the_alex•1d agoProlific Poster

Comparing trowels at a Roman site in Britain - WHS 4 inch vs Marshalltown 4.5 inch

I was on a dig near Colchester last fall, working a trench with a lot of packed clay and tile fragments. Everyone used Marshaltowns, but I kept my old WHS because it was what I learned on. After a week of scraping and cleaning, the WHS blade actually bent a little at the tip, and the handle was giving me blisters. Borrowed a crew member's Marshalltown for an afternoon and the difference was crazy - it held its edge way longer and the handle shape just fit my hand better. Has anyone else noticed a big difference between budget and pro trowels on a real dig, or am I just unlucky with the WHS?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivermason1d ago

Figure out if the clay was drying out fast on your site, because that can make cheap trowels flex way more than they should. I worked a wetter site in Gloucestershire where the WHS held up fine against a Marshalltown, so the soil conditions might be the real factor here. Your mileage may vary but I would try swapping on your next dig with a different soil type before writing off the WHS completely.

quinn1611d ago

Oliver mentioned a review where someone tested the WHS on wet clay and it lasted 8 months longer than expected. That matches what a guy from my field school said about his WHS lasting through a whole season in Cornwall. Your point about soil drying is solid, @olivermason, have you ever tested that side by side on the same trench?

ray_sullivan1d ago

Did you notice any flex difference between the two when the clay was wet vs dry?