My boss swore by a 6 inch taping knife for everything, but I finally switched

Jordan Torres · 2026-04-02T12:20:06.792128+00:00

He'd say 'you can do any job with this' for years, so I never bought a bigger one. Then I had to skim a whole ceiling in a Phoenix remodel last month and my arms were dead after two hours. Grabbed a 12 inch knife from the truck just to try it, and it cut the work time in half. Anyone got a favorite brand for the bigger knives?

martin.margaret6mo ago

Used to agree. That ceiling changed my mind.

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tyler_white423mo ago

...and I remember reading somewhere that the bigger knives actually help with arm fatigue because you're not making as many passes. @christopher_ross you nailed it with the Sistine Chapel comparison, that's exactly how I felt with my first 12 inch knife. I picked up a Marshalltown 12 inch after reading some forum posts about them being well balanced. The weight just feels right in your hand, not too heavy but solid enough to lay mud down smooth. And the flex on it is just enough that you can feather edges without fighting it. Your foreman sounds like he was stuck in his ways too. Sometimes you just gotta try the bigger tool to see what you're missing, even if it hurts your pride a little.

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christopher_ross6mo ago

Oh man, that hits home. My old foreman was the same way, a total 6-inch evangelist. I spent a whole summer doing basement walls with one before I wised up. Felt like I was painting the Sistine Chapel with a toothbrush.

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