96-inch Level Recommendations?

Reader Don sent us an email asking for help in finding 8-foot level reviews and recommendations. If you have expereince with an 8-foot level, do you prefer to use a box level, or an I-beam level, and why?

I would think that an I-beam level may be lighter and easier to use (not to mention cheaper), but that a box level should be stronger and more durable. When choosing an 8-foot level, or any size level for that matter, what factors are most important to you? Please let us know in comments!

If I were shopping for an 8-foot level, I would first take a look at models by Johnson, Stabila, Starrett, and Empire, in no particular order.

96-inch Levels via Amazon