That $5 putty knife cost me an extra hour of sanding

Everyone says to just buy the cheap metal putty knife at the hardware store for scraping paint. I did that last weekend on my garage trim. The blade bent after 3 scrapes and left gouges everywhere. I spent an hour sanding out the marks. My neighbor loaned me his 12 dollar one with a thicker blade and it worked perfect. Is there actually a big difference in putty knife quality or did I just get a bad one?

3 comments

3 Comments

rodriguez.diana11d ago

This reminds me of how people always say to buy the cheap version first to see if you'll use something enough, but with tools you end up spending more time and frustration fixing what the cheap one messed up.

wyatt5211d ago

Funny thing is nobody talks about the middle ground. Harbor Freight stuff isn't the only option and neither is a $200 Snap On. There are solid mid-tier brands that hold up just fine. I've got a set of GearWrench tools that have taken a beating for years without failing. The cheap stuff is definitely a trap though. You pay for it twice. Once in cash and once in aggravation.

jessicaflores11d ago

Yeah the cheap ones are basically just stamped tin that bends the second you put any pressure on it. You want one thats at least like 1/16" thick and ground flat on the edge, not just a sharp stamped edge.