What Makes the Perfect Trowel? - We Ask the Builders
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- What Makes the Perfect Trowel? - We Ask the Builders
Roger visits a few building sites to see which trowels are being used and asks the builders what they look for in a trowel and the brands they prefer.
We take a look at trowels from Faithfull, WHS, Marshalltown, Ragni, Ox and Axis.
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once you become a bricklayer its not about the trowel, within an hour you can use any trowel, its about understanding mortar and bricks
I get it. But at the same time if you pass me a ragni im going home 😂
W. Rose w/leather handle all day long. (Wide London pattern)
When I purchase a trowel I select the one with the most flex by systematically going through the lot, one in each hand and eliminating the stiffest blades. The reason for this is that the thinner blade will absorb more energy through the flex.
And when you’re working with a trowel all day long everyday, year after year, it will make a difference to your wrist and elbow.
Downside, thinner blades don’t last as long. IMHO
Very happy with this guide
W. Rose is all my grandfather, father, or I would use for brickwork, Marshalltown is ok for laying block or tuckpointing.
W. Rose has always had superior steel with superior tempering.
Patrick D all day long
The shift from using the trowel for cutting bricks as well as spreading muck, where the old work hard and starve was king, led to the Marshaltown being taken up. I bought my first one in Kingston in 1981 and promptly broke it. The shop-man wasn't too happy when I took it back but gave me a replacement and I never tried chopping a brick with it again :)
I've cut class A engineering bricks (though not often) with a Marshalltown, the trick was to really find the heaviest one you could find in the tool shop, though now I suspect production variations are tighter...But I agree WHS with a tempered edge (LH stamped on the trowel for us Lefties) were the best, but the handles always split or shrunk....
That must have been in Kingston Tools.
Have just started using the whs thysack 10 inch Philly pattern,with a durosoft handle,great trowel,for the price,highly recommend
Ragni Crown,10inch for any brickie, with elbow problem, great brick trowel
Nothing like W. Rose for me. I use a 10 inch wide. Used to use leather handle but for the last 5 or 6 years been using the plastic handle wrapped with athletic tape (hockey stick tape). Been happy with this set up. I just change the tape every few weeks. Handle stays like new.
Marshaltown is the best trowel for the job it stands out can’t get any in Jamaica so I ordered one from England can’t wait for it to arrive so I can work like a pro again dwl
Good real world video there Rog. No actors or models in sight!
Rog is a voice double for Jason Statham.
im a marshalltown philly boy, i just really like the ergonomics of it and ising it my wrist and forearm seems sierdly more supported than ive found with other trowels
W rose is also a great trowel to use as well as marshaltown
The pieceworkers I used to know liked a 12 or 14” Tyzak narrow heel for the majority of their work(4 1\2”) and for big blockwork a hoddie with a shovel !!
14" I haven't see a 14 in over 35 years, I used to use a 13&1/2 when I started but never owned a 14 and haven't seen a 13&1/2 in over 20 years
Faithfull s new prestige range of trowels are good .just bought the London version. Very nice.
I've got a leather handle marshalltown but at the end of the day it's what feels right to the person who is going to use it
When I started my bricklaying apprenticeship I was using a London number 10 marshalltown. Then one day an old guy put a stiff rose in my hand, the pitch was different the size was a little bigger, but I knew back then I had a good thing. Now I rock a number 10 Rose Philadelphia style. Marshalltown I don’t hate you I just like Rose better.
11 1/2 x 5” Husky pro brick trowel for me.. great grip great balance and it’s black grip looks different from the rose and Marshalltowns the rest of the crew use
I use marshalltown everyday but my second and very close choice is the rose leather handle just has an amazing feel to it would advise you to try both they are on equal grounds not a single other trowel comes close to these two and ive used every single top brands there is
I used to have Rose with leather grip, recently I bought old Marshalltown/Rose whoknowsit? for $5 at local flea market,with woodden handle, Am using her all the time now. This throwel was sitting in some garage for probably 70 yrs and is proudly back to work. It's Philadelphia pattern 11".
Ive been laying a ton of blocks for the past 2 years and the marshalltown grew on me I started out as a rose fanboy
always whs london pattern used since the sixties all the others are cake slicers or tuning forks
Got a bunch of marshalltown's off the net a couple of months ago. Some brickies don't clean them and throw them away so I spent a few hours with a chisel and a sander and they look like new, slightly worn but just as capable. Beats getting a cheap one no matter how used they are.
I use rose leather for brick and stone 10 inch small fast good in thight areas fishing under roofs and so on, and a nice 12 inch marshall for block spreads like a shovel lol.
I use a square edge rose 13" with wood and leather handle been using it for20 yrs ive been laying 31 yrs now i started out with a 11" Marshalltown purple handle was ok but my rose is pure perfection its an extension of my hand, i started out in '87 @ 17yrs old
I used marshalltown for years. Then I used a rose once and haven’t looked back. The angle on the trowel sits perfect and it’s lighter than standard Marshalltown trowels
I agree about the angle, but Marshalltowns are lighter. At least they used to be..
Been in the trade for 44 yrs. Have both Marshaltown and Rose. Love them both. It is like the old Cevy vs. Ford argument. Will say though,Rose does offer two blade hefts standard and limber.
Rose trowels were great ,you cant buy them in Australia anymore, its even hard to get footprint line pins over here .
Rose is a great trowel but costs so much more than a comparable marshalltown
1 - the handle and weight distribution (how easy is to pick a lot of mortar, and the handling of the trowel, comfort and grip)
2- the blade (good metal thin good shape)
3- quality of the components (reliability, durability)
these are the most important factors of a trowel, however number 2 and number 3 are useless without number 1.
number 1 is the most important.
To say it, I use a marshaltown for years, I got 3 pairs, and I still love it, its NOT the best metal neither the best blade, BUT its the best or one of the best overall, and its also cheap.
Note, I didnt watch more than 10 seconds of this video before I wrote this and it seems people in the video agree with me lol
30 plus years W.ROSE !
Yea buddy. Rose all the way, I’ve got one in my garage that was my great grandfathers, as old as 1835, feels just like a new one.
Nice we used to stand around and make one hit boxes looks great 👍 minnesota usa
As I started bricklaying through apprenticeship and on for abit I used Marshalltown. I started on a a second hand one so it just stuck and everyone used one. Then few years back I got a w. Rose and I have to say it was a great trowel done me good for a long time. Just got a Marshalltown again cause old habits die hard. But after using it again within first maybe two weeks my finger that's against the tang is cracking and sore. I remembered that always happening and thought it was just bricklaying. But I'm thinking it's the Marshalltowns once this one wears all be going back to the w. Rose I think
So glad I'm laying because i still enjoy it ! good look to you young trowels great life if you enjoy fighting them bricks marshall town all day up the VILLA
It’s whatever you get used to when you start as a Bricky, anything else becomes inferior as if it don’t feel right it usually isn’t
In Australia I my apprenticeship in the 1960's and started off with a WHS trowel. Being Left Handed it was tempered on the LH side to cut bricks. Next trowel was made by Spear and Jackson. Both trowels were very solid well made and I was happy to use either until the mid 70's when I picked up a Marshalltown Trowel and have been using that brand ever since, just love it. I did retire from bricklaying in 1990 but still do the odd job and still appreciate the feel of that brand.
I am a lefty too and used to use WHS trowels and buy the left hand ones, I used to get them cheap as they couldn't sell until a lefty came bye.
Now i use a marshaltown for the last 20 years as WHS and spear and Jackson trowels quality has been lost.
Love the end, look at the state of that wall behind him! 😂😂😂😂 ffs....
The longer you look the worse it gets XD
What's wrong with it?
🤣🤣🤣
Still got my first trowel a whs,had 3 other variations ,I bought a tyzack and the handle fell off ? now been bought a Marshall town 11" Philadelphia leather handle by my daughter.😍
Laid custom homes with a Rose Leather grip, from '75 thru '85 here in the DFW area of Texas...
and she never give me any reason to divorce her for another brand of trowel!
Though the Marshall Town tempted me to cheat on Rose for a couple a days...
She ain't been used much since the off & on's of minor projects over the years since '85.
But i'd be willin' to bet, she could still get me a little a-head of a little be-hind on bond.
Like the Pro said @ 4:10... all others seem to be pug collectors. 72318
You're 100 percent right. Leather handle Rose! Nothing better. Marshalltown model 33 , 11 1/2 inch comes close. If cost is a factor the Marshalltown is cheaper.
Yes sir. Leather handle rose. All I've ever used knockn on 25 yrs Amarillo tx
ragni for me great trowel been using it for years no problems
Same here , for me the crown 10" philly .............
Been using 10" and 11"ragni philly, and i like that they're wider at the heel. Still hold loads of muck when they're down 2 inches.
Whs all the way
Rose the best for cutting and Marshall town for spreading. But I could lay with an old bit of wood with nails sticking out being as I couldn't give a flying anymore
London pattern kennedy trowel is the best one for me
Marshalton good but wear down too quick light flexible I like them
My first trowel in 1977 was a whs, rigid and hard. Got an 11inch Marshalltown in 1979 cos most brickies rated them. My mentor(I was an apprentice to him), bollocked me and said it won't last 12 months, "it'll be down to nothing in no time". 12 months later the 11 inch was down to 7 inch, and it had worn the inside edge down that much it could not hold the muck centrally. He was right. Good bricklayers can get away with any trowel, yet may prefer certain make. M/towns aren't the be all, tried a Faithfull half the price of m/town felt good enough. I should have stuck with whs.
Which trowel is best, a discussion that has probably been going on since bricklayers first started, I have a selection of trowels and I choose which to use depending on what work I am doing, but without a doubt for me its the London pattern trowel, I also look for old trowels in sheds etc, The quality of steel is far superior.
The bricklayer in the video that said the faithfull trowel handle was cutting on to his hand i have to say I haven’t found that with them. They are an excellent trowel expertly forged from top class steel with a spot on handle angle . I am fairly certain they are manufactured by Italian company batttiferro de maniago . Have a look on there website you will see what I mean. He also said the deep recess on the Whs /tyzack handle would fill up with mortar ( which is true) and that it will eventually come around on to your hand which I have found not to be true . It just fills up with a bit of muck and that’s the end of it . It certainly won’t come round on to your hand in my experience.
11" softgrip marshalltown is the pro choice forget anything else!!
I always go for wooden handle over rubber
With silo mortar I got to wear gloves or it burns my fingers ,find most trowel handles too thick with gloves ,tried a magnussun trowel ,one part ,the toughest steel I've ever used, may be a bit heavy for a lot of fellas but the thinner handle takes a lot of stress out of the wrist and forearm.
Iv got a 12inch draper cut down to 9 inches,great trowel
Howdy cowboy
What about a comparison video on all the different brick joints around see what some of the best and most used are?
quiero una de esas cucharas....saludos desde Paraguay
I use the Chinese ox
Used to get the marsheltown but they were only lasting 9/10 months
So when our rates dropped about 3 years ago tryed the Chinese products and they lasted just as long
So I’m $50/60 up over the year
I don’t like the heel on them but other than that no worries 😉
What about plasterers trowels?
I prefer marshels light weight and comfortable. but you can't cut bricks with them.
Nice video
Thanks Jay
Really enjoy your videos. Next time I am over in Belgium it would be good to do a video that we can both use.
marshalltown london narrow 12inch for me.
Timber handled marshaltown london pattern for me.
I'm definitely a fan of the new Marshmalltown , I just got 3 and ditched the Rose
I don’t believe it peter janjanin ditched the rose trowels . What Marshalltown did you change to the new leather handle one.
@@brickbybric 11" Philadelphia. The leather all the way up the handle feels great!
Ragni has the best handle
Marshalltown all the way
CNC industrial rotary machine for grinding forged mason blades with CNC control
Que pena. .. não tem no Brasil 🤔
Marshalltown for me all day
Used marshaltown but switched over to w rose and didn't look back,better quality in w rose
Used marshalltown for the last 40years but the quality is not as good these days, now using Ox trowel Phili 19/11
pattern, last longer and just as good.
Hello, I'm from Brazil, how do I buy tools in the USA and send it to Brazil. I'm a prefect here in Brazil and I loved the tools of the country.
Good😄😄
I wondered if Yorkshire brickies like different trowels to Southerners brickies :)
CRYPTOLOGY if you base it solely on uk UA-cam videos you will see that most of them use Marshalltown Philadelphia trowels with the red durasoft handle.
Been laying bricks for 20yrs the best trowel ive used is my current trowel W Rose 11 inch philly knocks spots of the marshaltown i wont change again now...
Yes we have heard that the Rose is good. Unfortunately we didn't have any for the brickies t o try.
I find the shank angle on the marshaltown to steep for your wrist gives me much pain and there not made so well anymore...cheap metal poor quality now. Rose has got rid of all my elbow and wrist problems and the blade is such nice quality there not cheap but i believe you get what you pay for 👍
C Jackson I recently purchased a w rose 12 inch wide london pattern. Used it for about a week and just couldn't get used to it. Wasted £60 basically. But all the arguments I see about trowels I think it comes down to personal preference.
Nathan Spencer just wondering did you buy it on line. I would recommend that you never buy a w.rose trowel online .they are a very un uniformly manufactured trowel . Biggest problem I have found with them is the handle angle on some of them is so steep that it makes them very unbalanced and uncomfortable to use . I’ve had at least 100 of them through my hands that’s how I know this .also the weight of 2 of the same type can vary considerably .blades can vary from very stiff to very light and flexible. It’s a pity because They are made from top quality raw materials and when you get a good one they are top class . But no matter how good a one you get they are not worth the 50 to 65 quid price tag I frequently see them for sale for.
C Jackson did you purchase it online or in person if you purchase them on line I’d say you have probably a 40 percent chance you will be sent one that you won’t get on with . They are made from top class materials but are a very un uniformly manufactured trowel . I have had at least 100 of them through my hands ( they were all standard shank trowels they also make a low lift shank trowel) and they were all over the shop as regards there quality. Biggest problem I found with them was the handle angles varied so much ,if you backed 2 up to each other handle to handle one handle may slip completely under the other .Some were absolutely top class some were middling to low class trowels. No matter how good a one you get they are not worth 60 quid.i would only chance purchasing one on line if I could view pictures of the one I was being sent and some of the pictures would have to show the angle of the handle in relation to the blade.
Been building bricks...blocks for over 40 years I love trowels..marshalltown..W.Rose...WHS...anyone.....narrow London for me
Marahalltown all the way 👍👌
We use a lot of durwall, in S. Fl. where we lay mostly block, and usually use a trowel to cut it. Rose used to be the best, Marshalltown feels good but can't handle the wire. Rose is made by Kraft now and has slipped for me. Had to drop down to a 12" and after using 13" rose for many years (elbows are going) and started using a Husky trowel from HD about 2 years ago and it holds up like the old Rose, though it's a little heavier. I think it's great, I can cut wire all day with out it getting nicked up, unlike a Marshalltown which costs almost twice as much. Bottom line is, you like the trowel you get used to, but can always get used to something else if you have too.
A lot of people constantly put down the Chinese manufactured trowels ( As far as I’m aware the husky trowels are made there) nothing wrong with them.
Nothing like a leather handle W.Rose al day every day.
Love the Rose but too mean to buy it
The masons in my area seem to prefer the poly handle narrow London style Rose trowels.
I bought a rose last year. I didn’t like the handle angle of lift. The apprentice got a bargain that day.
I prefer a rose over any masonry trowel
I use two Marshalltowns. A small one for the perps and intricate work ie soldier course, and the biggest one they do for laying the bed. Having two means I can transfer muck (compo) from spot to spot, and lend a trowel to a Labrador for donging (pointing/jointing) up. Maybe they should do a video on hoddies. It's many a year since I saw a hoddy wet a spot board or turn muck over. Roll on Brexit.
I remember getting set on for a trial day as a hoddy at 15 years old. First day the b*stards gave me a plasterers hod loading out 2 decks up. At the end of the day I was still standing [just] and got the job. From there on with a brick hod, the job seemed relatively easy
I was a bricklayer, but im alright now.
love that hard lookin aussie. i know i can trust that dude. great video
That guy at the beginning of the video? He's a cockney!!
And he's gay.
@@leeetchells609 how u know?
TYZAK
Personally i"d put the Ragni crown 2nd :]
Very interesting, we dont use trowels here in sweden. Atleast i have never seen one. Would be nice to try and see if they are better then our tools. They look very comfertable in the hand i must say.
What are you using to lay concrete blocks and stone? A square end bucket trowel I would guess. The English and Flemish are probably the best countries at brickwork and the original steel trowels were made in Sheffield by the Hugenots.
I am not sure why they ended up having such a sharp point to them. I think they were probably adapted from another tool entirely.
@@SkillBuilder Correct but we also use something called "Fasadslev" in swedish. I see, need to get my hands on one of those. Cheers
I’ve used 12 inch marshalltowns for 25 years never broken or had a problem with one there the best trowels on the market simple.
Como faço para adquirir uma ferramenta dessa
You ever use an R W Rose ? The R W Rose and the Marshaltown, the beat
hello bro how can i buy yours trowel
For the last 45 years I've used the traditional WHS "standard width London" pattern trowels, not broad heel, and I've never been comfortable with American or Canadian pattern ones.
It also makes me cringe when I see guys cutting bricks with those cheap, lightweight blades, they're not tempered for cutting!
Sadly I can't buy a decent new WHS anymore, although there are sometimes used ones on fleabay. The ones I have should last me now until I scrape my spot-board off for the last time. Did think about buying a French "Bon" London pattern one, or an American "Rose" but they seem to be not quite the right shape.
Yes, a good bricklayer can do a decent job using pretty much anything as a trowel, but the right tool for the job is more important than a lot of people realise....
Paul Sleight you can still buy WHS London pattern trowel but, they are expensive the last I bought was 12 years ago and I got three because they are hard to obtain. But, like you I can't be doing with Marshalltown tools the jointers in particular never allowed on any of my jobs.
@@Frenchwine15 which jointer is the best? A hubbard?
Jointer made by Spear and Jackson, Tyzack or WHS for doing a bed joint look for a rail runner 12 MM thick over 400 MM long gives a nice flat finish to the bed joint.
Paul Sleight Paul Sleight i understand completely, the best trowel is subjective. The only criteria where each brand can be compared is, fit finish, quality of materials, price and prestige. I personally love my W Rose trowels. It’s a narrow london but, I’ve come to notice that geographically each country has their one preferable pattern. It all really comes down to the Bricklayer or Mason.
Give me purchase link
hello friend how do I buy a coljer like this that you work with and how do I send it to brazil.if you answer me min. thanks.
What is it you are looking for?
5:13 LOOOL
Missed out not having the W. ROSE trowel for the review.
You can't always get what you want
Skill Builder but sometimes you get what you need
Where in jamaica can you get skilled tools from Canada
I've always had ox trowel never had a problem with them
Do you cut bricks with the edge of your trowel. It is frowned on these days but the boys still like to do it and the Ox didn't last long before the handle came loose.
The handle has never come loose on any of mine ox trowel
I Ave a 12incher ! No complaints
It is a good thing when you come to terms with your short-comings. Going through life with trowel envy is bad for your mental health.
Ox all day. Bigger handle is easier on my tendonitis and just outshines my Marshal.
Never had one, but they look good. Another reason why i like ragni, bigger handle.
I love my Rose
Trowel is a Trowel, tool is a tool, they are a dime a dozen. It’s about the skill involved in laying. I’ve been laying bricks for years. If I don’t like the Trowel, just get another one. It isn’t rocket science, and they don’t cost much money.
Been laying for 37yrs started with Whs they were good trowels then bought a Marshalltown for 15 quid and liked them, used them for years but now the steel seems to be weaker and don’t last as long so went back to Whs, to me they seem worst now back to Marshall from screwfix,6 months later looks like I’m gonna need a new one any suggestions and don’t say ragni
Rose seems to be the one.
Skill Builder thanks think I’ll give it go
only Rose mate,leather grip,kind of pricey but worth it. Philadelphia pattern,10 or 10 1/2
Jon Large cheers mate got one on order 🤞🏻
My Marshalltown 19/12 wore down in about 6 months and crack on the cutting edge
Marshal town👍👍👍
I don't think towels are made with a hardened cutting edge no more unless somebody knows different ?they used to make left and right handers too
streetabix They still make left and right handed trowels just look for WHS and Tyzack.
What Makes the Perfect Trowel? - Bricklayer.
This is facts. 💯👍
W. Rose all the way!!! Just my opinion
Cómo puedo aserle para comprar una cuchara con ustedes atte Ray de tijuana
I know a couple of people who use an ox trowel and they are a perfeshanal brick layer and they have said there is nothing wrong with them
They have fixed the problem and improved the trowel. I spoke to the boss at Ox and he said there were problems with early models. I agree they are now good trowels.
@@SkillBuilder ye ox sent bad at all 👍👍
@@SkillBuilder I'm only a young guy going in to colague in september but have been with my dad loads of times and that's who got me into bricklaying and all of the tools. Have a couple of tool of ox my self including a trowel but only a ched ox one looking to get a new one and a better one and gradually get my self a marshaltown gust dont want to spent loads of money if I'm not using it much. 👍🧱🧱