London, London Wide and Philadelphia Brick Trowels

In England, the many brick trowel styles of the past have been reduced to just three main types; the Philadelphia pattern, London pattern and the London Wide. The Philadelphia has its heel is set farther back, and the heel comes to sharp angles. The London has an elongated shape and is manufactured in both narrow and wide widths. Originally the London heel had sharp angles but today it a rounded heel.

The Philadelphia trowel, has a square heel, while the the London Pattern has a rounded heel which shapes the blade so that the mortar is carried a little further forward on the blade. The Philadelphia pattern is better suited to lay block as it allows more mortar to be placed on the blade, while the London pattern is designed for laying brick. The Wide London pattern is simply wider at the heel than the London which allows for even more mortar to be collected on the blade. - It really is as simple as that!

Although this is getting more specialised, the blade of a London-pattern trowel has one curved edge for cutting bricks, a skill that takes practice to perfect; the blade's other edge is straight for picking up mortar. You can buy left-handed versions of this trowel or the common shape is to come with two straight edges.

A London trowel normally comes in 9 different blade sizes, with the most common size being the 11 inch.
A London Wide trowel normally comes in 7 different blade sizes, with the most common size being the 10 inches.
Philadelphia trowel again comes in 7 blade sizes, with the most common size being the 11 inches.

Both London and Philadelphia trowels come in a range of six widths, while the London Wide is a standard 5 3/4 inch width.

Wood

Leather

Plastic

Durasoft or Proform - which is a plastic and rubber mix and now by far the most popular handle used in the trade, its comfortable and easy to clean.

We would recommend Marshall Town, its Medium price range but a great value product and highly regarded as the go too trowel for bricklayers world wide. We have also included W. Rose and Kraft Tool for the professional who requires a premium product.

www.marshalltown.com
www.wrose.com
www.krafttool.com