Level Up! Best Torpedo Levels (2024)

I bought 14 torpedo levels for 529 dollars I did that so that I could compare them side by side

and give you a top seven ranking also I'm finally going to settle the age-old debate which torpedo

level has the strongest magnet under the sun and there's a level behind me that isn't even on the

market yet it's a prototype I'm going to reveal that in just a second you'll probably see a few

levels you weren't familiar with and by the end you'll be able to confidently choose the best

level for your application number seven the Ridgid 8-inch machined aluminum five vial level it's the

only level on the list with five vials there were several criteria for consideration on this list

all levels must have magnets a pipe Groove and a flat side they must be pocket friendly while

having a minimum of three vials a zero degree 90 degree and a 45 degree about half of the levels

have no more than three vials the other half have a 30 degree bubble as well but the Ridgid is the

only torpedo to include a dedicated 22 and a half degree bubble also note that you can see the zero

degree and the 22.5 degree from all four sides it does have slope markings from 1 8 up to a half but

the only zero to degree bubble is the slope vial so that's a little bit unique it has three rare

earth magnets on the bottom they claim accuracy to one thousandth per inch the rigid comes with

a wrist strap but it does look removable and there isn't much I would change about this

level aside from the 62 dollar price tag that makes it the second most expensive on the list

it's made in Taiwan I don't see many of these on site but it is a high quality level so I'm

looking forward to carrying it in the future did you know they're called Spirit levels because of

the mineral spirits or alcohols typically used in the vials alcohols have a lower surface tension

and viscosity than water allowing the bubble to move more freely they also have additives that

give color as well as resistance to freezing and fading in the sun number six the Klein

Tools eight inch aluminum Billet torpedo level Klein makes some high quality tools and their

torpedo level is no exception it has four rare earth magnets that supposedly won't fall out due

to the patented magnetic track furthermore after rigorous scientific testing the client was proven

to have the second strongest magnets of all the levels even stronger than the stability or the

Flange Wizard you'll see who takes the strongest magnet award once we get inside the top five

it's accurate to .029 degrees has a very reasonable price tag of thirty dollars I would

like to see some slope markings but I guess slope isn't a real high priority for those sparkies they

do make a nearly identical conduit level with a thumb screw as well as a version of this that

lights up that one is six dollars more and they are all made in China speaking of light up levels

I have two levels here that didn't quite make the list but are solid options as well it's the

Southwire nine inch torpedo level and the Savage lightning from Swanson and for some unknown reason

they are basically the same level I mean they're the exact same size and shape with identical vials

and markings and light buttons as well the only visible difference is the Southwire has squared

off corners while the Savage has more rounded Corners if anyone knows what's up with that let

me know they aren't owned by the same company Savage is a Swanson product and Southwire is a

family-owned company so maybe they just happen to be made in the same facility they are both made in

China regardless The Savage is tied for cheapest level of them all at 22 and the South wires in

the middle of the pack at 37 so that should make a decision between the identical twins pretty easy

check out this chart that puts a visual on the price tags of every level I looked at also all

the pricing I'm using is Amazon pricing just for the sake of a fair comparison I did link all the

levels behind me here in my Amazon storefront down below another thing about the Klein level that I

didn't mention is the aggressive 45 degree angle machined out of the level most levels have a 45 or

30 degree taper built in either to help it slide into your pocket or to check level in a small area

the only one longer than the Klein is on the tough built nine inch Billet aluminum torpedo level with

three rare earth magnets an eight inch ruler and a notch out of the middle for a weld or a pipe strap

or something the tough build is a solid option as well at 23 dollars it's just a dollar away

from being the cheapest if you care about magnets though they're not ideal they are actually the

second weakest overall and they also claim 0.029 degrees of accuracy speaking of magnets before we

crack the top five I want to do a brand new tool reveal this is a prototype of a level that isn't

even in production yet it's from a company called stalwart tool Co and it is made right here in the

USA it's a heavy duty laser cut zinc coated Steel sandwiched by stainless steel and it's called the

Magneto I'll show you why that is the strongest magnet on a level I've ever seen and it's not even

close that plate weighs nine and a half pounds I think this is a beast and looks sweet they

actually wanted me to ask for your feedback so please let me know what you think in the comments

and keep an eye on their website I did not include this thing in my ranking and the strongest magnet

on a level currently available like I said is inside the top five number five stabila's 10

inch torpedo level 81 SV Ram w360 one of two cast aluminum levels that I looked at and the only one

in the top five it has a machined flat side with an integrated pipe Groove and one strong Rare

Earth magnet the 360 in the name is for the angle finder feature that lets you find degrees of slope

and if you look closely you can see that they've highlighted the 45 degree and 22.5 degree markings

the zero degree bubble also has gradient lines for one and two degrees of pitch as well Stabila is

a German company and known for their high quality levels and they claim a half a thousandth per inch

it's the only torpedo that comes with a belt pouch also on the pricier side at 61 dollars making it

the third most expensive on the list along with being the second heaviest they also make a similar

version where the 360 degree vial is replaced with a fixed 45 it is a high quality level although I

don't love the shape and I don't love the single magnet even though it's the fifth strongest on

the list the only other cast aluminum level that I looked at also has one Rare Earth magnet it's the

Sola it's a little bigger and bulkier it is the heaviest on the list just check out this weight

chart that shows just how much heavier it is than the rest not very pocket friendly and I'm

not sure how I feel about the sides of the vials being so tinted comes in at a whopping 68 dollars

making it the most expensive on the list and it's the only level made in Hungary number four it's

the Milwaukee seven inch Billet torpedo level it's very lightweight in fact it's the third

lightest on the list and I appreciate the notch that allows me to slap this thing right over a

weld just like the tough build eighth inch and quarter inch slope markings and it's machine so

that you could even lay it sideways on large diameter piping one of six levels with laser

etched ruled Edge a very very reasonable 36 dollars and it has four rare earth magnets and

this is the level that tops the chart when it comes to magnet strength excluding the Magneto

this is a video of all the levels lined up in order of magnet strength from the Milwaukee down

to the weakest which is the short black level the Milwaukee is stronger than the Klein Stabila and

Flange Wizard one knock on this level that I've heard a few times is that the magnets can fall

out if dropped I haven't experienced this myself but it is worth noting also made in Vietnam the

Milwaukee is tied for shortest on the list it's one of two that are only seven inches long the

other being from strong hand tools it has the same three bubbles but very small vials and only two

magnets which are on the other end of the spectrum from the Milwaukee they are the weakest magnets I

looked at overall a unique feature this level has is the 90 degree removable bubble that sticks out

of the side allowing you to level two axes at one time I'm only a little skeptical that the rubber

gaskets wouldn't wear out over time causing this feature to lose accuracy but it's a cool feature

nonetheless and when removed if becomes the lightest level on the list just barely edging

out the number one ranked level another unique feature is the quarter inch chamfer making for

easy alignment to your work piece there are two more magnets on that side of the level as well

and the velcro strap stored in the center allows you to strap it firmly to non-magnetic surfaces so

lots of unique features here but the weak magnets and the small vials knock it down a few pegs and

it's made in China number three the green Lee nine inch Billet torpedo level four rare earth

magnets tied for third place in strength and four vials with a slope mark on the zero degree

but what stands out about this level is the plum view with a mirror right next to the 90 degree

bubble allowing you to see all four vials from the top and the side it's the only level that

can do that that's going to come in handy when Plumbing a pipe north and south east and west

when you can't move to see it from the side has a built-in 45 degree angle for bending offsets and

etched ruler and a removable wrist strap it's made in China and costs 46 bucks there is another

level similar to the Greenlee it's the Bethel 9-inch torpedo level it's the same same size a

similar shape a touch lighter with similar vials the major difference being no mirror for the 90

degree also no wrist strap and much weaker magnets if you don't care about the mirror the Bethel is

a cheaper alternative at 22 dollars they also make a six inch and a two and a half inch conduit level

with a thumb screw in the same style as this number two you already know there's going to

be a Flange Wizard on the list this is flange Wizard's nine inch aluminum pocket level or SL

100 and it's made from aircraft aluminum it's kind of a minimalistic level with no 30 degree

for the electricians and no slope markings it is the third heaviest on the list thanks in part to

the four inch long magnet that's tied with the Greenlee in strength Flange Wizard is known for

their high quality pipe fitting tools and this along with a Stabila are going to take the win

for accuracy Flange Wizard does sell vial repair kits for field repairing the level and the sl100

is surprisingly affordable at 36 dollars and you could upgrade to the pocket Pro level or

the pp200 if you want the added angle finder protractor feature but it's a little big for

everyday pocket care area and it costs over 60 bucks and both of these options are made right

here in the good old USA Bay and the number one all-around pocket carry torpedo level that money

can buy is coming up in two seconds but first I need to give out an honorable mention I had this

level on my previous top five ranking but that was before I introduced a few of the other levels It's

The Old Reliable Empire true blue 8-inch magnetic Billet torpedo level this is also a solid choice

I would probably rank this one eighth it is the only level with a dedicated slope vial and like

the Ridgid it has eighth inch through half inch per foot lines files are accurate to a half a

thousandth and some are made in China while some are made in Taiwan the one knock on this level

is the blue tinted liquid in the vials can make it a little tough to see in low light however

they claim the blue edge on the bubble makes it easier to see at twenty seven dollars it's one

of the cheapest on the list and readily available at Home Depot and many other hardware stores they

also make a six inch conduit variation again this level is a favorite for a lot of people

it's just with so many good levels at the top I'm not sure which I would knock out in favor

of the Empire just one more friendly reminder that all of these levels as well as most of the tools

that I use are in my Amazon storefront Linked In the description below just click on the top

rank tool section of my storefront also if you hate this style of comparison and ranking video

be sure to not subscribe but I would like to do some more of these in the future if there is some

interest number one the top level on the list is Sleek smooth ergonomic and Incredibly lightweight

it's the checkpoint ultramag G3 eight and a half inch torpedo level it's very affordable at twenty

nine dollars comes in four colors blue green red silver made from 6061 aluminum alloy with a

removable wrist strap three of the vials are on the smaller side but the zero degree is larger

than the rest I'm pretty sure it's made in Taiwan the overall weight makes it the second lightest

on the list which is impressive considering that it isn't one of the shorter ones I've actually

adjusted the weights of all the levels for how long they are giving them a gram per inch value

that's right Imperial and metric and as you can see the checkpoint is definitely the lightest once

adjusted the magnets are above average and tied for six with with the Empire the checkpoint just

has the best feel and is the most carriable of all the levels drop your favorite multi-tool in the

comments and maybe I'll rank those next thanks for watching I hope you learned something and I hope

you come back for the next tool ranking until then I'm Drew and I'm building America [Music] foreign

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