That time I laughed at a guy for using a laser level on escalator rails

I was doing a mod job on an Otis escalator in a mall near Portland last fall. Older mechanic pulls out this cheap green laser level and starts lining up the step chain guides. I thought it was a joke, I always just use a tape and my eyeballs. He let me check his work after. The rail spacing was within 1/16 over 40 feet. I bought my own laser that weekend. Anyone else ditched the old school way for something you thought was a gimmick?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_lee225d agoMost Upvoted

You got a favorite brand or model since that day, or just whatever's on sale at Home Depot?

joseph_bailey5d ago

Man that's the thing I still wonder about. Did you ever go back and check that guys work months later to see if it held up or was it just a one time lucky deal? I'm curious if laser levels actually save time on maintenance calls or if they're just a crutch for guys who never learned to read a tape right.

ryan_hart384d ago

That "crutch for guys who never learned to read a tape" line hits home. My buddy tried one on a big job and swore by it until the battery died halfway through and he had to finish with a folded up piece of notebook paper like a caveman.