My trowel snapped clean in half on a dig site last Tuesday

I was working on a section of a Roman road near Cirencester, trying to get under a stubborn layer of clay. I put a bit too much pressure on the handle and it just gave way, leaving me with a useless piece of wood and a blade stuck in the dirt. Had to borrow a spare from the site supervisor for the rest of the day. Anyone have a good brand for a sturdy pointing trowel that can take some real force?

3 comments

3 Comments

jenny_hall1mo ago

That clay near Cirencester is brutal stuff. Marshalltown trowels are the only ones I've found that don't fold under pressure.

annaw731mo agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, @jenny_hall you're so right about that clay. I tried using a cheaper trowel on a site out that way and the thing bent like a spoon. My Marshalltown has a few nicks now but it still cuts through that muck like nothing else. That stuff is basically concrete when it dries.

the_aaron1mo ago

My first trowel was a cheap hardware store brand. I figured a steel blade was a steel blade, you know? Then I hit some proper clay on a job in Stroud and the corner folded over on the first day. Switched to a Marshalltown that afternoon and the difference was crazy. It just goes through the heavy stuff without fighting you.