"Hartwig" trowels anybody

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marcosalcito

marcosalcito

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Just ordered a pair of these as a couple of general workhorse trowels. I,ve never heard of them but they are made in Germany which could be good ..or not in these modern throwaway times who knows. TBH I bought blind,i was caught by the colours and logo, but they,ve got to be better than the shite i've been using.
"Hartwig" trowels anybody

I paid £38 for the pair delivered which is pretty reasonable....or bloody expensive for a pair of floor scrapers.
I will give you a report in the nxt couple of weeks as i actually have some work on the horizon:RpS_thumbup:
 
They look ok, time will tell i suppose ! i bought a 14in OX stainless this week but aint had a chance to use it yet. On first look at it though i am not to impressed with the finish on the rivets along the tang but will see what it is like in use.
 
@beddy your right i had'nt noticed that it looks as though they have used the same sized tang for both !
 
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Well they've arrived. Yes the longer one is quite flexy at the end and the 14 had a slight kick along it so i had to do a bit of bending and panel beating but looks near enough now. I told them not to send them if it not perfectly straight,then again maybe a Parcelforce chimp stood /sat on it . The tang looks exactly like the one Refina use. They are 5 1/8" wide which doesn't sound much on paper but they feel huge.:RpS_blushing: and heavy ,quite the beast really. The steel is that chrome/stainless steel and they are very springy and a little flexier than some of my trowels. I bent the 14 around quite a bit whilst trying to get the kink out and it felt very strong with no creaking. I have smoothed the edges in a bit so they are good to go.
Yes i like the look of the OX stuff, and good prices too.
 
raggles said:
They look ok, time will tell i suppose ! i bought a 14in OX stainless this week but aint had a chance to use it yet. On first look at it though i am not to impressed with the finish on the rivets along the tang but will see what it is like in use.
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At least the Ox trowels have rivets these don't. Ragni trowels don't have rivets either and although they are decent trowels they do have a tendency to suddenly go ping. Plus a Ragni would be both lighter and cheaper than these.
 
essexandy said:
At least the Ox trowels have rivets these don't. Ragni trowels don't have rivets either and although they are decent trowels they do have a tendency to suddenly go ping. Plus a Ragni would be both lighter and cheaper than these.
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True enough
 
Never used them but by german trowel standards I would say they are shizzer. Germans are not big on quality trowels like we are. The would be happy with a wicks special
 
essexandy said:
At least the Ox trowels have rivets these don't. Ragni trowels don't have rivets either and although they are decent trowels they do have a tendency to suddenly go ping. Plus a Ragni would be both lighter and cheaper than these.
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They have 10 rivets Andy , they are not the visible rivets from the top.The tangs are the same as a Refina trowel. The only trowel that's ever popped a rivet on me was a Tyzack with the rivets visible along the top of the tang. Looking at these I dont think durability will be a problem, I just hope they leave a good finish.
 
rocky1 said:
They have 10 rivets Andy , they are not the visible rivets from the top.The tangs are the same as a Refina trowel. The only trowel that's ever popped a rivet on me was a Tyzack with the rivets visible along the top of the tang. Looking at these I dont think durability will be a problem, I just hope they leave a good finish.
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No mate just like the Ragnis they're not proper rivets, I can't remember the correct term but they're just not as good as true rivets.
 
Nothing at all wrong with Marshaltowns but the price, I already have 3 good trowels, 2 of which are old Tyzacks(Sheffield). I really don't know why i got these Hartwigs, maybe I'm developing a trowel fetish or suffering from T.A.D (Tool Accumalation Disorder)
 
rocky1 said:
Nothing at all wrong with Marshaltowns but the price, I already have 3 good trowels, 2 of which are old Tyzacks(Sheffield). I really don't know why i got these Hartwigs, maybe I'm developing a trowel fetish or suffering from T.A.D (Tool Accumalation Disorder)
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T.A.D. lol I have a severe case of that.
 
I have had to have counselling to stop me buying trowels. I had 8 at last count. I only use 3-4 of them.
 
at last count i have 13 trowels in my trowel bag and various different spatulas and filling knifes and odd and sods for getting into the smaller more awkward areas:glare:
 
I finally got one of these dirty today, I used the 14" for the last 2 trowels on a couple of walls i had overskimmed. Beforehand they were given a going over with 80 grit emery cloth and the sharp corners were mellowed with a fine file. Upon first inspection the words "fierce" and "tearing" sprang to mind but i needn't have worried.I;ve never been a lover of stiff trowels so with the short tang and extra width (5 1/8) the 14" was strong yet quite flexible and forgiving, I enjoyed using it and it left a silky finish.
I think we're going to be friends, me and Hartwig.
Don't forget, You heard it here first folks.:RpS_thumbup:
 
Hi guys.
Hartwig trowels are made with s/steel rivets.
This trowels/tools are all made within EU, some of components are from Germany.
Now this trowels are upgraded and come with ready to work edges.
Hartwig mark is British and registered in uk.
Many Thanks and happy use.
 
jrplastering said:
at last count i have 13 trowels in my trowel bag and various different spatulas and filling knifes and odd and sods for getting into the smaller more awkward areas:glare:
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I have one special tool that fits all crevices, nooks, crannys and orifices :RpS_thumbsup:
 
After 4 months i feel i can now review these trowels a little better.
Lets start with the 14x5. Personally i found the handles of both trowels a little fat for my girl like hands and the trowel is extra wide at 130mm and it is heavy at 500grams. You can lay a big dollop of multi finish in a long stroke top to bottom or back and forth as the extra width holds a lot without spillage. It may suit a bigger person. The problem i found is that it "feels " heavy and dull. It just doesn't have that zing, and i didn't like the way it polished off possibly due to it's flex and the chrome stainless steel it' made from.
So in my opinion it's ok for laying on and i may keep it.....as a spare, I've gone and treated myself to a stainless 14" Marshalltown x-lite with classic wooden handle.For me these trowels seem to come alive in your hands but cost twice as much so apples and oranges.

So what about the big beast 16.5x5" 550grams Hartwig. Well it was mentioned they've used the same tang for both trowels. This is a bad cost cutting effort as the ends are over flexible and it leaves a judder mark when trowelling off in an arc,although ok for that first flatten off but as the multi dries it's juddersville county my friend.This one may end up on my dads bootfair stall or in the van as an ornament.
Epilogue. Testing was performed by an experienced tradesman :RpS_lol: who has handled a multitude of trowelling implements using Thistle Multi-finish on a variety of backgrounds.
As a side note Mark mentioned Ragni trowels as an alternative, I use a small Ragni superlite and it is a delight but the cheap plastic handle is hard to grip but i was looking at some in the builders merchants today with better rubber handles and i would think they'd make a good budget trowel but that's another review :RpS_wink: You heard it here first folks
 
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