I purchased a Rubi 10mm half round trowel from Tradetiler approximately 1 year ago. It now resembles a 5mm half round .
I only use this trowel for floors (and not every floor that I do) but it seems to have worn out in only 12 months; Is this normal?
Can anyone recommend a trowel that may last longer please, because I'm very disappointed with this one?

Thanks in advance.

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I notice the same too,even the rubi M14 paddles don't last long either!
on my square notch trowels when they wear down i grind out the notch with the grinder

I would have thought that was quite good

i don't even get 6 months usually,just demote them when wore i.e when the floor wears down make it a wall trowel

Mine rusted after a couple of weeks

i usually replace trowels about every 7/8 months if i'm busy

wish mine looked that clean

My square notches seem to last okay. I guess cement boards are less abrasive than screeds.

So 6 months life from a floor trowel, regardless of manufacturer, is normal?

it all depends on substrates, i'v seen trowels going for 3 months before
If you clean and oil them regular,even every hour they won't rust so much.
I find the wall trowels go on for over a year or more easily.
I might even have 5 year old trowels

ive had mine for over ten years

its had 6 new blades and two new handles

Triggers on the forum

Originally Posted by mikethetile

ive had mine for over ten years

its had 6 new blades and two new handles

Is your nickname "Trigger"?

how did you know that then Dave

Nowt lasts long these days - when I was a lad..............
Mind you I can see where yours has gone wrong - its been cleaned too much! I find if you just clean the teeth and leave the rest of the blade full of adhesive it lasts weeks.
I bet your still eating your bait off that bath board as well!.

They are steel and steel wears..?? especially on concrete floors..

12 months from a trowel that is used regular is bloody good going.

As mentioned above i regularly grind out the teeth on my trowels to get longer wear from them..

sorry if you look after your tools they look after you had my rubi trowels over 5yrs no problem 10mm u notch 3 6 9 sq notch or is it 2 6 8
same as gorilla tubs take time to clean down every day or after every mix
maybe its a throw away society pride in your tools pride in your work

as an add on bricklayers trowels the old boys have used the same trowel since the year dot simples clean up

Originally Posted by d noulton

sorry if you look after your tools they look after you had my rubi trowels over 5yrs no problem 10mm u notch 3 6 9 sq notch or is it 2 6 8
same as gorilla tubs take time to clean down every day or after every mix
maybe its a throw away society pride in your tools pride in your work

If you still have the same rubi trowel for five years then you cannot do much floor tiling, I use large 450 mm trowels 12mm deep that last for 6 months tops and they are always cleaned properly. Concrete eats steel, end of.

Originally Posted by d noulton

sorry if you look after your tools they look after you had my rubi trowels over 5yrs no problem 10mm u notch 3 6 9 sq notch or is it 2 6 8
same as gorilla tubs take time to clean down every day or after every mix
maybe its a throw away society pride in your tools pride in your work

Surely my pics show how I look after my tools. That trowel doubles as a mirror. As the replies indicate, it has worn out through usage not through lack of care.

Usually replace my floor trowels every 3-4 months. Once it goes any more than 2-3mm under it's original depth then it's not serving it's purpose. Would sometimes take the grinder to them when money is tight.

Ironically, the shortest lasting trowel I had was the most expensive trowl I ever bought. A Marshalltown 6mm, it was ready for the bin in 2 months.

Refina do trowels with changable notches. Interesting concept. Not sure if it's a good idea though, everybody loves the feel of a new trowel.

Ever notice how square notches don't seem to wear in a straight line? Some notches will be worn further away than others.

that does sound about right for a floor trowel to me..I do find the 'angle of the dangle' affects wear and try to not 'lean' on it too much! (I am guilty of this when over reaching!) .as a footnote I'm still using the first proper gauging trowel I had as an apprentice..it's earnt me so much money I can never throw it away I love it when a tool is that personal..like an old friend!!..and I won't even mention my favourite primer bucket...now that is sad

I got a new Raimondi gauging trowel a while ago and it looks as good as the day i opened the parcel it came in, washed every dinner time and at the end of the day with a scotch pad - buy good tools and look after them well and you'll always have an inner warmth when you're taking your tools out of the van

Oil applied to the trowels over the weekends etc apparently do them good too.

Oil applied to the trowels over the weekends etc apparently do them good too.

Quick spray with WD40 at nights

I try to only buy BAL trowels, they are thicker steel than others I have tried and last longer, I do regrind them a couple of times before I bin them.