Pro tip: laser level batteries die at the worst possible moment

Last Thursday I was setting up a full wall of shelving in a client's garage in Tacoma. Got the first bracket up, checked it with my old manual level, looked perfect. Went to shoot a line across the whole wall and nothing. Dead batteries. I had zero spares in the truck. So I did the whole 16 foot run with a 4 foot level and a chalk line, moving it over and over. Took me 40 minutes that should have taken 5. Never again. Do you carry spare batteries for every tool or just the one that breaks you?

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corablack28d ago

Man the real trick is keeping your spares in the tool bag not the truck. Battery chemistry hates being frozen and Tacoma gets cold enough for that. Dead batteries are usually cold batteries pretending to be dead. I keep a set in my jacket pocket or inside the truck cab where it stays warmer. Rotation matters too. I got caught once with a spare set that was just as dead as the ones I pulled out. So now I cycle them through every Friday when I do my shop cleanup. Takes two minutes. Saves me from doing the same 40 minute shuffle you just did.