Tools, Tradie Tough Tests

Kango Range of Plastering Tools

There’s a new player in the market for plasterers who love quality hand tools.

Kango’s range consists of 18 hand tools which have good ergonomics, high build quality and top-shelf stainless-steel construction.

The new range from Kango consists of corner tools, bucket scoops, stainless plaster trowels, an aluminium hawk, a stainless mud pan with a magnetic grip, a stainless multiuse joint knife, a stainless taping knife and a stainless joint knife, most of which come in multiple widths.

The consistent theme across the range is the improved grip, gold stainless steel and a limited lifetime warranty, showing the belief Kango has in its R&D and the resulting equipment.

To help with this review we grabbed Leo from Level 8 Interiors. Leo has been a plasterer for over 40 years and can recall the days before screw guns, nail guns and paper tape. To say he’s seen a few changes in the industry in his time is an understatement.

TEST #1: 355MM STAINLESS MUD PAN WITH MAGNETIC GRIP
Constructed from gold stainless steel with curved interior corners and easy-scoop edges, this mud pan is designed to allow the taping knife (300mm or smaller) to cleanly scrape out as much mud as possible. Leo’s thoughts on the tool were interesting.

“This mud pan has been a bit of a surprise package for me, as I would normally use a Hawke,” he scraped. “But after experiencing the versatility of this mud pan, I must say, I really like it. The magnetic grip wraps around the underside of the pan, providing a comfortable grip free from cold in winter, and stopping heat transferring into the pan and compounds setting too quickly.

“You can easily scoop a good amount of material. It’s easy to clean and I’ll be using one of these for sure in the future.”

Leo ain’t lyin’

TEST #2: 250MM STAINLESS TAPING KNIFE
A 250mm taping knife would traditionally be used for applying base and topcoats, but the flexible, tapered drywall blade is perfect for scraping off flaky paint and dried compound, and filling architrave gaps and nail indents. The rust-resistant stainless-steel blades provide a 25% longer blade life and up to 2x faster cleaning. Leo had some great feedback after using the tool.

“I loved the handle and grip of this taping knife,” he said. “It felt excellent in the hand and its non-slip handle provided excellent control. The fact it has no rivets means it won’t get compound build up.

“This 250mm taping knife worked very well with the mud pan,” Leo roared.

TEST #3: 150MM STAINLESS JOINT KNIFE
The versatile joint knife is a great all-rounder, making it perfect for applying the base coat of compound onto plasterboard. The flexible tapered blade can fill in nail indents and architrave gaps, even in tight spaces, and swiftly scrape away dried compound and flaky paint. Each knife has a metal strike cap for tapping in exposed nails, and the 150mm knife is ideal for internal corners.

Leo had some favourite features on this, his favourite hand tool of the range.

“I really enjoyed the feel of this tool,” he growled. “It had the perfect balance on the blade flexibility: not too stiff and not to flexible, providing perfect control.

“Most of the time these joint knives rust and break where the blade and handle join, but it’s great to see Kango has addressed this with the rust-resistant, stainless-steel engineered blade to produce a 25% longer life span.”

That was Leo’s mane point.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
It is great to see Kango step into this sector of the construction industry, and the ergonomics, top-shelf design and excellent build quality will be greatly appreciated by plasterers who work for long hours with these hand tools. All layers of these features will enhance comfort and reduce fatigue. But it is also the impressive lifespan of these tools, with rust-resistant stainles steel being used across the majority of the range, that will make them a good choice for hard-working professionals.

Visit: www.kangotools.com.au

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