My taping knife failed mid-job and I had to rethink my whole bag

Last Tuesday I was finishing up a bedroom in a house off Maple Street. I was about halfway through the second coat on the seams when my 12 inch stainless taping knife just broke right at the handle. The blade snapped clean off. I had been using that same knife for like 6 years, so I figured it was a good one. I got pretty frustrated because I had to drive 20 minutes to the supply house to grab a new one. I picked up a different brand this time, one with a replaceable blade. Now I'm wondering if I should just switch to the replaceable blade style for everything. Has anyone else had a taping knife fail on them like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant82610h ago

I've had a 6 inch knife snap on me once during a tricky corner, it was a cheap one from the hardware store though. The replaceable blade setup sounds smart, I switched my 12 inch to a locking handle style a few years back and it's been rock solid. The key is finding a brand that uses hardened steel for the blade itself, some of those off-brands just use thin metal that warps after a few coats. I ended up with a 10 inch and a 14 inch for different stages now, covers everything from bedding to finishing. If your old knife lasted 6 years you definitely got your money's worth, but a replaceable one might outlast a dozen handles.

coran637h agoMost Upvoted

@grant826, you know what nobody talks about with those replaceable knives? You gotta check if the replacement blades are actually still in production a few years down the line, or you're stuck with a handle that's a paperweight.