Bought a fancy laser alignment tool for $700 and it paid for itself in one job

I was on a call last month at a 12 story office building in Portland. The rails were way off and I was spending hours with a level and string. My buddy talked me into getting this laser kit from a supply house. I had the car tracking smooth in like 2 hours instead of all day. Has anyone used those cheaper digital levels instead, or is the laser the only way to go?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sam17d ago

Yeah, those cheaper digital levels can be decent for basic stuff, but they don't hold a candle to a proper laser alignment kit for elevator work. The laser just cuts through all the guesswork, especially on longer runs where a level can drift. If you're planning to do this kind of job more than twice a year, it's worth the money. The time you save alone pays for it pretty quick.

leelewis16d ago

@the_sam nailed it. Lasers save you from having to redo a job because one end of the run was just off by a hair. I've used both a cheap level and a proper laser on guide rails, and the difference is night and day. With the laser, you set it once and mark all your spots in one pass. That cuts your install time in half easy.