Snapped a cheap trowel after 2 weeks and finally saw why the pricey ones matter

Bought a budget trowel at the hardware store in Austin last month figuring a trowel's a trowel. After laying maybe 600 bricks the handle cracked and the blade warped, which messed up my line work for a whole afternoon. Has anyone else found that mid-range trowels hit the sweet spot or am I just unlucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

henry1503h ago

Ugh that sucks man. I read somewhere that cheap steel can't hold an edge and warps fast, so mid-range is def the move.

kai8391h ago

Wait, @henry150 have you looked at how the steel is forged or stamped? That changes the edge retention more than the price tag does. A lot of mid-range knives actually get their rep from better heat treatment.