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Mortar gun vs trowel

Updated: October 2026

You are standing in front of a tired patio or a garden wall, and one comment says a pointing gun is several times faster while a bricklayer on a forum says a hawk is cleaner. Both can be right, because they are describing different joints. A mortar gun delivers mix into a gap. A pointing trowel and iron compact it and strike the face. This page is that choice, before you buy. Model prices stay on the [mortar syringe comparison](/hub/painting-supplies/mortar-syringe). The fill sequence, once you own a gun, is on [how to use a mortar gun](/hub/painting-supplies/mortar-syringe/sub/mortar-syringe-how-to-use). Products Compared used LABC, Building Conservation and the review themes from the amazon.co.uk listings of 15 October 2026.

You are standing in front of a tired patio or a garden wall, and one comment says a pointing gun is several times faster while a bricklayer on a forum says a hawk is cleaner.

Our top picks

Roughneck Roughneck ROU32150 Ultimate mortar gun

Best overall

Roughneck Roughneck ROU32150 Ultimate mortar gun
8.8/10about £28.57
View offer
Faithfull Faithfull FAIPOINTING pointing gun kit

Alternative

Faithfull Faithfull FAIPOINTING pointing gun kit
6.4/10about £23.25
View offer
Hilka Hilka 66855006 mortar and grouting gun

Preis-Tipp

Hilka Hilka 66855006 mortar and grouting gun
6.2/10about £14.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each tool actually does
  2. 2.When a gun is the better delivery
  3. 3.When the trowel stays quicker
  4. 4.A recommendation with a condition

What each tool actually does

A hand pointing gun is a barrel, a plunger and a nozzle. You fill part of the tube, and the ratchet pushes a bead into the joint. The bead still has to be tooled. A hawk and a pointing iron press the mortar in and strike the profile as you go. LABC says the hawk is hard to learn. Reviews on the cheaper guns say the gun is hard too, once the mix separates or the plunger leaks. The joint decides which difficulty to practise. Kingfisher’s speed line is a Quikpoint claim, not a timing of these guns.

When a gun is the better delivery

Use a gun when the nozzle reaches a place a trowel fills badly. A deep gap behind a door frame is the clearest case. Roughneck reviewers describe mortar at the back of a frame gap a trowel could not pack. A wide patio joint is the other case: the run is long, the profile is plain, and you tool it as you move. LABC says a gun suits large areas of simple joints. The cleaning cost is the condition. Wash the barrel before the mortar goes off, and cut excess off the face so you do not stain the brick. A gun that spends the afternoon blocked is slower than a hawk on the same small area.
Roughneck Roughneck ROU32150 Ultimate mortar gun

Testsieger

Roughneck Roughneck ROU32150 Ultimate mortar gun
8.8/10about £28.57
View offer

When the trowel stays quicker

A short stretch of brick, a pier, or a patch you are matching to weathered work is usually faster with a pointing iron. Weather-struck work rewards the iron because you see the face as you fill it. A gun leaves a round bead you then have to strike back. A person who already points neatly with a hawk will often beat a gun on ordinary brick. LABC’s caution stands: bead and tuck pointing may need a trained bricklayer either way. A narrow void you cannot pack to the back will look full and stay hollow. That is the frame gap a nozzle is for.

A recommendation with a condition

For a deep frame gap, or a lot of plain patio joint, choose the gun, and plan to tool the face and wash the tube the same day. For a few bricks, or a finish that has to match weathered work, choose the pointing iron. That recommendation depends on the joint, and it gets weaker when the mortar itself is the problem. Soft lime on an old wall is not a reason to invent a cement mix. SPAB says repointing is not justified just because mortar is soft. If that is your wall, read lime mortar and a pointing gun before you rake anything out. If you buy a gun from the main comparison, a qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

Common questions

Is a mortar gun faster than a trowel?
It is faster on a long run of plain joint or a deep gap the trowel cannot pack, and only if the mix extrudes and you still tool the face. On a short brick panel a hawk is often quicker, because you skip the fill and the wash. Building Conservation notes that pumps fill quickly and the compaction and cleaning remain. Kingfisher’s multiple is a claim about Quikpoint, and it was not measured on these hand guns.
Is a gun less messy?
A gun keeps some mortar off the face while the bead is going in, and it makes a different mess when it weeps, spits or is overfilled. LABC says to remove excess as you go so you do not stain the brick. You also wash a tube that a trowel never asks you to wash. Reviewers who gave up on leaking plungers went back to a trowel because the gun’s mess had moved to the seal and the bucket.
Can a beginner learn a gun more easily than a hawk?
Each tool has a hard part. LABC treats the hawk as something people struggle to learn. Amazon reviews treat the gun as something people block with the wrong sand. A beginner on a plain patio can get a usable joint from a gun after a test bead. A beginner matching weather-struck brick will struggle with both until the iron work is practised. The joint chooses the tool more than the advert does.
Does a gun do weather-struck or tuck pointing?
The gun fills. The iron or the jointer makes weather-struck, flush, or tuck profiles afterwards, if you have the skill and the mix is still workable. Tuck and bead are the details LABC says may need a trained bricklayer. A round bead left as it left the nozzle will not match a weathered wall. On a patio with a simple recessed joint, tooling is a short pass with a stick or iron.
Is a gun better for patios than for brick faces?
Patios and wide slab gaps are the kinder job, because the joint is open, the run is repetitive, and a smear is on a slab you can wash. Brick faces show every smear and every wrong profile. A deep gap in brickwork, such as around a frame, is the brick job where a gun earns its place. A flat run of face brick in good condition is where a trowel often stays ahead.
Do I still need a pointing iron if I own a gun?
Yes, if you care about the finished profile and about mortar stuck on the arrises. The gun is the delivery. Compaction and striking are hand work, which is the point Building Conservation makes about pumps. A cheap iron or a shaped piece of timber is enough on a patio. Matching an old brick joint wants the same iron you would have used without the gun.

Related pages

Mortar pointing gun buying guide

Mortar syringe

Best mortar gun on amazon.co.uk in this six-gun set

How to use a mortar gun: mix, fill, tool and wash the tube

Lime mortar pointing gun: old walls and listed brick

Sources

Public UK sources on silica, cement, maker instructions and listed-building consent. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines in the six listings dated 15 October 2026. Prices move.

  1. HSE, Chasing concrete and raking mortar (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. HSE, Cement (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. Faithfull, FAIPOINTING instructions (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Faithfull, Pointing gun kit (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Roughneck, Ultimate mortar gun (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Refina, Mortar pointing mixes (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Ty Mawr Lime, Can I use a mortar gun? (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Historic England, Listed building consent, HEAG304 (retrieved 16 October 2026)