Wasted $80 on a fancy mortar mixer paddle that snapped in two weeks

I bought this expensive mortar mixer paddle from a big box store thinking it would last forever. It broke right at the weld after mixing maybe 15 batches of type S mortar. The store wouldn't take it back since it was used. I welded it myself but it threw the balance off and shook my drill apart. Stick with the cheap steel paddles, they actually hold up better in my experience. Anyone else have a tool fail on them way too fast?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_hall19d ago

Man that's rough. Had the same thing happen with a brand name trowel.

wood.faith18d ago

Stick to vintage tools if you can find em, @miles_hall. That new stuff just doesn't hold up like the old ones did. I've snapped two brand name trowels in the last year just doing basic yard work. Check estate sales and flea markets for older ones with that patina on the metal. They'll last you decades longer than anything off the shelf today. The steel is thicker and the handles are actually attached with rivets instead of glue. Saved myself a ton of frustration once I made the switch.

morgan.rose18d ago

Gotta say I used to roll my eyes at people like @wood.faith talking about old tools being better. Thought it was just nostalgia talking. But after having a brand new paddle grenade on me like that and then watching a buddy's vintage trowel outlast three of my modern ones, I'm starting to see the point. The weld points on the new stuff just aren't the same, and the metal feels thinner all around. I've picked up a few older mixing tools at flea markets since then and they've held up way better than anything I've bought new. Still not fully converted to estate sales yet but I'm getting there.