Changed my mind about using a mortar mixer after 12 years of hand mixing

I always thought hand mixing mortar in a wheelbarrow gave me better control over consistency. Then last week I borrowed my buddy's Imer Minuteman 95 and ran a test with 5 bags of Type S. The mixer got every batch uniform in under 3 minutes flat, and I couldn't find a single dry pocket. Anyone else been converted by a machine after swearing off them for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavina731mo ago

...and here I was thinking my biceps were getting a solid workout from hand mixing. Turns out they were just getting tired. I borrowed the same mixer last weekend after my buddy practically begged me to try it, and yeah, I felt like an idiot for 12 years of sloppy batches. The first mix came out so smooth I actually checked to make sure I didn't accidentally grab pre-mix. My back thanked me, my shoulders didn't, but hey, at least now I can pretend I'm a professional instead of a guy fighting a wheelbarrow.

olivia_allen29d ago

Guess my 12 years of hand mixing were basically me paying a gym membership to get inconsistent batches with extra elbow grease. @gavina73 you're not alone in the "checking for pre-mix" panic, I did the exact same thing with that first load of Type S. My wife now asks why I'm suddenly so proud of my mortar work and less proud of my sore back. Problem is I've been telling everyone my mixes got "better" when really they just got lazier. Mortar mixer made me realize I was just a guy with a hoe and a dream.