# Raimondi Colombo Review



## charimon (Nov 24, 2008)

I picked up a Colombo








mortar spreader and have used it on a couple jobs. 
I am making a video on it but wanted to start this thread to see if anyone else has used one.
It is an Expensive tool $400 that looks cumbersome and hard to clean.. Those threee things seem to scare off everyone. But it spreads mortar Better than you can by hand.
1 perfectly strait lines with a perfectly lvl bed
2 It "burns the mortar into the substrate as it is pulled along. 
3 it is adjustable to 32" wide so you can pull up to 2 rows of 16" at a time.
4 you can spread 50# in just a couple min
5 no sore joints -elbow/wrist from troweling.
6 you spread just the width you need.

The best analogy seems to be Drywall flat boxes-- It is an expensive tool but you can lay tile faster, with less effort and better results due to a consistent bed of mortar
Clean up takes between 15 and 20 min


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

Looking forward to your review. Do you buy all your stuff on-line, or can you suggest a tile-equipment shop in Omaha?


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## JohnFRWhipple (Oct 20, 2009)

To bad it doesn't drop tile automatically as well. Some kind of auto feed system...

LOL

JW


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

JohnFRWhipple said:


> To bad it doesn't drop tile automatically as well. Some kind of auto feed system...


I did a quick search for a raimondi rack and came up with a heated towel rack. That would certainly speed up towel drying.


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## JohnFRWhipple (Oct 20, 2009)

CO762 said:


> I did a quick search for a raimondi rack and came up with a heated towel rack. That would certainly speed up towel drying.


But can you place a wet towel on it? It's so insane that so many towel warmers have warnings against using them for wet towels! Personally I love the Heirloom Towel warmers from New Zealand.

No cords.

No plugs.

No lights.

Wet towels allowed. :thumbup:


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## DemRem (Apr 21, 2012)

charimon said:


> I picked up a Colombo
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Pretty cool I'd like to see it in action! One thing I would like to know from looking at it is...once you reach a wall is it easy to get turned around and going in the opposite direction for your next row (because I assume the technique is to spread one row at a time)??


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## charimon (Nov 24, 2008)

DemRem said:


> Pretty cool I'd like to see it in action! One thing I would like to know from looking at it is...once you reach a wall is it easy to get turned around and going in the opposite direction for your next row (because I assume the technique is to spread one row at a time)??


My kid erased my flip so my video is on hold.:blink: you can pull 1 or more likely 2 rows at a time
turning it will make sense when you see it in action --I will try to make one this week even if it is just for demo


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## DemRem (Apr 21, 2012)

charimon said:


> My kid erased my flip so my video is on hold.:blink: you can pull 1 or more likely 2 rows at a time
> turning it will make sense when you see it in action --I will try to make one this week even if it is just for demo


Lookin forward to it!


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## Ethos (Feb 21, 2012)

If you do commercial tile, I can see this paying for itself in a matter of days in saved labor. Just dump the thinset inside and go! Now if only they made an auto back-butter tool that you could slide your tile across, you'd be set!


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## DemRem (Apr 21, 2012)

Ethos said:


> If you do commercial tile, I can see this paying for itself in a matter of days in saved labor. Just dump the thinset inside and go! Now if only they made an auto back-butter tool that you could slide your tile across, you'd be set!


That's the truth...I tend to look at tools as investments not expenses. When I worked on a framing crew we used to hand nail all the hurricane ties and hangers because my boss didn't want to buy a $400 placement nailer. He finally bought it and it cut our time in half...so it paid for itself after completing only one house...imagine how much he could have saved if he had bought it several years earlier.

The paradox for me though is that often I work by the hour (which we should start a thread about) so a time saving tool has the potential to take my profit  (but time savers still have advantages for me like being able to do more jobs and keep prices competitive) 

I think if all I did was tile I would bid cause I'd get real good at estimating, but I always feel that if I go the bid route then I'll underestimate the time or I'll underestimate certain complications in the project. When I'm hourly I never feel stress when I run into unforeseen things.

Yeah I should start a thread on this one :whistling


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

DemRem said:


> The paradox for me though is that often I work by the hour


:blink: Why?


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## DemRem (Apr 21, 2012)

PrecisionFloors said:


> :blink: Why?


I figured this would be a good one for discussion :laughing:

I don't want to hijack the thread especially since it's a pretty cool toy charimon is giving us a review on

I posted my reasons for hourly vs bidding here

http://www.contractortalk.com/f16/bid-vs-hourly-119927/

Would love to get some thoughts on it:thumbup:


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## world llc (Dec 9, 2008)

so where is the review of this thing?


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## charimon (Nov 24, 2008)

sorry guys

i have been slammed my wife got the idea that we needed a small home theater room in the basement and who was i not to spend every nonworking moment trying to please her :whistling


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## Groutface (Jan 20, 2011)

charimon said:


> sorry guys
> 
> i have been slammed my wife got the idea that we needed a small home theater room in the basement and who was i not to spend every nonworking moment trying to please her :whistling


Is that possible?.....laughing


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## world llc (Dec 9, 2008)

charimon said:


> who was i not to spend every nonworking moment trying to please her :whistling


:no:


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

charimon said:


> sorry guys
> 
> i have been slammed my wife got the idea that we needed a small home theater room in the basement and who was i not to spend every nonworking moment trying to please her :whistling


You don't want to set a high precedent for the next project...better start screwing the pooch instead. :laughing:


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## charimon (Nov 24, 2008)

this site has to get you tube figured out


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

OK, thumbs up or down on the towel heater. Mine are getting moldy...


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Wish I couldn't find a tile tool that would make me enjoy doing tiling. I hate putting tile down with a passion. It's just so dam boring. I don't know how the tile guys do it day in day out.


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