STABILA Type 196-2 Digital TECH Level, 48 Inch, Cat. No. 36548 | Digital electronic spirit level with IP65 dust and water protection, 48 inch length, includes carrying case, Cat. No. 36548

Purchased both the 48-inch and 24-inch IP65 Tech level's and have been running them for approx 2 months now. Absolutely fantastic levels. Like others have mentioned, they are a little on the pricey side, however working as a cabinet installer for 17yrs, exclusively doing high end kitchens, I figured I couldn't afford not to buy them. They are pretty slick units, a few of my likes: -speed and accuracy of readouts is incredible, there is zero delay in adjustments, bang on in 1/10th of a second. I have the mode set to give me the most precise measurements at .00-.05 degree increments. For example after I've installed a kitchen island and it has been secured, I've left the level turned on, and noticed as I walked by the island the level will bounce back and forth from .00 to .05 degrees indicating a 1/32nd of an inch deviation in the floor from the weight of my footsteps. You would never ever notice that on ANY other level. -the illuminated display is great, super easy to read in tough lighting conditions, which is a regular occurrence in renovation conditions. -a MAJOR bonus for a cabinet installer is the fact it has an audible function. When levelling cabinets, more often than not, your eyeballs are not in direct contact with the levels vials or digital display, your down on your knees or even laying on the floor reaching under cabinets installing shims. Now all I have to do is listen for the audible signal to tell me when I'm level, as opposed to constantly getting in and out of position to visually confirm the level itself...a huge bonus, love it. -one thing that I was a little worried about was how much juice they'd use, and well I've just killed the two sets of "AA" batteries in both levels. I have to say I was surprised they lasted as long as they did, I managed about 200 hours operating time off one set of batteries which is totally acceptable to me. I'll be looking forward to the summer months when I'll have a chance to use them on some custom outdoor decks/gazebo's, I think the reference setting on the level will prove invaluable. Overall I'm extremely happy with the purchase, I truly believe in buying the best of the best in terms of tools of your trade, it makes work easier (not to mention, homeowners are always impressed when they see you utilizing such tools), but bottom line is anything that saves me time, saves me money. I've added a couple pics of my levels, just for a different vantage from the Amazon pictures. Hope this review has been a help to some.

This thing is unbelievable. I have to admit I was a little hesitant on spending $200+ dollars on a leveler but I wanted something that had an electronic readout (I am a techie) and just my luck a company name Stabila makes one and as a bonus it is not made in China! I am sucker for high quality top of the line products and this is for sure the best of the best. Even if it's top of the line and made in China, I won't buy it. What's cool is that this thing is all metal, has a nice weight to it, and has dual back lit LCD screens on the front and on the flat edge. Way cool. I actually would have bought the magnetized version of the 48 inch IP65 had I known about it, but was contemplating whether to spend an additional $60. I've read that the "rare earth magnet" used is quite strong. Most of my work is woodworking so I can live without the magnet. It even comes with durable carrying case. All in all this is a super quality level. Calibration is very simple and even the Stabila website has a video on how to calibrate it if you ever need it to. It even has beeps when you are leveled so you can take your eyes off of the bubbles and on to other important things if there is a need. The way they mount their leveling bubbles is even patented. For a German company that has been around for almost 150 years I don't expect any less. You won't find this at Home Depot, Lowes, or Orchard Supply Hardware. Amazon has the best prices and free 2 day shipping if you are a Prime member. Very happy and satisfied.

As show works great

Bought this as civil engineer dealing with ADA regulations for sidewalks. So far it is everything I need and more. Many of the concrete crews I work with won’t use any other brand. It’s expensive, but the quality is worth it.

Very accurate and is holding up to daily abuse and use.

One of the best and easiest to use. All the workers I have given it to for use have been successful with it.

I ordered and compared this directly to the M-D Building Products Smart Tool 48" level (which is the same as the Bosch, just different labeling). I build for a living, and never felt I needed a digital level. I decided to buy one because my newer employees never seem to be able to read one properly, and out of level joists combined with out of plumb walls lead to unnecessary headaches and time by the time you get to the roof, hanging doors, etc. What I've happily discovered, is these sure are nice on my aging eyes too. And the optional audible function (off by default, button press if you want it) makes getting plumb and level easy when it's getting dark or you're trying to take a reading well above your head. And the accuracy. And getting precise slopes when you want. Now I'm just surprised these haven't taken off a bit more among pros. The best thing of all is that you can re-calibrate this thing. My guys are always knocking levels over, and eventually the vials get out of whack, and then you've got to send it in for repair or let's face it buy another cuz you don't have time for that. Unless you physically bend this thing or break the control, you can calibrate it to read perfectly level again after wear and tear that would put an ordinary level out to pasture. A word of warning: one thing I initially found annoying compared to a regular level is that it may seem like these super-accurate displays take longer to "settle" on the correct reading because they're so exact. You can set them to somewhat less precision (tenths vs. hundredths of degrees) and the reading won't jump around as much. At their most precise, both levels take about 3-4 seconds to stabilize at a reading when going all the way from vertical to horizontal. But if you take the time to read a bubble properly, you'll find it really takes 3 seconds as well. This can just seem more annoying because the numbers are jumping around. (You also don't have to wait for the reading to completely settle: within a second you're within a degree of accuracy for sure.) On to the comparison. Long story short, I'm keeping the M-D. Surprised me too. Yes it's significantly cheaper, but one job will pay for this thing so that's not why. It's for the simple reason that it's ready to read faster. Both turn off by default when sitting still for a while (a good thing to save battery life, and you can even change the amount of time they'll stay on, even say never), but inevitably you'll grab it and want to take a reading so you press the on button. The M-D is ready in about 2 seconds. The Stabila in about 4 (mainly I think because it takes a moment to display the software version of the controller). Sounds like a small difference, but in practice it's annoying to wait. So many times in a build. Also, the on button is larger and easier to find on the M-D. Weirdly, the Stabila is easier to turn on accidentally (when you don't want it to, like in its bag), because the buttons are less recessed. All this is not to say the Stabila is terrible. It's a Stabila: it's going to be good. For one thing, it's got a backlight, and in my looking around it's the only one on the market that does. That's nice, but I can always turn on the audible function when it's dark. Speaking of audible functions, both use a quite loud, and quite annoying, beeping. That's just dumb. They could use a loud but much more pleasant sound in the exact same way. They'll only beep when you want them to by pressing the sound button. They won't beep when way off level, smartly figuring you don't want it beeping while standing there unused. They'll start beeping when they get within 2 degrees of level, get faster the closer they approach level, and have a solid tone at level. Despite both being annoying, the Stabila's is at a higher pitch, which to my ears is even worse. Apart from the sound itself, the function proves super useful when you can't easily see the vial. The Stabila has 2 separate displays, on top and the side. If one got damaged, it would be nice to know I could still use the other one. (The M-D has one angled display, so you can read it from both the top and side). The font on the M-D is bigger and easier to read. Both levels do exactly the same things, apart from the light, and the Stabila can read rise in millimeters per meter, not just inches per foot (actually, you have to cycle through the metric measurement to get to inches so that's maybe even a slight disadvantage). Both levels have vials and can be used regularly without the digital feature (good for when the battery runs out). By the way, the M-D uses a 9 volt, and the Stabila 2 AA's. Surprising bonus: the vial on the M-D is significantly easier to read. I posted a photo to show just how much. They even use a phosphorescent spirit, which glows a little in the dark, making it far more easy to read at dusk when just using the vial. Even bigger surprise? When I tested the accuracy of the vials, it was the Stabila that came up wanting (one of its two plumb vials was a hair off). Yes, I'm sure that happened during shipping somehow, and Stabila would correct it for free if I take it in. I was mainly just happy the M-D's vials were perfect because I usually never buy a level without checking its accuracy in the store. (PS homeowner wanting to know how to test a level's accuracy? See my note at the end.) Both levels read to a level of accuracy far greater than even the most perfectionist builder like me is going to measure (hundredths of degrees if you want to measure in degrees). I really like using the levels in the mode that displays the actual rise, and the M-D will not just display 1/8 but 1/8+ or 1/8-. I'm not a paid shill for either of these companies, obviously. The M-D may sound great right now but it's lacking in one major department: the Stabila has their nice replaceable rubber bumpers at each end, which is going to help their level survive construction sites better and with less need for recalibrating. The M-D has hard plastic caps, and you can't easily modify it to use another company's bumpers because the battery attaches to one of those caps. So my solution is adding some glue-on rubber pads, which doesn't give quite as good absorption, and which I will probably have to replace at least a couple times a year as I expect them to fall off. (Although so far so good.) Advantage Stabila: Stabila name, warranty, endcaps, 2 displays, backlight, millimeters if you need it. Advantage M-D/Bosch: Faster on (huge), easier reading of angled display/larger font/higher bubble contrast, slightly less annoying beeping, slightly easier to operate, slightly less likely to turn on accidentally. Note to level buyers: To test the accuracy of a level's vial, make sure the level and surface are clean (the test surface can even have a slight slope, but it should be smooth), take an ACCURATE sight reading (you should close one eye to avoid paralax error, and look straight down the black line that's closest to the bubble, so you don't see the underside of the black ring, and then mentally note exactly how close the bubble is to that line). Then turn the level end-for-end, and keeping the same edge down, put it back into the EXACT same place (mark the location of the level's corners on the surface during the first measurement, and after turning set it down precisely to those marks), then reading the bubble with the same precision, make sure the distance from bubble to line is exactly the same. If it's not, you don't have an accurate level. You can do the same thing to check plumb measurements, sticking the level vertically in the corner of an open door jamb. Just make sure you read the same vial each time, because many levels have plumb vials at each end, and if you read the top vial before flipping, it's now going to be at the bottom. If you do this in the store before buying, you'll find that many levels have been mishandled by previous customers and aren't even totally accurate when "new." If you want to build quality, get one that is, and re-test it frequently. Note to Stabila: Speed up your boot! (Use a long press of a button or something to display the software version, rather than at startup each time.) You will have a ton more sales, and can thank me with one :) Also- use a less annoying sound!! Note to M-D: Use rubber end bumpers! Use a less annoying sound!!

Excellent quality level! Replacement for older worn-out level!

Does exactly what it says

Pour installer un tuyau de 1000 pieds dans une érablière avec une pente constante. L’outil idéal pour ça.

Can’t go wrong with Stabila

Saved me from someone else's costly error.

The most beautiful tool I have ever held!