My grandpa's 1970s Stanley level beat my digital one on a job in Portland last Saturday

I was framing a corner in a basement remodel and my digital level kept glitching out in the humidity. Grandpa handed me his old 36 inch Stanley with the vial that's barely hanging on. Three checks on the corner and it was dead perfect every time. Has anyone else had older analog tools outperform new tech when conditions get rough?

2 comments

2 Comments

drewsullivan15d ago

36 inches of pure Portland basement humidity defiance right there. I guess some things just don't need a battery to tell you a wall isn't straight, they've been doing it since before we were born. My phone's spirit level app started crying in the rain last week, grandpa knew what he was doing.

emmaj3315d ago

Feel you on that. Mine's a 48-inch wooden level I found in my dad's garage after he passed. Bubble still works perfect even though the varnish is all cracked and peeling. Tried using my phone to level some shelves once and it told me my floor was crooked. Wooden one said the floor was fine, the phone was just confused. Sometimes the old stuff just knows better.