# The perfect knife.... Does it exist?



## A2Zcontracting (Jun 15, 2019)

Ok, so i know everyone has their own preferences and im about to open a can of worms with this but why is it so hard for me to find a good knife to float mud with?

Ive been doing alot of drywall work lately and feel like i am wasting too much time and effort with inferior tools. I want a solid (quality wise) but flexible 14" knife for skimming and floating and all i can find is the WalBoard blue steel 14" at home cheapo.... Oughta call em "brown steel" cuz they rust the second water comes close to them. Im on my 3rd one in less than 2 years. I like the flex they have over stainless and have been dealing with just sanding off the rust and honing the edge each time i use them but they get bent outta shape way too easily and cant be bent back then wind up being nothing more than paint sheilds or loners after a little while.

I wanna try the Goldblatt knives but cant find em locally. Their 6" SS taping knives are solid but i dont wanna spend $20 online just to get a knife that is too stiff to float with. Plus, for that kinda money i would at least expect a hammer end on the handle. I actually bought a SS Pittsburgh 12" in a pinch a few weeks ago and was really impressed with it considering it only cost 6 bux out the door. Way too stiff to float with but the thing hasnt gotten a speck of rust on it nor has it broken into pieces like most harbor freight tools do after a few uses.

So, alright Alice... does the perfect knife exist? Or is it just an illusion like the perfect woman? Cuz those things always get way bent outta shape too easily. 

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## EricBrancard (Jun 8, 2012)

I’m a trowel guy, but have you ever looked at Nela before?


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## avenge (Sep 25, 2008)

Neither a drywall knife or woman might be perfect but you'll keep and use both of them if you're happy. I'd say I'm a bit more picky about my women I've disposed of them more frequently than drywall knives.


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## A2Zcontracting (Jun 15, 2019)

EricBrancard said:


> I’m a trowel guy, but have you ever looked at Nela before?


Ive honestly never seen anyone do drywall with trowel and hawk outside of YouTube. I wanna try it but never had the time to **** around on the boss's dime.tell me more... Let my tendanitis rest...

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## EricBrancard (Jun 8, 2012)

A2Zcontracting said:


> Ive honestly never seen anyone do drywall with trowel and hawk outside of YouTube. I wanna try it but never had the time to **** around on the boss's dime.tell me more... Let my tendanitis rest...
> 
> Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk


Most of the guys I know around here that I sub out to are trowel guys. Some trowel and hawk and some trowel loaded right from the bucket. So I just went with that. Recently I started adding skimming blades to the mix. That way I can load up both sides of a butt joint and then run over it with a 32” blade to smooth it out.


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Use these;

https://www.all-wall.com/Categories/Drywall-Taping-Knives/TapeTech-Smoothing-Blade-BX07TT.html

If you can't get an amazing finish with these, stop taping. 

I've also read good things about Level 5 brand, I have no experience with the Level 5's.

https://www.level5tools.com

Tom


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## EricBrancard (Jun 8, 2012)

tjbnwi said:


> Use these;
> 
> https://www.all-wall.com/Categories/Drywall-Taping-Knives/TapeTech-Smoothing-Blade-BX07TT.html
> 
> ...


My 32” is a Level 5. It’s awesome.


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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

I like Marshalltown. 

Get the stainless. They won't rust. Had mine for... 7 years I think? All good.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Knife or trowel, protect it from mechanical damage.

Or become a framer, hammers are tougher to wreck.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

I think Blacktop is a Marshalltown blue steel blade guy.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

I'm a blue steel blade guy. It's about the flex to me. 


Mike.
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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

In fact my favorite knife I let rust and then cleaned up a few times before it becomes flexible the way I like it. Especially when I was a wipe-down man behind my father. We'd easily put on 12 500 foot rolls a day. We were paid by the roll at piece price.


Mike.
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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

Who the hell pays by the roll?


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

Easy Gibson said:


> Who the hell pays by the roll?




It's how it was done back in the day. My father's company did 3 and 400 home tracts. 


Mike.
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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

In 1983 we used to get $20 per 500 ft roll. It 60/40 for gun man/wipe down guy. Later on we made $25 roll, then it went to square ft prices when there were no more good rockers left. Too many joints/cuts adds too much tape.

We could top out at 20 rolls a day. But that wasn't always sustainable.


Mike.
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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

That seems like a terrible system, but I guess no more terrible than some others I've heard of.


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

I may have to try those all wall knives. Right now I use both. Stainless steel for my smaller knives 2*4*6 but go to Blue steel for 10 & 12"


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

I use all stainless these days. It just works for me.

The trick is try different brands. I have two 12 inch stainless. One is perfect in every way. It makes finishing easy.

The other one is complete doodoo. It has become an edger for painting.

They look like they should both work, but only one does. Not sure the brand, but try different ones. What is good for me, might not be good for someone else.

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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

Easy Gibson said:


> That seems like a terrible system, but I guess no more terrible than some others I've heard of.



Actually it was a fair system because not all homes are hung the same. If it were cut up, it payed more because it took more tape. 

It's a California production thing. 


Mike.
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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

I assume you would do more than one house a day.

We did vinyl siding in a large for our area development. You could finish one house at noon and be hanging the next one by 1.

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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

VinylHanger said:


> I assume you would do more than one house a day.
> 
> We did vinyl siding in a large for our area development. You could finish one house at noon and be hanging the next one by 1.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk




Absolutely we could do more than a few a day depending on the size of course.


Mike.
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## A2Zcontracting (Jun 15, 2019)

Calidecks said:


> Actually it was a fair system because not all homes are hung the same. If it were cut up, it payed more because it took more tape.
> 
> It's a California production thing.
> 
> ...


Paid by the roll?... No wonder why every time i do work on track homes built in the 70s to 90s around san diego all the wall joints are bulging out and the lids are sagging. Obviously you didnt get paid by the gallon of mud and the hangers got paid by the sheet and not the nails! 

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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

A2Zcontracting said:


> Paid by the roll?... No wonder why every time i do work on track homes built in the 70s to 90s around san diego all the wall joints are bulging out and the lids are sagging. Obviously you didnt get paid by the gallon of mud and the hangers got paid by the sheet and not the nails!
> 
> Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk




Why would getting paid by the roll have anything to do with bulging wall joints?


Mike.
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## A2Zcontracting (Jun 15, 2019)

Calidecks said:


> Why would getting paid by the roll have anything to do with bulging wall joints?
> 
> 
> Mike.
> _______________


Sloppy joints or cheap mud i always figured. Why else do they all have that sagging look?

I see it all over the place. Older homes have random cracks but track homes always have bulging joints on factory edges. Blame the framers i suppose. Fresh wood contracts as it dries?

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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

Wallboard knives for me. 


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

You have a lot to learn about drywall.


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## madrina (Feb 21, 2013)

Um HELLO?!!?! DID EVERYONE FORGET ABOUT THE CORNER SPOON? It puts the right amount on the wall!! Shoulda been out for 50 years already.!! 
Can't believe nobody recommended this yet.

https://youtu.be/aAd2Wcp1f_8


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

madrina said:


> Um HELLO?!!?! DID EVERYONE FORGET ABOUT THE CORNER SPOON? It puts the right amount on the wall!! Shoulda been out for 50 years already.!!
> Can't believe nobody recommended this yet.
> 
> https://youtu.be/aAd2Wcp1f_8


Spooning in the corner:clap:


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