Goldblatt 8 Pieces Masonry Hand Tool Set Includes Finishing Trowel, Gauging Trowel, Groover, Edger, Extruded Alloy Float, Wood Float and Wire Twister, Organized in Tool Bag

Overview

I put the Goldblatt masonry set through several small-to-medium concrete jobs—a patio extension, a couple of stoops, and a garage floor patch—to see if an all-in-one kit could stand up to the piecemeal, pro-grade tools I usually reach for. The short version: this is a thoughtfully assembled set that covers most hand-finishing needs with competent tools and a genuinely useful bag to keep them together. It’s not a replacement for specialty gear on large pours, but for slab, step, and sidewalk work up to a few hundred square feet, it handled itself well.

What’s in the bag: a 16" x 4" finishing trowel, a 7" gauging trowel, extruded alloy float (16" x 3-1/4"), wood float (15" x 3-1/2"), stainless groover (6" x 3"), stainless edger (6" x 3"), a wire twister, and a padded tool bag sized to fit everything without a fight.

Build Quality and Ergonomics

Each tool in the set feels solid without being overly heavy. The finishing trowel and smaller implements use hardened and tempered steel with a polished surface that sheds slurry well and cleans up fast. The groover and edger are stainless, which I appreciate for rust resistance—especially if you’re working in wet conditions or your clean-up routine sometimes waits until the end of a long day.

Handles are the standout across the set. They’re shaped well, with a comfortable contour and a grip that resists slipping with wet, gritty hands. The connection between handle and blade is rigid and confidence-inspiring. Over a few hours of floating and steel troweling, my hands and forearms felt less taxed than they do with a few of my older, wood-handled tools. Balance is good: the finishing trowel pivots naturally off the heel, and the floats don’t feel nose-heavy.

Performance: Floating the Slab

I like having both a wood float and an alloy float in the same kit. They each have their moment:

• Wood float: This is what I grab right after screeding. It opens the surface, brings up paste, and has just enough tooth to help correct minor screed marks. On my patio extension, the wood float made quick work of consolidating the surface without glazing it prematurely.

• Extruded alloy float: Lighter, smoother, and better when the concrete has set a touch. It refines the surface and preps it for steel troweling. I used it as an intermediate step on the garage patch after the wood float to dial things in before switching to the finishing trowel.

The alloy float here behaves like you’d expect from a quality mag/aluminum-style float: it glides well, doesn’t dig in, and covers ground efficiently. If you’re working a larger pad by hand, alternating these two floats based on the set of the concrete will give you a predictable workflow.

Finishing Trowel and Gauging Trowel

The 16" x 4" finishing trowel has a moderate flex—enough to feather and close the surface without fighting you, but not so whippy that it chatters. The edges came clean and ready to go; I didn’t have to break sharp corners or dress them before use. On the stoop project, I waited for the sheen to disappear and used light pressure passes; the blade burnished the surface nicely without leaving black streaks or drag marks. For smooth, troweled finishes, it delivered consistent results.

The gauging trowel earns its keep for mixing small batches (patches, repair mortar), buttering tight spots, and general utility tasks. I usually keep a margin trowel in my bag, and I did miss that squared profile for scraping buckets and tapping in forms. Still, the pointed gauging trowel proved versatile and comfortable for detail work and touching up edges.

Edging and Jointing

The stainless edger and groover are firmly in the “bread-and-butter” category—no gimmicks, just consistent results.

• Edger: The profile is what I’d call a standard walkway/stoop radius. It leaves a clean, professional line without over-rounding. The blade stiffness is well judged; it doesn’t flutter on slightly sandy mixes, and the polished surface slides nicely once a bit of cream is up. I like the balance between the length and the handle position—it tracks straighter than some shorter, blockier edgers.

• Groover: The bit cuts a moderate groove suitable for typical control joints on sidewalks, pads, and steps. Used at the right set time, it displaces paste cleanly without tearing. On my patio pour, I snapped chalk lines on the forms, used a straightedge to guide the first pass, and then freehanded follow-up passes. The tool held a line and left crisp shoulders.

Neither tool clogged badly during use, and both cleaned up quickly at the wash station.

Wire Twister: More Useful Than It Looks

Plenty of finishing kits skip a wire twister; I’m glad this set includes one. For tying rebar chairs, lath, or quick wire ties on rebar grids, it sped up prep and spared my wrists. It also lives in a pocket of the bag where it won’t jab anything else.

The Bag: Organization That Actually Helps

A bag can make or break a set like this. The padded Goldblatt bag is sized intelligently so the 16" trowel lays flat without bending corners. Double zippers run smoothly, and the shoulder strap is a welcome addition when you’re hauling tools plus a bucket or two. There’s room for extras—gloves, kneepads, a margin trowel, a small level—without turning it into a chaotic black hole. After a day’s work, everything goes back in one place, and I’m not chasing loose trowels around the truck bed.

Durability and Maintenance

After multiple wash-downs, the stainless pieces still look new, and the polished steel on the finishing trowel shrugs off cement slurry and dries without spotting. I avoided leaving the wood float wet in the bag, and it stayed straight with no fuzzing. The handles haven’t loosened or squeaked, and I see no play in the ferrules. As always, your care routine matters: rinse before paste hardens, wipe dry, and crack the bag open for air on the drive home.

Where It Fits—and Where It Doesn’t

I’d categorize the Goldblatt set as a strong “daily driver” kit for small-to-medium hand-finishing jobs, repairs, and DIY projects:

• Patio slabs, walkways, stoops, shed pads
• Step edges and simple curbs
• Garage floor patches and resurfacing
• Block and brick repairs where you need a gauging trowel and floats

There are a few limitations to keep in mind:

• No bull float or fresno: On bigger pours, you’ll still want long-handle tools to manage the surface before hand work begins.
• No margin trowel: The gauging trowel covers most utility roles, but if you rely on a margin trowel for scraping and tight corners, plan to add one.
• Standard profiles only: The edger and groover are middle-of-the-road. If you need large radii or deep joints for decorative or structural reasons, you’ll need specialty pieces.

None of these are dealbreakers—they’re the normal trade-offs of a compact, hand-focused kit.

Value and Who It’s For

What impressed me most is how cohesive the kit feels. The tool selection matches the real-world sequence of concrete finishing, the materials resist rust and cleanup hassles, and the ergonomics cut down on fatigue. If you’re an apprentice or a homeowner tackling a handful of concrete projects a year, this set covers nearly all the basics in one purchase. If you’re a working finisher, this is a solid secondary kit to keep in the truck for repair days and punch lists—or a loaner set for helpers that won’t hold you back.

Recommendation

I recommend the Goldblatt masonry set. It earns that recommendation on three points: well-chosen tools that track the finishing workflow, materials that stand up to wet work and wash-downs, and a bag that keeps everything together so you’re ready when the truck rolls. It won’t replace long-handle tools on large slabs or niche profiles for specialty work, but as a hand-finishing kit for slabs, steps, sidewalks, and repairs, it’s dependable, comfortable, and easy to live with.