What Makes the Perfect Trowel? - We Ask the Builders 

I get it. But at the same time if you pass me a ragni im going home 😂

Patrick D all day long

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.

Rog is a voice double for Jason Statham.

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

I agree about the angle, but Marshalltowns are lighter. At least they used to be..

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

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.

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

The longer you look the worse it gets XD

What's wrong with it?

🤣🤣🤣

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.

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.

Howdy cowboy

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!

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.

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

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.

That guy at the beginning of the video? He's a cockney!!

And he's gay.

@@leeetchells609 how u know?

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

CRYPTOLOGY if you base it solely on uk RU-vid videos you will see that most of them use Marshalltown Philadelphia trowels with the red durasoft handle.

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.

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.

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.

What is it you are looking for?

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

Never had one, but they look good. Another reason why i like ragni, bigger handle.

You can't always get what you want

Skill Builder but sometimes you get what you need

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.

TheAudiostud . I agree Stu crompton is a very good hands on bricklayer but if you respectfully criticize him you have a good chance of him blocking you from commenting on his videos like I was . You have seen the videos of him building porches, extensions and conservatory’s were only the brick work is brought up from a narrow strip foundation then the floor is put in and he then builds the inner leaf block work on the floor well I pulled him up on that and his response was to block my comments. Remember now nobody forced him to start posting videos on RU-vid and he left the comments section open and he is man enough to accept the plaudits so he should be man enough to accept legitimate constructive criticism but he isn’t . Did you see the really nice job were he rebuilt the little wall at the red brick church ,the mortar was mixed on the beautifully weathered top step (I think they were stone) well he scraped up the mortar when he was finished the wall but never properly washed them. he left a large mortar stain on them .some lad commented on it and his answer was the rain would wash them away . Rain will not wash mortar stains away ( even fresh mortar stains) so it definitely hasn’t a hope of washing away dried mortar. When you do a job it’s your responsibility to clean up properly when your finished and not be leaving it to a rain shower that may or may not come along . I wonder how many more blokes he has blocked from respectfully criticizing him.

bric bybrick thanks for your input and I never knew that! But, I used him as he had visited "Stax" and with someone like Rogers and his reputation with the industry we might be able to get a better insight into their business portfolio and expansion program!

TheAudiostud I still watch and enjoy his videos that stax video was very enjoyable. A lad gave him a tut tut in it for not wearing his seat belt ( your man was only pulling his leg) he didn’t take it well. If I leave a comment on his page he can see it if he is signed in and I can see it if I’m signed in. But the general public can’t.

bric bybrick I ripped him for not wearing his seat belt! But, he knows it's only banter! If you like watching class work then you must know Rob Songer and his work! I've never seen work like it. Roger should start a thread and go and interview these guys, it might help young lads understand the trade and all its pro's n cons

I agree. You have to let the comments roll in, good and bad. It is where the real value of the video lies.

I went to college there too 👍

@@liamwalters5029 I was there 1980-82 ish..

Grant Beerling I did 2 years there them they shut it and had a year in Hastings

@@liamwalters5029 bastards.....Mr Hook was my Brickwork teacher... a real man of Kent

streetabix They still make left and right handed trowels just look for WHS and Tyzack.

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 saw almost the same thing on a site where a bloke pulled out some cheap trowel which had a riveted-on handle. First time he went to cut a brick the blade flew off over his shoulder and he was left holding the handle. We roared! :D Turned out it was the guy who was subbing us all out (to Wimpeys) who had been buying cheap tool kits for some of the labourers, presumably to pass them off as brickies. Needless to say it didn't cut the mustard with the contractors.

Chancer, not heard that for a while... we had hoddy chancers.. 30 seconds that's all you needed. As for trowels, i've covered for a couple due to feeling sorry for them, but you can only put them in the middle of a line for so long... normally two days....then the bullet or 20p for the Standard if the forman felt generous....(1980-90's)