Unpopular opinion: buying cheap trowels to save a few bucks cost me way more than I thought

Nora Chen · 2026-10-02T07:20:03.144609+00:00

I picked up a set of no-name trowels at a flea market in Dallas for $25 total because my old Marshalltown was getting worn down. Two days into a fireplace job, the handle on the 10-inch trowel snapped mid-lift and the blade went flying, chipping a brick I already set. I had to pull and re-lay four bricks, which cost me about 3 hours of rework and $40 in replacement material. The handle was held on with a single screw and some kind of glue, not even a proper tang. Anyone else got burned trying to save money on hand tools, or is it just me?

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Unpopular opinion: buying cheap trowels to save a few bucks cost me way more than I thought | Bricklayers - Rigidtalk