The best trowels, compared.
Top pick: Gunpla 280 x 130 mm plastering trowel Best value: Faithfull 150 mm pointing trowel – A 150 mm London-pattern blade for pointing and small cracks, at about £3.90, with 4.6 out of 5 from 1,714 reviews. Updated October 2026.
A garden hand trowel is a short scooped blade for planting and weeding. A pointing trowel is smaller, often about 6 inches, for mortar joints. A plastering trowel is a flat rectangle, often 280 to 405 mm, for finishing a skim. For soil, judge the joint, the metal and whether any depth marks are actually on the blade. Dry a powder-coated carbon blade if the ground is heavier. A light alloy blade is a poor lever on thick roots. The [trowel buying guide](/hub/digging-tools/trowel/sub/trowel-buying-guide) puts family, metal, joint and size ahead of the stars. This page holds six garden hand trowels, three plastering trowels, a 5 inch brick trowel and a 150 mm pointing trowel. Name the job before you read the stars: soil, bulbs, pointing, bricklaying or skimming.
A garden hand trowel is a short scooped blade for planting and weeding. A pointing trowel is smaller, often about 6 inches, for mortar joints.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you using it for?
The Gunpla trowel is listed for drywall, plaster, and mortar finishing, with 280 x 130 mm in the title and a rubber grip claimed in the bullets. The technical table gives a package of 27.7 x 13 x 8.5 cm and a weight of 360 g, and the included-components field says no. The listing is 5.0 from 3 reviews. Two short United Kingdom texts were captured, both of which say it works, and one of which calls it a cheap trowel. Neither text mentions the blade size, the grip, rust, or a fault. At £27.45 the bullets claim the steel will not mark a light finish, and these two reviews do not describe that finish. There is no warranty line and no separate material table.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a 280 mm plastering trowel on the title and you can judge it from two one-line reviews.
Less suitable: You want a finishing trowel with a long review record, or a garden digging blade.
Specifications
Common questions
What size is the blade?
The title says 280 x 130 mm. The technical table gives package dimensions of 27.7 x 13 x 8.5 cm and a weight of 360 g, not a separate blade line.
What is in the box?
The included-components field says no. Batteries are not included and not required. Power source says hand_powered.
How many reviews were captured?
The listing line is 5.0 from 3 reviews. Two short United Kingdom reviews were captured, and neither names a fault.
The Spear & Jackson Elements 4058NB cuts into garden beds and driveway weeds, and in the first 50 amazon.co.uk reviews the carbon blade is described as unbent. At 32 x 8 x 9 cm and 240 g it is heavy enough that one driveway user says their wrists tire quickly, and another calls it quite heavy. The longer handle is what people use to weed without bending as far, including a reviewer with a bad back. A rubber grip at the top stays comfortable for longer potting, including for a reviewer with grip trouble. Carbon appears only in the product name. The details block has no material, colour, or warranty line, and reviews describe carbon steel, wood, and that rubber top. Those 50 reviews do not describe a snapped blade, and regular use is described as free of rust.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a garden hand trowel for beds, pots, and weeds, and you can accept 240 g if the longer handle saves your back.
Less suitable: You want a light scoop for a short weeding session, or a blade for plaster, mortar, or bricklaying.
Specifications
Common questions
What are the listed measurements?
Product dimensions are 32 x 8 x 9 cm and 240 g. Handle material, colour, and a warranty are not in the details block.
Is the blade carbon steel?
Carbon is in the product name. The listing details have no material table.
What do reviews say about the handle?
In the first 50 reviews, people praise a comfortable grip and a longer handle. One says their wrists tire quickly. One calls it quite heavy.
The Spear & Jackson Select 2058NS digs soil, weeds around fruit bushes, and works raised beds with a heat-treated, powder-coated carbon blade. At 32.5 x 8 x 8 cm and 290 g, one reviewer finds it heavy enough to plan a lighter trowel. Several of the first 50 reviews say it digs without bending and is easy to clean, and one says it is still going after eight years. A separate review says it bends easily, so that report sits beside the reviews that say it does not. One reviewer prefers the soft-feel grip to wood. The foldable field says Yes, and length and width fields say 1.5 cm and 3.3 cm, beside item dimensions of 32.5 x 8 x 8 cm. One reviewer cites a five-year guarantee that does not appear in the details block.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a heavier carbon garden trowel for beds and fruit bushes and you will use the 32.5 cm dimensions.
Less suitable: You want a light trowel, a folding tool, or a plastering blade.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this trowel foldable?
The foldable field says Yes. The title, style name, and reviews describe a fixed Select carbon hand trowel.
What size should you use?
Item dimensions are 32.5 x 8 x 8 cm and the weight is 290 g. Separate fields say item length 1.5 cm and item width 3.3 cm.
Does the listing promise it will not bend?
No. The bullets say a heat-treated blade. In the first 50 reviews, some say it digs without bending and one says it bends easily.
The Showvigor aluminium trowel plants, moves compost, and weeds in beds and window pots with a 170 g scooped blade at £5.98. Item dimensions are 28.5 x 10.5 x 3.7 cm, and a bullet gives an 8.5 cm blade width with engraved scales. In the first 50 reviews those marks are called handy, easy to read, and unfaded, and the wooden handle is comfortable. One reviewer leaves it outside and reports no rust. The head comes off the handle, including one that slipped out clean after about seven uses over three months. The tool is a little small, the handle is short, the tip is roughly bevelled and dull, and a plastic film has to be peeled off before use. There is no warranty, the model field says wooden shovel, and the unit-count line prints 28.3495 gram beside the 170 g weight, on a listing at 4.7 from 139 reviews.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You plant in pots and beds and you want readable depth marks on a light aluminium blade.
Less suitable: You dig hard ground, or you need the head to stay in the wooden handle across a season.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this trowel have depth marks?
The listing says engraved scales on an 8.5 cm wide blade. It does not confirm that the marks are accurate.
What size and weight are listed?
Item dimensions are 28.5 x 10.5 x 3.7 cm and the weight is 170 g. A bullet also says about 28 cm. The unit-count field prints 28.3495 gram.
Does the listing say the handle stays on?
The page asks whether the handle stays secure and does not answer it. In the first 50 reviews, one says the handle comes off easily, and one says the head slipped out after about seven uses.
The Faithfull FAISGTPT6 pushes a little mortar into patio joints, paving gaps, and small indoor and outdoor cracks with a 150 mm London-pattern blade. It weighs 174 g and costs £3.90, with 4.6 from 1,714 reviews. One reviewer says it is definitely not suitable for laying bricks. The first 50 reviews describe a thick shaft, a comfortable soft grip, and a tip that fits between slabs and cobbles and scrapes weeds along walls. Rust appears after one plaster-repair use when the steel is put away damp, and another reviewer dries it and sprays WD40. The listing states a five-year manufacturer warranty and leaves the cover question unanswered. The handle-material field says alloy steel on a tool whose bullet describes a soft-grip handle.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are repointing slabs, patching mortar, or scraping weeds along a wall and you want a narrow 150 mm blade.
Less suitable: You are laying bricks, or you leave steel tools wet between jobs.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this a bricklaying trowel?
The listing is a 150 mm pointing trowel for forming and repairing mortar. One review says it is not suitable for laying bricks.
Does it come with a cover?
The listing asks and does not answer. Included components are the pointing trowel with a soft-grip handle only.
What warranty is stated?
The manufacturer warranty description says 5 year manufacturer. EU spare-part availability is 1 year.
The OX Pro P011014 lays on and finishes render, concrete, and skim with a 127 x 356 mm stainless blade that the listing curves so the edge does not dig in. It weighs 400 g, costs £28.79, and carries 4.6 from 1,089 reviews. Reviewers who like the balance call it light, cite the rivets, and put it close to a Marshalltown on price. Others still prefer a Marshalltown for skimming or for laying on. The handle sits close to the plate and hits knuckles, water collects in the handle after washing, and the blade can feel tinny until it is broken in. In the first 50 reviews a proud rivet marked the plaster, a plate bent after a few days, and handles came apart after a few months of everyday use on two trowels. The handle-material field says stainless steel, and the bullets describe a dura-grip handle, a thumb guard, and an aluminium shank.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You finish plaster, render, or concrete and you want a 356 mm stainless blade with pre-worn edges.
Less suitable: You are planting, you need a wider gap for your knuckles, or you expect the handle field to match the dura-grip bullet.
Specifications
Common questions
Can it smooth walls?
The listing is a plasterers finishing trowel and says the blade is curved so the edge does not dig in. It does not add a separate yes or no.
Is the handle stainless steel?
The handle-material field says stainless steel. The bullets say a dura-grip handle with a thumb guard and an aluminium shank.
What size is the blade?
The title and style name say 127 x 356 mm. Item dimensions are 35.6 x 12.7 x 10 cm and the weight is 400 g.
The Draper Redline 69146 finishes mortar, render, and concrete up to the edges with a 280 mm lacquered carbon blade. At 358 g and 31 x 12.5 x 9.5 cm, reviewers call it light and the right size, and the plastic soft grip stays comfortable on a small repair. Rust starts after a first plaster patch and, in another review, by about the sixth day, even after cleaning. One reviewer says washing and drying promptly is what keeps it usable. Rough edges need emery paper or they leave lines in the plaster, a bent corner scraped a wall, and one trowel arrived with scratches. Breaking it in takes longer than an old wooden-handled trowel, in that comparison. The item-type field says Draper Box Section Level. It costs £10.02, with 4.5 from 1,627 reviews.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You patch plaster or render and you will wash and dry a carbon blade the same day.
Less suitable: You want a stainless finishing trowel you can leave damp, or you need the item-type field to name this trowel.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the blade carbon steel?
Yes. The bullets say a hardened, tempered carbon steel blade with a lacquered finish. The handle material is plastic.
What does the item-type field say?
It says Draper Box Section Level. The title, model 69146, and included components are the 280 mm soft-grip plastering trowel.
Do reviews mention rust?
In the first 50 reviews, rust is reported after a first plaster patch and by about the sixth day of use. One reviewer says washing and drying promptly keeps it usable.
The Onesto pointed trowel is sold for spreading mortar, filling joints, and masonry, with a 5 inch carbon blade, a wooden handle, and a listed size of 33 cm by 7.6 cm at 91 g. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.5 from 15 reviews, and three United Kingdom texts were captured. One says it did the job and that the finish is acceptable apart from the edges. Those edges are rough and can cut a hand, according to that review. The wooden handle broke after a short time in another review, and that buyer would not recommend it. Riveted construction is claimed, and the listing asks about plastering without an answer on the page. At £7.99 the three texts are too small a sample to turn one broken handle into a failure rate.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a small pointed blade for a short mortar or joint job and you can check the edges before you grip it.
Less suitable: You lay bricks all day, you want a plastering blade, or you need a handle with more than a handful of reviews behind it.
Specifications
Common questions
What size is this brick trowel?
The size field says a 5 inch bricklayers trowel. Dimensions are 33 cm long by 7.6 cm wide, and the weight is 91 g.
Does the listing say it can plaster?
The page asks if it can be used for plastering and does not answer. The title sells it for bricklaying, cement spreading, and masonry.
What do the captured reviews say about the handle?
Three United Kingdom reviews were captured. One says the handle broke after a short time. One says the edges are rough.
The Showvigor rubber-grip trowel weeds, sets plugs, and works bedding plants with a 130 g aluminium-alloy blade and a yellow soft grip. A reviewer with rheumatoid arthritis praises that grip, and the bright handle is easy to spot in the garden. One person leaves it outside and says the blade stays clean. The blade has snapped off on a root in under two months, and another buyer returned it because the rubber felt tacky, as if it had melted. Other reviews call the blade small and flimsy, so a planting hole takes more effort. After about 50 plugs the handle did not hurt one reviewer, and it still felt less ergonomic than an older trowel. A bullet says 30.5 x 7.5 cm against item dimensions of 17.8 x 12.7 x 2.5 cm, on a listing at 4.4 from 302 reviews and £6.98.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You set plugs and small plants and you want a light yellow grip you can see in the border.
Less suitable: You lever roots, you want a larger blade, or you need one agreed length on the listing.
Specifications
Common questions
How long is this trowel?
A bullet says 30.5 x 7.5 cm. The item dimensions are 17.8 x 12.7 x 2.5 cm and the weight is 130 g.
Is the blade stainless steel?
The blade-material field says aluminium alloy. One review calls the blade stainless. The listing asks if it is rust resistant and does not answer.
What handle does it have?
A soft rubber grip. The colour is yellow, and a hanging hole is claimed. One review says the grip felt tacky and was returned.
The D.A.Y. Republic trowel scoops, weeds, and transplants with a 151 g metal blade and a wooden handle, listed at 29 x 4 x 4 cm and £4.35. Reviewers who stay with pots, compost, and light weeds call the narrow blade sturdy enough for that work. The joint is a spike into the wood: it broke on first use in hard ground, twisted while lifting a small plant from compost, and broke within 10 minutes in another review. A blade is described as bending at once, and one reviewer allows pots and compost and rules out clay. Depth marks are claimed up to 10 cm, and one unit had none. The material field says metal and wood, with a rust-resistant claim and no stainless or carbon grade, at 4.2 from 230 reviews.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a cheap narrow scoop for pots, compost, and light weeds.
Less suitable: You dig clay or hard ground, or you are buying it for the 10 cm depth marks.
Specifications
Common questions
Are depth marks included?
The listing says built-in depth measurement up to 10 cm. One review says there was no depth measurement on the trowel.
What is the blade made of?
The material field says metal and wood. It does not say stainless or carbon. The listing calls it rust resistant.
What joint do reviews describe?
Reviews say the metal is spiked into the wooden handle. Reports include a twist on first use, a break within 10 minutes, and a break in clay.
The unbranded HYCZ-001 is a polished stainless hand trowel with a wooden grip, listed at 123 g and £4.99 for digging, weeding, and planting. One of the three captured reviews praises a smooth wooden handle with damp hands, a pointed tip in compacted soil, a hanging hole, and no carbon-style rust spots. In that same set of texts the blade bent out of shape in about 20 minutes and was easy to bend back. Another review calls the blade a shallow paddle and says it suits display more than work. A bullet prints 28.5 x 8.5 cm and the item dimensions print 22.3 x 22 x 2.4 cm. The brand field says Generic, the manufacturer is senluobanting, and the title includes Measure with no depth-mark specification. The listing is 3.9 from 6 reviews, and three texts were captured.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a light stainless scoop for loose soil and you can accept a blade one reviewer bent in about 20 minutes.
Less suitable: You dig compacted ground for any length of time, or you need an agreed size and a named brand.
Specifications
Common questions
Which size is printed?
A bullet says 28.5 x 8.5 cm. Item dimensions are 22.3 x 22 x 2.4 cm and the weight is 123 g.
Who makes it?
The brand field says Generic. The manufacturer is senluobanting and the model is HYCZ-001.
What do the three reviews say?
One says the blade bent in about 20 minutes. One praises the wooden grip and calls the blade a shallow paddle. One says they have not seen carbon-style rust spots.
We shortlisted 38 amazon.co.uk trowel listings and compared the 11 on this page. There is no laboratory test. Each score uses the listing star rating, the review count, the stated specification, an editorial reading of the United Kingdom reviews, and the shelf price against the job, captured on 15 October 2026. A 5.0 from three reviews cannot lead the table.
Star rating
30%amazon.co.uk stars on that ASIN, scaled so 3.0 scores nothing on this part and 5.0 scores the full share. The stars are the listing average, not a score we measured.
Review volume
15%The review count beside the stars. About 4,500 reviews fills this share. Three reviews score nothing here, and a separate small-sample penalty still applies.
Specification
20%Points for a blade material in the details, a size, a handle or grip line, a weight, and a title that matches a garden, pointing, brick or plastering trowel. A clash between fields is a penalty.
Review sentiment
20%An editorial reading of praise and criticism in the United Kingdom reviews. This is separate from the star average. A snapped joint, a bent blade or early rust lowers it.
Price against the job
15%What the amazon.co.uk shelf price buys for the stated job, given the reviews. A low price scores high on this part only when reviews show the tool doing that job.
Buy the family that matches the job, then the metal and the joint, then the size printed on the listing. Stars come after those checks, and only inside one family. Prices below are amazon.co.uk shelf prices on 15 October 2026.
On amazon.co.uk, trowel covers several tools. This page holds six garden hand trowels, three plastering trowels, a 5 inch brick trowel and a 150 mm pointing trowel. Prices are amazon.co.uk shelf prices on 15 October 2026, from about £3.90 to about £28.79. They are the shelf prices on these listings. Name the job before you read the stars: soil, bulbs, pointing, bricklaying or skimming. A garden hand trowel is a short scooped blade for planting and weeding.
A general trowel search mixes scooped garden blades with flat finishing blades. A plastering trowel, often 280 to 405 mm, finishes a skim. A garden hand trowel plants and weeds. Match the family before you compare the stars.
The RHS still sets bulb depth: about two to three times the bulb's height in a border, about three times in a container, and in turf no deeper than three times the bulb's height. One D.A.Y. Republic review says the claimed marks were missing.
The Select foldable field says Yes on a fixed trowel. The Draper item-type field names a box section level. The Showvigor rubber listing prints 30.5 cm in a bullet and 17.8 cm in the item dimensions. Use the figure that matches the tool in your hand.
Name the job first: soil, bulbs, pointing, bricklaying or skimming. A garden hand trowel is a short scooped blade. A brick trowel is a flat pointed triangle. BuildWiz contrasts a London pattern, with a rounded heel, and a Philadelphia pattern, with a squarer heel. Pointing trowels are smaller, and six inches is the usual UK shop size. A plastering trowel is a flat rectangle. Match the metal to the ground. Stainless and aluminium suit ordinary soil. Dry powder-coated carbon for heavier ground.
Read the listing size, and check for a second figure. The Showvigor rubber-grip trowel is 17.8 cm and 130 g in the item dimensions, and a bullet says 30.5 cm. A 32 cm Spear & Jackson is a hand trowel. The Onesto is 5 inches. The OX Pro is 127 by 356 mm. The Draper is 280 mm. The Gunpla size is in the title, 280 by 130 mm. Compare the review count inside one family. The Gunpla listing is 5.0 from three reviews. The unbranded stainless trowel is 3.9 from six.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want a garden hand trowel for beds, pots and weeds, and you can accept 240 g if a longer handle saves your back. The Spear & Jackson Elements 4058NB is the top pick in this set, at 4.7 from 4,417 reviews. A 32 cm listing stays in the hand.
You are repointing slabs, patching mortar or scraping weeds along a wall. The Faithfull 150 mm pointing trowel is the best value, at about £3.90. One reviewer says it is the wrong tool for laying bricks, and the steel rusts if you put it away damp.
You finish plaster, render or concrete and you want a 356 mm stainless blade with pre-worn edges. The OX Pro is that listing, at about £28.79. Reviewers who like the balance use it. The handle sits close to the plate. A full-room skim, if you have not plastered, is a job for a professional.
For garden beds, pots and weeds, the Spear & Jackson Elements 4058NB is the top pick: 4.7 out of 5 from 4,417 reviews, 32 x 8 x 9 cm and 240 g, at about £7.70. In the first 50 reviews the carbon blade is described as unbent, and the longer handle is what people use to weed without bending as far. It is heavy enough that one driveway user says their wrists tire quickly, and the details block does not name the handle material. For pointing patio joints and small mortar repairs, the Faithfull 150 mm pointing trowel is the best value, at about £3.90, with 4.6 from 1,714 reviews. One reviewer says it is the wrong tool for laying bricks, and the steel rusts if you put it away damp.
Faithfull 150 mm pointing trowel
A 150 mm London-pattern blade for pointing and small cracks, at about £3.90, with 4.6 out of 5 from 1,714 reviews.
Editorial
Products Compared publishes British-English buying guides based on amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources. We do not run a lab and we do not invent test scores.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Sources from the research digest. amazon.co.uk listings in this category were captured on 15 October 2026. We did not run a laboratory test.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through these links we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We compared amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources. We did not run a laboratory test, and a commission does not change which trowel is the top pick or the best value.
