That $80 mud pan from the fancy tool catalog was a total waste

I dropped $80 on that stainless steel mud pan with the rounded corners last month, thinking it would speed up my taping. First job I used it on, the mud kept sliding off the edges way worse than my $15 plastic pan. Spent an extra 20 minutes cleaning up drips off the floor. Called the company and they said it's meant for 'premium finish work' but I think it's just overpriced junk. Has anyone actually gotten good results with those metal pans, or is it all hype?

3 comments

3 Comments

lilykelly1mo ago

My buddy convinced me to try a metal pan and I had the exact same mess you described until I figured out you have to keep a much lighter touch with the mud load. Once I stopped piling it on like my plastic pan, it actually worked pretty smooth for corners and edges but it's definitely not worth $80 for that learning curve lol.

williams.kim1mo ago

Wait, you had the same exact learning curve with that metal pan? That's wild because I literally just went through that same mess last week on a whole house I'm taping. I was loading up the mud like I always do with my plastic hawk and it was sliding off everywhere, I thought the pan was defective at first lol. But @lilykelly you're so right about the lighter touch, once I figured out you basically have to treat it like a butter knife instead of a putty knife it got way better for the tight spots. Still, I don't know if I'd pay $80 either, I got mine on sale for like $50 and even that felt steep for something that takes a whole weekend to figure out.

murphy.linda28d ago

Wait, that butter knife comparison is actually perfect. I felt like such a dummy fighting with mine for two days before it clicked.