In this article, we will talk about the best levels for electricians, whether you are bending EMT pipe, or making sure electrical outlets are level with their cover plate.
When bending EMT Pipe, it’s very important we have strong magnets to stick to the pipe, either wise it will fly off and drop to the floor many times. These are often called “billet levels“.
When using a level to level plugs, it’s important your level doesn’t mark up the wall, so a torpedo level is the best choice here.
What We Cover in this Article:
- Two Levels an Electrician Needs
Two Levels an Electrician Needs
If you are a residential electrician only, you simply just need a torpedo level. You will use this level for making sure plugs are straight.
If you’re a commercial electrician, you will want to have both a torpedo level and a billet torpedo level. Billet torpedo levels often have strong rare earth magnets to stick to EMT metal pipe.
As a commercial electrician, you will use the lower-quality torpedo level in the electrical finishing stages for making sure plugs are straight.
Basic Torpedo Level Example
When you buy a torpedo level, they can be VERY cheap.. but sometimes it may be all you need to do the job!
If you pay a little more, they typically have a metal frame for improved durability, and the magnet can possibly be stronger..
Price point should be around $10-20, as these basic torpedos are only used for light duty tasks, and they often take a beating.
Best Pipe Bending Level for Electricians
It was tricky figuring out the name difference between a basic torpedo level (for leveling plugs & light-duty tasks), and a pipe bending level for electricians.
Eventually I figured out these levels for bending EMT pipe are called Billet Torpedo Levels. It seems this word billet is to do with the frame.. (please leave a comment if you know the difference!)
In my years of bending EMT Pipe, billet torpedo levels were very expensive once you went up to the Klien Tools brand. But surprisingly, the price has dropped to a fair price, and I can stringly say: Klein Tools orange billet torpedo level is the best level for bending pipe I’ve tried.
The previous billet torpedo I really liked was by Empire. It used to be half the price, and was excellent. But again the Klein Tools Orange Billet Torpedo Level is the same price, and offers better magnets, and the levelling vials are were much easier to see as they’re bigger.
I will also leave another image here for a comparison between the two..
You will notice billet torpedo levels often come with a screw on the end. This is to prevent dog legs (when your two bends are not on the same plane), or when bending pipe 90 degrees if you don’t have the room to put the level on the pipe.
I personally perferred to put the level on the actual pipe as much as possible.
If you do use the screw, make sure not to clamp it down too hard, as you may disform the pipe, making it harder to insert the pipe into a connector/coupling, or even risk gouging the wire!
Conclusion: Best Levels for Electricians
So I hope you now know there’s two levels electrician need:
- Basic Torpedo Level (Light-Duty)
- Billet Torpedo Level (Pipe Bending – Heavy Duty)
The basic torpedo level is for making sure plugs are level, or other common levelling tasks. When finishing, I learned a pro-tip from a journeyman to tape the edges of your level so the level doesn’t mark up the finished walls!
The heavy-duty billet level comes with strong rare earth magnets to clamp onto the pipe. Sometimes they are so strong it’s hard to get the level off the pipe! You’ll see how important a strong level is when you’re bending pipe.
I hope the video helps you decide how to buy a level as an electrician for daily tasks, and when bending pipe.
You’ll need both a torpedo level, and one of these pipe bending levels with strong magnets (billet level).
