Empire has come out with a new limited edition 9″ torpedo level with American Flag “hydrographic” color scheme, model EM81.9LE.
Because… why not?! And yes, it’s made in the USA.
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It features a magnetic edge, high contrast blue E-band vials, an aluminum-reinforced frame, and V-groove working edge.
Good news – it’s priced at $10, which is the regular price for the EM81.9 torpedo level. (Last holiday season Home Depot had the regular level in a special 2-for-1 pack, but $10 does seem to be the regular price.)
The EM81.9 isn’t the best torpedo level in the world, whether we’re talking about the regular blue version, or this American Flag version. But it’s a solid, dependable, and inexpensive level that you won’t cry about if it gets dinged, damaged, or lost.
The EM81.9 looks to have been redesigned recently. The American Flag version looks to be based on the older styling, but that’s okay. I’ve used the older style, and not the new one yet, and have no complaints. The new one does look better from an aesthetics standpoint.
Price: $10
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Andy
I’m pretty sure this is not in line with U.S flag code. Not that anyway seems to care about that anymore.
Hang Fire
It’s not, and nobody (else) does, it seems.
Bruce
Nobody cares because the US flag code is guidelines. The Supreme court ruled that the 1st Amendment applies to treatment of the US flag in 1989. In response Congress passed the US flag code in 1990. The Supreme Court reaffirmed their previous ruling making the US Flag code a dead letter. I treat the flag with respect as laid out in the flag code. But if someone wants a flag level, I see that as pride in our country, not some smudge on the honor of our flag.
It’s pretty awesome to live in a country that cares enough about it to care how the flag is treated. It’s even more awesome that people that disagree are protected by the rule of law.
fred
Yep. Wonderful too to have so many choices in our marketplace, be able to form and express our differences of opinions about them , and then buy what we like. For me – I’m proud to live in the USA – as did some of my ancestors going back nearly 300 years. I’m not sure I like slapping depictions of our flag – the symbol of our country – on tools that will get beat up in the workplace , preferring to reserve its place for what I think to be more dignified representations. But if others think it appropriate to put it on a pair of pliers or a level – I don’t dispute their right to do so.
Robert W
Murica, heck yeah!
fred
Yet another “limited edition item!?”
I hate to be skeptical – but this sounds like one of those late night commercials – that exhort you to hurry and call the number on the screen because the item is on sale and quantities are limited. I love the English language – but it can be used in a rather imprecise fashion. Of course the item is on sale – otherwise I couldn’t buy it – and if you had a billion of them in the warehouse – the quantity available would be limited – just not very rare.
BTW – I always liked Checkpoint torpedo and their other small levels – which when I bought them – were USA-made – but now seem to come from Taiwan.
https://www.amazon.com/Levels-Checkpoint-Measuring-Layout-Tools/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A553256%2Cp_4%3ACheckpoint
JoeM
Missed opportunity. Canada turned 150 this past July 1st. Could’ve made a Canadian version as well as this American version, and made a bunch more money.
Oh well. We’re only the second largest land-mass country in the world, next to Russia, sitting just across the border from you there in ‘Murikuh… Not like we buy stuff from you all the time to start with or anything… Y’know… Just sayin’… Red and White is one less ink colour to print for export… You know… Unless the Leaf scares you or somethin’… Again… Just sayin’… 😛
It’s a level. You Americans commemorate all sorts of stuff. You’ve got really good at making commemorative goods. Hydrographics is just one example. You’ve managed to make an entire photo-real paint job float on the very surface of a tank of water, and however you dunk it in the pattern, gets stuck to the surface. It’s a Level, one of the simplest tools in existence. I get the USA #1 thing, but… Canada’s 150th anniversary since our Confederation… Could’ve made lots there.
Besides… It’s a Commemorative item… Does it matter if it stands up to all the tests? Maybe you only use it once a year, to set up the Fireworks Display, and make sure it’s level? Then go back to work with your everyday levels.
The yeti
Not much to be proud of in Canada these days .
Jim Premo
Cheer up. It’s going to get worse.
JoeM
Still. Just having some fun with our American brothers in arms and their constant flag-stamping on everything. I think it’s cute how they ignore us as a market for some of this stuff.
Like I said, they are VERY good at commemorative items by now. Wouldn’t have taken much to really go for that. But, oh well. Only posted for fun with our American friends here.
fred
From the perspective of a guy looking north, I thought that the Canadian economy was doing great – with growth about 3 times better than what we’ve had in the USA so far in 2017. Or am I missing something?
JoeM
Yeah, fred, unfortunately we have some different problems that don’t make it down south of the border. There’s major upheaval over spending and taxpayer budgets for what was spent for the 150th Canada Day. And, unfortunately, a really, REALLY dark stain on our lives was brought back to the forefront recently, when The Tragically Hip (the band) announced their lead singer had Terminal Brain Cancer. Gord Downie (that singer) launched a passion project that revealed that the Canadian Government, as far back as Confederation, and continuing right on up to 1996, was partaking in a little thing called “The Residential School System.” They were essentially kidnapping Native Children from their families, keeping them in these schools, and “Beating the Indian Out of Them.” They were trying to erase the “Heathen Culture” from the children, and they almost eradicated generations of Language and Culture across 7 generations.
Our Prime Minister is very passionate about trying to re-connect the Native Tribes to the rest of Canada, and give them rights they lacked before, and give them opportunities to revive their culture before it’s lost. And even that is getting push back by the public, as many Canadians are, forgive the language on this site, PISSED about how small the gestures have been so far. To the Native Peoples, those gestures are HUGE progress over our previous PM, and over the past 150 years. But White Canada (By which I mean, the government formed by White settlers, who gradually incorporated immigrants and refugees from all over the world to form the MODERN Canada you Americans call Neighbours today) sees these gestures as so tiny that they’re a waste of money. Some of White Canada wants the gestures to be super-grand, like dropping a few thousand volunteers on each reservation to renovate the sub-poverty level housing they live in, and to pave giant roads up to the reserves so there’s easy access to Transit for them. These are the same part of White Canada who complain they have to pay taxes, and simultaneously complain that the government can’t afford to run their programs, AND complain their programs have too long a wait time.
So… As Jim Premo said… It’s getting worse. (Paraphrased.) He just meant Culturally, rather than Economically.
Oh, and… I happen to be Half Native, Half Jewish… so… the Native part of this I know first hand, having Family who went through this. My Mother’s Brother was one of 4 siblings, and was born on a Rez near Nippissing Ontario. As the children were born, ending with my Mother, they had moved away from the Rez, as my Grandfather served in World War 2. Mom was born in Timmins, Ontario, and the family eventually moved to a suburb-of-a-suburb of Toronto called Whitby, Ontario, where they stayed long enough for them all to grow up there. I CURRENTLY live one town over… The Suburban City that grew to incorporate Whitby, called Oshawa. Anyone who has been following the big issues of General Motors in Detroit, knows Oshawa is the location of the primary Canadian plant for GM vehicles. My Family on my Mother’s side live locally, and between them, and our Native connections, I tend to keep up on the Native issues.
I can agree… Socially? We’re in for a doozy of a problem very soon fred. Our Economy may stay stable, we may grow our industries, but we’re about to have the kind of breakdown of politics you Americans have nightmares about. A battle between Native Canada, and White Canada about what should be done, and who is left standing at the end. All over who thinks they have the right solution to help the Native Tribes on the Reservations, and where the tax money is going to come from to pay for it. Canada is pretty united about saving the Native Culture and the Native People, but there is a GIANT gap between those who understand what the Native People need, and those who just want to do a blanket development to incorporate the Reservations into White Canada.
That’s right… We’re so “Nice” up here that there’s rumblings of Civil War over who can be more charitable. Insert laughter here.
Jim Premo
What did we do to invite that rant? Comments about tools, a little lite humor. Take that nonsense somewhere else, please.
Steve
Americans seem to be alone in wanting to plaster patriotic symbolism on everything imaginable. It’s one of the things that make us so special.
Matthew Turner
The total population of Canada is 35M whereas the US population is 320M while the population of New York City Metro is 23M, Los Angeles is 18M, and neither of those requires export taxes to reach. I don’t exactly see why you think selling Canadian branded-American made levels would do well financially or from a numbers perspective, wouldn’t you rather do that on a Canadian made tool? I’d rather make New York and LA levels or state levels if I’m looking at numbers.
Joshua W
I agree, it was a good missed opportunity but I’m sure the decision makers had people who sit around all day and think shit up think this up but was rejected because they don’t have a facility in Canada. If they made them and made them here in the USA, many beavers would be pissed and refuse to buy them.
I’d be willing to bet it was thought of though.
Nathan
you know what I like about it – it’s commemorative – different – and not priced out crazy.
reasonable and useful – priced like the normal device. I’d consider buying it – but probably won’t because the pattern is distracting. but I might.
Jim Premo
Agree. If i needed one now, I would go Empire. Maybe not the flag model, but definitely one made in The United States.
Brian
This is how to do it Klein.
Sam
Hey not to deviate from this very patriotic level… but have you seen the 22 oz dewalt demo claw hammer with stud straightener on it ? I just picked up today at home depot. Thought I’d let you know. Maybe a review ??
Joe
You could say they took patriotism to a whole new level. I’m sorry.
Toolfreak
I really like Empire’s stuff since they made the more recent Craftsman levels – back when they were made in the USA – and those always seemed like a great functional design, whether it was the smaller torpedo levels or the larger, longer ones.
This is a little much. Maybe nice for collectors, but it seems like a waste to me, all that time and money spent cranking out this design instead of just sticking with making great levels in the USA. Maybe there was another reason for this, like someone screwed up and they wound up with a bunch of white levels, and so they did the flag design on them.
The local HD here had the 2-for-$10 pack not long ago, just as a special buy, not for any holiday. I guess they were getting rid of the older black-body-blue-vial version that way to start selling the newer blue-body-blue-vial version. I still like the yellow vials. Blue is different, but it doesn’t seem “better” to me, in terms of bubble visibility or contrast. If anything, the yellow dye is more opaque and the blue is more transparent so the bubble is easier to see with the yellow vials,
Jim Premo
I like the trend towards nationalism. Let the Chinese use Chinese levels.
Toolfreak
It’s not nationalism or anything against China or the Chinese people, you can get quality stuff from China or lots of other countries. You can get quality stuff from China for less than it would cost to make it in the US, but not absurdly so.
The problem is when a business gets a China-made item for ten times less than the USA-made item cost them, but then sells it at the same retail price they sold the USA-made item for.
Yes, they make more profit, but at the expense of American jobs, and if they got the item that much cheaper, chances are the quality isn’t as good.