Swapped my standard brick trowel for a wider one last week and the difference is unreal

I was using a 9 inch for years but a buddy let me try his 11 inch on a retaining wall job and I got through 40% more bricks before lunch, has anyone else made the switch and noticed the same thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.diana6d ago

Yeah, that's the tradeoff with most tools right there. You gain speed and coverage but lose that fine control for the tricky parts. It's the same reason I switched to a wider snow shovel last winter - flew through the driveway but couldn't get near the edges without swapping back.

the_joseph6d ago

My 9 inch has been my go to for 12 years and I tried an 11 inch on a block wall last month and actually had more trouble with control on the corners and tight spots. The mortar kept slumping off the wider blade when I was trying to butter up the ends right. That extra width messes with your wrist angle too after a few hours.