Customer Reviews

Tajima PZB-400 Plumb-Rite Plumb Bob Setter

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a wholesale millwork salesman. When I go out on a door complaint (usually it's not operating properly) I always go into the building with my PZB-400 and a framing square. Before I even look at the door I explain that for a door to working properly, it must be; plumb, level and square. I then explain that the PZB housing holds the string 2" off of the door frame, and if the jamb is plumb, the string will be 2" off of jamb (just above the weighted plumb bob). I then attach the PZB housing to the upper portion of the door's side jamb and pull out the bob until it is near the door sill. Once the bob has stopped moving I then measure the distance from the jamb to the string and show the homeowner that it is or is not 2" off of the frame. At this point it usually is apparent that the door was not installed plumb, and it becomes an installation issue, not a product issue. I first saw the PZB in This Old House Magazine. Norm said he used it to set walls and door frames. I am buying 4 of the Tajima PZB-400 Plumb-Rite Bob Setters for my fellow salesman for Christmas. They are the most accurate and quick way of determining plumb that I have found.

Cool Tool, I was just looking for a simple plumb bob and saw this retractable Tajima bob on Amazon.com. It was a little more expensive than a high quality bob by it's self, so I went for it. This bob is great. Very high quality, and has a "u-joint" type of connection that makes the bob settle down quickly. The retractable feature is fantastic. This is a very nice tool and a must for every finish carpenter and home builder.

this plumb bob is the handiest one man bob i have ever seen. i should have had it years ago

This is a great plumb bob! Not only is the string housed in a box (no more cumbersome wrapping the string around a nail), it is also retractable. No more getting the bob set only to find that I misjudged the distance; now I can just raise the bob the amount needed without any unwrapping and rewrapping. A sharp pin attaches it temporarily to a wood stud/joist; a magnet will hold it securely on steel studs. Other bob weights are available. Well worth the purchase if you're going to do any framing or other plumb work.

Heard about this tool from This Old House (Norm Abrams). It really does the job as advertised! Vastly simplifies the job of plumbing a door jam or wall or any other plumb requrement.

I use the plumb right to set metal door jambs and check the plumbnest of sheetrock walls. this is an amasing tool and the best spent 40.00.

And I thought a plumb bob was a lump of metal tied to a piece of string....!! The Tajima plumb bob is quite simply a superb piece of Japanese product engineering. You can hook it, hang it, pin it on and its also magnetic - the high-vis cord self-retracts, it doesn't rotate. The gimbal-mounted bob is quickly self-damping and settles in seconds; the line can be three fixed distances from the back of the case - 60mm, 50mm or zero. If a heavier bob is fitted, the tracking arrangement of the cord is changed to compensate for weights up to 1Kg. It is beautifully constructed in mirror finish high quality ABS plastic, the bob is accurately turned and chromium plated. Its one of the best pieces of kit in my tool box. I bought mine in Hong Kong on 12.12.01 for HK$80, that's UKSterling 7.12 or US$10.40 by the way....

I am finishing my basement and bought this plumb bob to set the walls, door jams and window boxes. I was immediately impressed with the quality of the plumb bob itself, the cord and the auto-retracting mechanism. The bob doesn't spin, settles quickly and the retraction gizmo is almost perfectly balanced - a HUGE time saver.

However, I found the "box" that you hang the plumb bob from to be very cheap. It's made of two pieces of plastic snapped together and broke the first time I dropped it. The hanging pin is a neat idea, but more often than not the unit popped of the wall and fell on my head. The black plunger that sets the pin is, again, plastic and you are supposed to hit it with your hand - you could never hit it with a hammer, even softly. Additionally, the hanging hook is thin gauge and I have bent it several times. More frustrating, its only maybe 2 inches long - it doesn't reach the width of a 2x4. The magnet is strong and the most useful and reliable hanging method.

I rate this 4 out of 5 because the quality of the cord they used and the retraction mechanism alone. The cord has never tangled and the recoil has performed perfectly. But, I almost always set a small nail and hang the plumb bob from there - I was tired of it falling off. Even though this is rigged - it's still a very useful and convenient tool.

One last note - they do a bad job of explaining the "zero depth" function. In the picture, you see the cord hanging 2 inches from the wall. Without moving it or anything, you can easily adjust the cord behind a set pin in the yellow box and the cord is now flush against the wall. I find myself doing this a lot when I need to be more careful about exact plumb.

All said and done - money well spent - but if (or when) I buy another one, I'll duct tape the plastic box together before I ever start using it!

I love useful gadgets and this is a great one! The various means of connecting to different surfaces make this bob a prize. Add the self-adjusting reel to the multi-purpose connecter and this becomes the most useful plumb bob ever!

Works very well. I especially liked having the alternate drop point being right next to the mounting edge, great for dropping a vertical from a joist. You tap it in using the built in "nail" and then loop the retractable string over the hang point that's flush with the base and you've got a vertical from the joist to the floor. I'm working on finishing a basement and it's come in quite handy. Nice sharp point as well that comes with a protective cover. Makes it easy to leave a definite mark without resorting to a pencil but won't cut you when not in use as long as you remember to put the cap back on. But do be careful - it is a sharp point! Can't compare it to others of its type because I've never used one quite this "fancy" with a retractable string and a built in "nail" and the ability to work with different weight bob loads. Probably way more than I really needed for the job but very easy to use as a result - no pounding nails in every joist and then taking them back out - it's all in this one unit.