Spent $80 on that fancy mortar mixing paddle and wish I had done it years ago

I was at Home Depot in Nashville picking up some Type S, and I saw this mixing paddle with the spiral design for about $80. I had always just used the basic $20 one from the rental section. After three wheelbarrow loads of mud, my arms were done and the mix still had lumps. I finally caved and bought the good paddle last Friday. First batch came out smooth as peanut butter in about half the time. The money saved on my elbow alone was worth it. Anyone else had a simple tool upgrade that made a big difference on a job?

3 comments

3 Comments

reese_nelson25d ago

You ever have one of those moments where you kick yourself for not buying something sooner? A buddy of mine, he's a tile guy over in Knoxville, swore he'd never spend more than twenty bucks on a drill bit. Then he had to tear out a shower floor with some kind of super-hard thinset. His cheap bit snapped after ten minutes. He gave in, bought a decent carbide one for like sixty dollars, and he said it cut through that floor like butter in under an hour. He still brings it up every time we grab a beer.

jordan10825d ago

Classic. Nothing teaches you the value of good tools like watching a cheap one snap in half while your buddy's staring at a pile of busted tile and a stopwatch. That sixty dollar bit probably felt like robbery until it saved him three hours of sweating and cussing. Funny how we'll spend fifty bucks on dinner without blinking but act like a tool that lasts forever is some kind of luxury. Bet he sleeps better knowing he's got that thing in his bag for the next time some demon thinset shows up.

joelt7018d ago

Yeah, didn't you have that same lightbulb moment with your own drill bits?