Review on Empire Level E250 Professional Combination: A Robust Tool for Precision and Efficiency by Mario Beaklini

I bought one of these to set up my miter and table saws but quickly found the angle was inaccurate. but 45 degrees is definitely not. I've tested it with two speed squares and a protractor, and it's about 3 degrees from 45. Aside from not being accurate, it seems like a good tool. Well built, the rule slides in and out easily. I didn't check the level or examine the squareness too closely when I found the angle wrong, but a quick test of the parallel line showed it was at least fairly close to squareness. Interestingly, I went to my local Big Box store and looked at four Swanson squares that looked almost identical to this one, save for the blue spirit level and die-cast zinc base. They all shared the problem that the 45 degree side isn't right but looks accurate on the 90 degree square pieces. Maybe shrinkage in the mold cavity after zinc casting? I'm not sure, but it can be easily carved if you have a grinder and a little bit of time. But who wants to do it? When I was looking for a replacement, I found that the Johnson brand squares in my non-scientific sample were closer than this one, and in fact the Swanson plastic base squares were almost all accurate as hell. I chose a basic plastic square and it worked great for my customization needs. It's not a starter, but at least it's accurate. I do not recommend this product based on the one square I received.