Finally tried a bricklayer's trowel over a cheap hardware store one

I was using a $12 trowel from Home Depot for like 2 years and always wondered why my wrists hurt. A old timer on a job site let me try his Marshalltown last month and I swear it cut my time by 30 percent. The balance is just different, it flicks mortar off way smoother without fighting you. Now I get why guys spend 60 bucks on one tool. Anyone else have a tool upgrade that made you feel dumb for waiting so long?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason_ward27d ago

That line about "flicks mortar off way smoother" hit home. I had a similar thing happen with a drywall knife. Used the same cheap orange handled one for years. Then I borrowed a guy's stainless steel trowel with a wooden handle and it felt like cheating. The mud just glides off, no sticking. I realized I was fighting my tools for no reason. Some things you just gotta try to understand why people pay more.

robin_foster127d agoMost Upvoted

You ever heard that old saying about how a bad workman blames his tools, but a good one knows when his tools are holding him back? I was watching a video where this carpenter was saying the same thing about his chisels, how a cheap one chipped easier and just made everything harder. Makes you wonder how much time we waste fighting stuff that a little more upfront cost could fix.