Watch out for those 'pro' mud mixing paddles from the discount tool truck

I grabbed one of those shiny red mixing paddles last month, the kind the guy in the truck swears all the big crews use. Cost me $40, which seemed okay. First big patch job, I'm mixing a five gallon bucket of hot mud, and the thing just snaps clean off at the collar. Not a bend, a full break. Sent plastic and metal bits flying into the mud, ruined the whole batch. Had to stop, drive to the supply house, and buy a new bucket and mud. Between the wasted mud, the drive time, and the new paddle, I was out about $90 and two hours on a Tuesday morning. The guy at the supply said he sees it all the time with those cheap knockoffs. They look solid but the weld is junk. What do you guys use for a paddle that can actually handle mixing thick compound day in and day out?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jenny11d agoTop Commenter

That exact same paddle snapped on me last Tuesday.

jones.anna10h ago

Mine just gave up halfway through a batch of drywall mud.

the_kai10d ago

Forty bucks for a paddle that explodes on the first real mix is insane. I mean, plastic in the mud? That's not just breaking, it's a total failure. Ruining a whole five gallon bucket is the worst, you can't even save it. Makes you wonder what they even weld those things with, like glue or something.