Switched from using a 6 inch knife to a 10 inch for flat panels

Used to fight with those tiny knives for years on big walls. Took a guy on a job in Atlanta suggesting the wider blade and now I'm flying through flat work way faster. Anyone else make the switch and never look back?

2 comments

2 Comments

river_jones11d ago

Man I had the exact same thing happen with drywall knives. Used a 6 inch for years and thought I was fine until this old timer handed me a 10 inch and I felt like I'd been working blind my whole life. The funny part was I tried going up to a 14 inch next and that was just too much, felt like I was trying to spread mud with a canoe paddle. There's definitely a sweet spot where the bigger blade just makes the work snap along without fighting it. Now I keep both sizes in my bag but the big one gets all the love lol.

stella_roberts11d ago

Wait, you used a 6 inch for years and thought that was enough? I was the same way honestly. I figured a smaller blade gave me more control so I stuck with it forever. But then a buddy let me borrow his 10 inch for a ceiling repair and I couldn't believe how much faster and smoother the whole job went. The mud just laid down flat without all those little lines I had to sand out later. I finally got a 10 inch of my own after that and now I feel silly for resisting it so long. You're right though, 14 inch sounds like a nightmare, like trying to paint a wall with a floor squeegee or something.