Chose a trowel with a shorter handle and it saved my arm after 3 weeks of wall work

I was always using a standard 11 inch trowel for everything until my wrist started hurting real bad after a big fireplace job in January. Switched to a 9 inch Marshalltown with a shorter handle and it made a huge difference on smaller blocks. The control is better for tight spots but it takes a little longer on flat runs. Anyone else swap handle lengths for different jobs or am I just getting old?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamesm4818d agoMost Upvoted

Swapped to a 6 inch handle on my finishing trowel last summer and felt like I'd been doing it wrong for years. Less wrist strain and way easier to maneuver around windows and corners.

alex_johnson18d ago

Swapping to a shorter handle actually messed up my float work for a while, @jamesm48. I tried a 6 inch on my mag float and lost all the leverage I needed for flattening those high spots in the mud. Personal preference I guess, but I'll take a longer handle for the big open walls and just switch to the short one around windows and corners. Different strokes for different folks though, whatever saves the wrist at the end of the day.

brian_rivera5915d ago

Man, @jamesm48 you might be onto something with that swap. I tried a 4 inch handle on my trowel once thinking I'd be some kind of wizard around windows, ended up looking like a clown trying to paddle a canoe with a toothbrush for a week lmao. The wrist relief sounds legit though, I've been taping a pool noodle to my handle for the same reason and it's a disaster. Maybe I'll actually take the plunge on a real short handle this season if it works half as good as you say.