'll be grateful for your suggestions,
John
A shirt-pocket level has been "everyday carry" for me for the last fifty years, but I have yet to find one that pleases me. My dissatisfaction is not with the precision -- which is consistent with carpenter's and mason's levels -- but with workmanship.
Of the brands I've tried, Empire has been the best, as vial bubble is centered when the base in level BUT the molded-plastic stocks are either curved when viewed from above, and/or the two halves of the case are not fully bonded together. Most of the other brands haven't had the crooked-or-split case problems, but their vial bubbles aren't well centered when the stock sits on a level surface. The 1970s Stanley shirt-pocket levels were probably the most satisfactory of the bunch, but their stamped-and-folded-aluminum stocks badly needed deburring, and besides, I haven't seen a new one in probably 30 years.
I'll be grateful for your suggestions,
John