Spent $200 on a digital level that died after 3 months

Picked up a fancy digital level from Home Depot in January to help with some foundation work on a house I was framing. It started giving wonky readings after about 10 jobs, then just quit altogether on a Thursday last month when I was setting up for a slab pour. Anyone else had bad luck with these battery-powered levels or do I just need to stick with a spirit level?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.thea21d ago

You said it started giving "wonky readings after about 10 jobs" but honestly that might have been user error creeping in. Those digital levels are super sensitive to any dirt or debris on the base. I've seen guys wipe them down with a rag and suddenly the level is fine again. Also check your batteries because they drain fast if you leave the unit on by accident. The screen might go blank but that doesn't mean the level itself is busted.

david_jones3821d ago

Funny you mention that, I had the same thing happen with mine. Turned out a tiny speck of drywall dust was stuck under the base. Wiped it clean and it worked perfect ever since. Simple fix, easy to overlook.

jana_shah21d ago

Those drywall dust fixes people talk about only work for certain models. The cheap ones with exposed sensors get clogged easy. But the higher-end digital levels like the Stabilia or the Bosch ones seal that stuff off completely. I bought a $150 Bosch BL 360 last year for my own foundation work and left it in a dusty trailer for months. No issues at all. So if yours was a $200 model from Home Depot, it should have had sealed electronics. Might be a bad unit off the line. Check the serial label and see if it says "water/dust resistant" anywhere. If not, you probably just got a poorly made one.