Comparing a mud mixer to hand mixing mortar changed how I work now

I used to mix all my mortar by hand with a hoe in a tub for small jobs. Took me about 20 minutes per batch and my arms were dead by lunch. Then a guy on a site in Austin let me borrow his electric mud mixer last week. One batch took maybe 5 minutes and the consistency was way more even. Now I'm thinking about picking up a used one for like $100. Anyone else make that switch and notice a big difference in fatigue?

3 comments

3 Comments

shane_wilson23d ago

And the thing is, once you use one for a few days, going back to hand mixing feels like punishment. I borrowed a rental for a weekend patio job and it took me maybe two batches to realize I wasn't going back. That consistent texture really does make a difference when you're buttering brick all day. Plus your shoulders won't hate you by dinner time. That $100 beats chiropractor visits every time.

jones.brooke23d agoTop Commenter

Maybe it's just me but I gotta say that $100 used mixer thing isn't always the steal it sounds like. I borrowed a buddy's old one and it had a bad bearing that made this grinding noise and the paddle barely spun. Ended up wasting a whole afternoon trying to fix it before I just went back to hand mixing. If you're gonna buy used make sure you test it with some water or dry mud first to see if it actually has any power. Otherwise you're basically buying a heavy paperweight that'll frustrate you more than a hoe and tub. The consistency thing is real though - once you feel how smooth an even batch is, it's hard to go back to lumpy hand mix.

drew_patel574d ago

Is it really a deal if you can't even mix a batch? Found that out the hard way too.