Digital Level Hack - What size to buy if you can only get one! Stabila & Empire Shown

Quick video about digital levels and primarily a way to save money by buying a particular size if you can only have one.
Let me know if you have any questions or would like a link for something in the video in the comments section below. I will post the links here in the description.
Thanks for watching and have a great day!
Non-Affiliate Links:
Empire Digital Torpedo (Magnetic) - www.homedepot....
Milwaukee Level (Magnetic) - www.homedepot....
The following are Amazon AFFILIATE links for items shown in the video. I make a small commission if you make a purchase through following these links. Thanks for supporting the channel!
Stabila 24" Digital Level (Non Magnetic) - amzn.to/3fr5EbL
Stabila 48" Digital Level (Non Magnetic) - amzn.to/3AiN8Mp
Stabila 6-10' Plate Level (Magnetic) - amzn.to/3FLy9M5
#tools #levels #carpentry #empire #stabila

[@Stefan_Kawalec]

Where there's a will there's a way. Good and simple tip. Thank you for another useful video.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Thank you for watching!

[@benpaquin7663]

You just saved me a whole pile of money. Thank you!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Thank you for watching. I have adjustable Velcro straps I use instead of zip ties, but just use whatever you feel is most secure. Once you go digital…you’ll never go back 😂

[@brandonhehn5157]

Good idea!! You just saved me a lot of money.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

You can just send me 1/2 of what you saved as payment 😂😂😂

[@tmargosian]

Literally just found a stabila tech 196 out on the job site that some inspector left on the ground. It laid there for at least a week or two through a huge storm and has concrete on a lot of it but it still works perfect. Just needs to be cleaned up. Score.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

They are great. One of my favorite purchases of all time.

[@mixter7x7]

I have several digital levels and protractors. I've been using this method for years. You can also use your digital protractors to sense degrees of rotation. ANYWAY - My digitals are SO SENSITIVE - you cannot use a tie wrap to hold it from only one side. You MUST tie it down equally from both sides ( or from the center ) to make it read accurately to the straight edge. The difference in pressure from one side or the other will create inaccuracy. That said - I remodeled my kitchen. The granite guys came out to check all my measures and check my cabinets for level. They said they had never seen such close tolerance level installation in a 30 year old house. All I used was my digital protractor and a piece of square aluminum tubing to level my cabinets vertical - lateral - longitudinal and diagonal.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Yeah you cannot beat the accuracy of comparing a number to eyeballing a bubble. I have been amazed at how much my finish work has been so much easier due to being able to get things to 0.0 instead of the middle of a bubble. Appreciate your insight 👍

[@lglge611]

I am confused , could I buy and use digital protractor (angle gauge like Wixey) to find accurate level of my floor? Are they used for difference in angles or it can also be used for finding "sea level" ?

[@mixter7x7]

@@lglge611 Wixey is cheap and not very accurate. I have one. They're crap. I put a Wixey on my calibrated protractor for a cross check. Not even close. My Johnson level is equal to my calibrated protractors I use for my employment down to .1 degrees You'd be far better to spend a little money and get a small accurate digital level / protractor. " Johnson " is a good mid price and very accurate. Once you have the level / protractor - you can use aluminum square tubing of any length as the beam for the level. Use 1.5" aluminum or steel square tubing is rigid enough to keep itself straight over a span distance - like a floor. . " water level " is a term for being perfectly horizontal in every direction. Like a swimming pool or your floor. Digital protractors will measure vertical lift and fall - like a ramp. For horizontal direction - you need a compass or a protractor that has an arm of degrees indicator . See " Baileigh digital angle ruler " model AR-360D. for plotting horizontal angles. . It will be like a digital speed square. Hope that helps

[@mixter7x7]

@@lglge611 most digitals are self calibrating when the turn on. ALL of mine self cal when you turn them on. They have an alternate cal to measure angles relative to the captured angle but they go back to ZERO self cal when you turn them off and back on.

[@lglge611]

@@mixter7x7 Oh!? I thought their primary purpose is to measure relative angles. I didn't know they can self calibrate relative to water level. That is great. I think I saw Wixey tutorial that it needs to be placed on "near perfectly fine surface" to calibrate. That sounded useless to me, because I need apsolute measurement not relative. That sounds better!

[@grumpyuncle.]

This is so smart!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Thank You!

[@willwinstanley]

Brilliant, thanks 😊 👍 👏

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

You are welcome 👍👍

[@davidmorcos1463]

Just saved me a bunch of money. Thanks

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@davidmorcos1463 👍👍 Glad I could help

[@thehonestman26]

Great tip, thank you.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

You are welcome 👍👍

[@dangerdan4x468]

Fantastic!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍

[@luistello1971]

Brilliant!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Thank You 👍

[@chrisfyfe9212]

Good idea ! Good life Hack !

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Thank You. Wish I would have thought of it before I spent so much on my others… or at least my wife wishes I did!

[@chrisfyfe9212]

I have a mid sized collection of levels , the idea of using a small digital / audio level , to enhance my long levels is very tempting !

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@chrisfyfe9212 now that I’ve gone digital…I can’t imagine going back. Seeing 90.00 is much easier than seeing that bubble dead center. I have noticed dramatic differences in my work. I’ve had them about 3 years. My Stabila levels have digital and bubbles… I do prefer that.

[@chrisfyfe9212]

@@MORGANSMaintenance The audio angle alert was something I never even considered ! Brilliant !

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@chrisfyfe9212 most of them are also selectable for degrees, percent, rise/run, (in/ft). They are really nice. They are expensive but in certain fields they are invaluable.

[@davide2268]

You're a genius thank you

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

I don’t know about all that 😂… but you are welcome 👍

[@davide2268]

Have you ever thought about making a video about tools you would buy starting over from scratch? Ive been making a list for home diy @@MORGANSMaintenance

[@donniemccrorie19]

I want the 24” empire, digital with magnets. Thx for the info! Did you purchase in store or online?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

That little Empire I have impresses me. It doesn’t have all the settings as the Stabila but it’s just as accurate.

[@chrisfyfe9212]

@@MORGANSMaintenance I digg the precision attaching method you use ! Ghetto meets digital !

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Donnie, I missed your purchase question…sorry. I had to do ship to store at my Home Depot but my Home Depot doesn’t carry many tools. Others might stock them.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@chrisfyfe9212 yeah, and I didn’t even trim the end….I am a certified zip tie engineer…lol. I actually use a Velcro strap most of the time but I figured 95% of people have zip ties so I would use that as an example… BOTH levels having strong magnets touching each other is the way to go for sure though. If Both aren’t magnetic you have to use something else to join them together. I told you guys I am not a cinematographer 😂

[@ArcaneMediaGroup]

Ours is in the way!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍. You probably have a lot of straight edges you can put a smaller one on in the concrete game

[@trevordion7321]

Do both levels have to be magnetic for this to work? Or could the little empire stick to another level that isn’t magnetic. Thanks! Great video btw 👍🏻

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Thanks for the compliment and for watching. Many levels are made of aluminum to make them more light weight so the magnets won’t stick to them. The two being magnetic works best (as long as the magnets aren’t fighting each other)…but you can take a Velcro strap, or zip tie and strap it to a regular levels handle. That or if you can find something that’s not a level all together, but metal to use as a straight edge to whatever length you want. Some square tubing or something like that. I’ve used metal studs on job sites before.

[@trevordion7321]

Awesome. Thanks for the quick repsonse! I have about 7 different sizes of levels. All stabila. I have a 6ft digital because I hang doors every day but I would like my others to have the same capabilities. Love this idea. Will be ordering one forsure

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@trevordion7321 the Stabila Digital ones are amazing… I had a 24 and 48 before I bought the Little “Empire”. I wish all mine were digital but I’ve not hit that Powerball yet 😂. I really wanted my plate level to be Digital is what made me think of doing this. The empire works very similar to the Stabila, just no bubbles, or screen on top.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Have you heard of “Door Studs”? I hang a lot of doors by myself and they have been a big help.

[@trevordion7321]

Just looked into them. I haven’t heard of em but they look pretty convenient! Especially for this big solid 8 ft doors

[@raywright2401]

Carpenter here and often work in enclosed spaces with my limited eyesight, need something bright but how about a level that has a 90 degree rotating arm with level l so I don't have to stick my head back into recessed places?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

You would think someone could make something like that.. they would just have a screen on a handle that gave you the information that the level was giving you.

[@raywright2401]

@@MORGANSMaintenance Today I went and bought the Empire digital torpedo level. It is backlit and has a great Audio feature that is like radar as you reach level in tight spaces so you don't have to actually look at it; once you hear steady chime, it's level---pretty cool.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@raywright2401 I really like mine, use it all the time. It has all the same features of my Stabila ones and it is as accurate, it reads exactly the same when I put them in the same places.

[@jaimemorocho9055]

Can I use that empire level for vertical levels 🤔?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

It works both Vertical (Plumb) and horizontal (Level)… it gives you 0-90 both directions.

[@jaimemorocho9055]

@@MORGANSMaintenance I am happy because of your gratitude of how you explain me about how it works 😁😁 God bless you much much more

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@jaimemorocho9055 you are welcome … I have a review video of The Empire Level here that has more info on it Empire 9" Digital Torpedo Level Review EM105.9 Review and thoughts on all digital levels kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmKvpqqrZa-GhLc

[@ThekiBoran]

When I turned 44 my eyesight went to $#^+.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Yeah, I just got glasses this year. It was like a light switch how quick it changed

[@kenny3430]

My 24" was $59.00 at HF works fine

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Yeah most did girls ones you can calibrate so unless you want certain bells and whistles the brand doesn’t matter as much. Appreciate you sharing 👍

[@juanmago7635]

how much

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

It’s $70 on Amazon or Home Depot amzn.to/45r3UHQ www.homedepot.com/p/Empire-9-in-Magnetic-Digital-Torpedo-Level-em105-9/310152658