Milwaukee has been hitting the market hard with their new measurement line of products. They started out with some great tape measures and then went on to develop some torpedo levels and more. Not to mention their acquisition of Emprire leves. You might be wondering the same thing I am wondering, why does Milwaukee come out with their own brand of levels when they have Empire levels? Great question. Why does GM build a Silverado and a GMC truck? The only reason I can think of is Milwaukee has a great name and why not develop a product that all most every contractor uses on a daily basis.
So how are the RedStick Box levels? I have to say that their first crack at making and designing levels is pretty much a success. The levels are what you would expect from a company like Milwaukee. They are solid and seem like they will last even through some heavy duty drops. Milwaukee started with a durable frame and designed very nice vials. The vials are protected by an outer shell of plastic, so even if you drop your level, the actual vial should be well protected. Milwaukee offers a lifetime accuracy guarantee with an accuracy of .029.
The measuring surface is precision milled so you know these are accurate right out of the packaging. Each end has a rubber bumper that can be removed in case you need to work in the corner or need a very straight line. In order to take the end caps off, all you have to do is pull on the bumper. No buttons or snaps to remove.
The vials are filled with a very light color liquid. I know most levels are yellow because it gives great contrast, especially against a dark background. For me, I tend to like the Empire Blue filled vials. I am not saying these are hard to read because they aren’t hard to read. I just prefer the blue.
For Milwaukee’s first crack at this type of box level, I think they took a great step forward. The levels are solid, easy to read and seem like they will take the abuse of daily activity. So really, what else could someone want from a level?
