The best spirit levels
Shelves, pictures, a new worktop or a washing machine that walks across the floor: spirit levels that read true, from a toolbox torpedo to a full set for bigger jobs.
Most jobs round the house need only a torpedo level, 23 to 25cm long, which fits a toolbox and sits on a shelf, a picture frame or a pipe. For worktops, door frames and fence posts a longer level is better, because a short one can sit in a dip and read level when the whole run isn’t. The ‘spirit’ is the alcohol in the vials, used instead of water because it won’t freeze.
Accuracy is given in millimetres per metre: 0.5mm/m means the reading could be out by half a millimetre over a metre, which is plenty for DIY. Magnets hold a level on a radiator, a steel stud or a scaffold tube so both hands are free, and a V-groove sits it on a round pipe. A metal body takes knocks better than plastic, which counts if it lives in a toolbag.
What matters
- Length: a torpedo for small jobs, a longer level for worktops and door frames.
- Accuracy, in mm per metre: the metal levels here state 0.5mm/m.
- Magnets and a V-groove, for steel and pipes.
- A metal body, if it lives in a toolbag and gets knocked about.
#1 of 5
Best overall
Stanley FatMax Magnetic Torpedo Level (250mm, 0-43-609)
£10–£20 Price range
A die-cast aluminium torpedo with rare-earth magnets that Stanley says are twice as strong as a basic strip, a magnified centre vial that’s easy to read from any side, and a third vial that turns through 180° for setting angles.
What owners say: Owners praise how tough it is, surviving drops and still reading true, and like being able to set angles with it.
A closer look: Stick it to a steel stud, radiator or scaffold tube and both hands are free to line up and fix. Stanley guarantees its accuracy for ten years, and it’s easy to check: take a reading, turn the level end to end on the same spot, and the bubble should settle in the same place.
- 250mm, ±0.5mm/m accuracy
- Rare-earth magnets
- Magnified centre vial
- 180° rotating angle vial
- V-groove for pipes
Best for: Everyday jobs, indoors and out
- Length
- 250mm
- Vials
- 3: level, plumb, 180° angle
- Accuracy
- ±0.5mm/m
- Magnetic
- Rare-earth
- Body
- Die-cast aluminium
#2 of 5
Best for steel
Stabila Type 81 S REM Torpedo Level (25cm, with belt pouch)
£30–£50 Price range
Made for scaffolders and steel erectors: rare-earth magnets set into the measuring face, which Stabila says hold up to five times as hard as ordinary ferrite magnets, and an accuracy of ±0.5mm/m, or ±0.75mm/m upside down against a beam overhead.
What owners say: Owners trust its accuracy and expect it to last for years, and electricians like how it grips metal distribution boards and brackets.
A closer look: With just two vials, level and plumb, there’s no hunting for the right bubble. The belt pouch keeps it to hand up a ladder or a scaffold, and the powder-coated finish wipes clean when it’s been through plaster, grease or mud.
- 250mm, ±0.5mm/m accuracy
- Rare-earth magnets in the base
- Precision-milled measuring face
- Works overhead too
- Belt pouch included
Best for: Steel, scaffold and metalwork
- Length
- 250mm
- Vials
- 2: level, plumb
- Accuracy
- ±0.5mm/m
- Magnetic
- Rare-earth
- Body
- Cast aluminium
#3 of 5
Best budget
Draper 230mm Torpedo Level with Magnetic Base (79579)
Under £10 Price range
A light plastic torpedo for the everyday jobs, like putting up a shelf, hanging a picture or levelling a washing machine, with magnets in the base, a V-groove on top for pipework and rubber end caps in case it’s dropped.
What owners say: Owners like its handy size for small jobs such as shelves and picture hanging, and say the magnet holds firmly.
A closer look: Hang holes at both ends mean it can live on a hook in the shed or under the stairs, ready for the next picture or shelf. Draper backs it with a lifetime warranty, and the rubber end caps take the knock if it slides off a worktop.
- 230mm, 3 vials
- 45°, 90° and 180° vials
- Magnets in the base
- V-groove for pipework
- Rubber end caps, hang holes
Best for: Shelves and pictures at home
- Length
- 230mm
- Vials
- 3: level, plumb, 45°
- Accuracy
- 1mm
- Magnetic
- Magnets in base
- Body
- Plastic (ABS)
#4 of 5
Stanley 60cm 180° I-Beam Level (1-42-920)
£10–£20 Price range
A 60cm level for the jobs a torpedo is too short for, like a shelf, a worktop or a door frame, with a top-read vial, a plumb vial and a third that turns through 180° for angles, on a light aluminium I-beam.
What owners say: Owners find it accurate and easy to use for everyday levelling.
A closer look: The top-read vial shows from above, so it’s easy to check a shelf above eye level or a worktop at waist height. It isn’t magnetic, which is no loss on wood, plaster and tiles; for steel, the torpedo levels here grip on their own.
- 600mm, ±0.5mm/m accuracy
- Top-read level vial
- 180° rotating angle vial
- Shock-absorbing rubber end caps
- Weighs 0.38kg
Best for: Shelves, worktops and door frames
- Length
- 600mm
- Vials
- 3: level, plumb, 180° angle
- Accuracy
- ±0.5mm/m
- Magnetic
- No
- Body
- Aluminium I-beam
#5 of 5
Best set
OX Trade 4-Piece Spirit Level Set (230, 600, 1200 and 1800mm)
£50–£75 Price range
Four lengths for every job: a 230mm torpedo for pipes and brackets, 600mm for shelves and worktops, 1200mm for door frames and 1800mm for stud walls and fence runs, all in lightweight aluminium with shock-absorbing end caps.
What owners say: Owners find the aluminium levels light to carry and handle, and like having four lengths to hand.
Heads up: It comes wrapped, with no bag or case (OX sells another version of the set with a storage bag), so hang the long levels on the wall to keep them straight.
A closer look: A short level can sit in a dip and read level while the rest of the run isn’t, so use the 1200mm or 1800mm on worktops, floors and fence rails and keep the torpedo for shelves, pipes and brackets. Its magnetic V-groove sits on a pipe or clings to steel, leaving both hands free.
- 230, 600, 1200 and 1800mm
- 0.5mm/m accuracy
- 3 UV-resistant vials each
- Shock-absorbing end caps
- Magnetic V-groove on the torpedo
Best for: Building, decking and fencing
- Length
- 230, 600, 1200, 1800mm
- Vials
- 3 on each level
- Accuracy
- 0.5mm/m
- Magnetic
- Torpedo only
- Body
- Aluminium
How they compare
| Feature | #1Stanley FatMax 250mm | #2Stabila 81 S REM | #3Draper 230mm | #4Stanley 60cm I-beam | #5OX 4-piece set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best for steel | Best budget | Best set | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 8.8 |
| Price | £10–£20 Price range | £30–£50 Price range | Under £10 Price range | £10–£20 Price range | £50–£75 Price range |
| Length | 250mm | 250mm | 230mm | 600mm | 230, 600, 1200, 1800mm |
| Vials | 3: level, plumb, 180° angle | 2: level, plumb | 3: level, plumb, 45° | 3: level, plumb, 180° angle | 3 on each level |
| Accuracy | ±0.5mm/m | ±0.5mm/m | 1mm | ±0.5mm/m | 0.5mm/m |
| Magnetic | Rare-earth | Rare-earth | Magnets in base | No | Torpedo only |
| Body | Die-cast aluminium | Cast aluminium | Plastic (ABS) | Aluminium I-beam | Aluminium |
| Best for | Everyday jobs, indoors and out | Steel, scaffold and metalwork | Shelves and pictures at home | Shelves, worktops and door frames | Building, decking and fencing |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
Swipe sideways to see all 5.
Photos are illustrative. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. How we pick · How this works.
