48" Crick Wood Level - Professional Grade Tool for Carpentry, Masonry & DIY Projects - Perfect for Framing, Tiling & Construction Work

Though everything is high tech today, nothing (not even battery powered "digital" spirit levels with a digital "bubble") have been able to replace the humble spirit level for leveling and plumbing tasks requiring high accuracy and portability in checking the work. Like the basic design of the hammer, some things cannot really be improved upon, no matter how sophisticated our technology becomes.A friend of mine has owned a couple of "Crick" levels for a dozen years or more; he's got a four foot and a six footer Crick level that he keeps in specially built cases for protection when not in use. Both of his levels have maintained their "zero" and remained dead accurate while I have been replacing my cheaper spirit levels every few years as they fail and start to lie. Eventually you get tired of hunting for the one vial on your level that has the "OK" circle or a direction arrow drawn on it, telling you it is the one bubble you can trust out of the two or three on the level; at that point, no longer being able to adjust the vials to try and squeak some accuracy from the old level, it is time to break down and buy a new "whiskey stick".The "Crick" is an American made, laminated wood level, with stainless steel perimeter rails to protect the wood. The level is a real work of art, nicely machined and finished, with overall length accuracy promised to .015". In an era of cheap, stamped out Chinese metal garbage tools and equipment, the Crick is a welcome change and reminiscent of American tools made in the forties and fifties; its well designed, nicely finished, and a tool that has heft and fits in your hand well that's made for real work.Level vials are sealed and unlike other levels found in home supply centers that are just screwed in, are fully mounted and pressed into the body of the level meaning they cannot move around and knock off accurate readings.Everything about the Crick level speaks quality, and for those that appreciate a well made tool, Crick meets the bill. Speaking of "bill", the Crick level is a lot of money, it is an expensive spirit level that can give you a good case of "sticker shock" when you note that other four foot levels can be had for a good deal less. For me, it took a dozen years of "proofing" from my friend that owns two of the Crick levels, to finally prove that the Crick is worth the investment over the cheap(er), and marginally accurate, levels I've been buying.Crick recommends a strict regimen of "raw linseed oil" to keep the laminated wood sealed against moisture, suggesting it be wiped down with oil every few days and allowed to dry. Sealing the level with linseed oil may be alright when used for masonry work, where the level will be exposed to mortar, water, and humidity, but for other trades, like carpentry, having a level with even a hint of wet oil on its sides can be a problem as oil stains can be transferred to finish woodwork.In discussion with Crick customer service, for carpentry use they still suggested using "raw linseed oil" but with less frequency, perhaps monthly, allowing the level to dry overnight and then wiping any excess oil off the wood.Keeping the laminated wood sealed is important as the oil will help slow down humidity changes in the wood, but "raw linseed oil" is probably no better for this purpose, in my opinion, than mineral oil, tung oil, or any other oil that's used for preservation and maintenance of finished wood products, and it may be that other oils will dry faster and have better stabilizing properties than raw linseed oil. If you buy a Crick level, the question about what type of sealing oil to use on your level is probably worth investigating.If you want a high quality tool that will not lie to you when you need it to provide accurate readings, a Crick spirit level may be in your future, just make sure you keep it safe where it won't fall or be dropped. Don't wait a dozen years to buy one, like I did... a dozen years from now you'll thank me.