Lost a full Saturday to cheap corner trowels, my own fault

Picked up a 3 pack of no name corner trowels from a supply shop outside Akron for like $22. Figured they were fine since the handles felt solid enough. By 10am the blades were flexing so bad I couldn't keep a clean line on the corners I was laying. Spent the whole afternoon redoing about 14 linear feet of brickwork because the mortar kept smearing instead of cutting clean. Ended up going back to my old Marshalltown that I shoulda used from the start. Anyone else burned a day on bargain tools or am I the only dummy who keeps trying to save a few bucks?

2 comments

2 Comments

wyatt5220d ago

Gotta disagree with you there. I’ve had decent luck with the cheap ones from the local hardware spot, especially for taping corners on drywall. The trick is to treat them like a throwaway, don’t expect them to last a season, and keep a file handy for the edge after a few uses. My no-name set handled a whole basement remodel, sure they got dinged up, but they cut clean enough once I broke them in. You might’ve just got a bad batch or a brand that’s worse than the usual cheap stuff. Not saying Marshalltown isn’t better, but I’ve saved way more time than I’ve lost by grabbing the bargain pack and replacing it twice a year.

spencerm4619d ago

Man, I used to swear by dropping $40 on a single name-brand knife and thought anyone buying the cheap ones was just asking for trouble. But your point about treating them like a disposable tool makes a lot of sense, I never thought about it that way. I had a $12 set from the hardware store that I just used for a quick patch job, and honestly it held up fine for the two days I needed it. You’re making me wonder if I’ve just been overthinking this whole thing. Do you find the cheaper ones actually bend less on long runs, or is that where the name brands still win?