Goldblatt 2 Piece Drywall Corner Tool Set, 5'' Outside Corner Knife & 3-1/2'' Inside Corner Knife, with Soft Grip Handle - Stainless Steel Sheetrock External Corner Trowel & Internal Corner Trowel

Why corner tools matter more than you think

Corners expose everything—technique, patience, and the limits of your drywall knives. I took the Goldblatt corner trowel set through a bedroom/hallway refresh and a small plaster repair to see if a budget-friendly pair could speed up inside and outside corners without compromising finish quality. Short version: they did, with a few caveats worth knowing up front.

Design and build

This set includes two stainless steel corner trowels: a 3-1/2" inside corner tool and a 5" outside corner tool. Both arrive with a mirror finish that releases compound easily and wipes clean with minimal effort. The handles are soft-grip over a chrome-plated steel shank, welded to the blades. The balance is neutral and the handles are comfortable for extended sessions; I felt less wrist fatigue than with flat knives for the same coverage.

The core of the design is the preset blade angles. The inside corner tool rests a hair over 90°, and the outside a hair under. That’s intentional. With a bit of pressure, each flexes to true 90° so both wings maintain contact with the surface. It helps you avoid building a convex or concave corner and makes the first proper pass feel surprisingly controlled. The blades have just enough spring to conform without chattering—helpful on walls that aren’t perfectly straight.

On my set, the blade edges were lightly radiused from the factory. That small radius reduces the “track marks” that sharp corners can leave, particularly in softer all-purpose mud. If yours arrive with burrs or square edges (it happens with stamped stainless), a quick pass with 400–600 grit emery cloth will make the tools glide.

Inside corners: where the set earns its keep

I like to bed paper tape with a 5" or 6" knife first, and use the inside tool for the shaping pass. With the Goldblatt inside trowel, a single, steady pull left an even valley each side of the tape, with edges that were already close to final. Two tips improved results:

• Load a moderate amount of compound; overloaded wings will bead at the edges.
• Bias the pressure slightly to the side you’re finishing to avoid lifting the tape.

For the second coat, I opened the angle a touch by lightening pressure, which helped feather the edges further. Compared to a flat knife, the time savings were real, and sanding needs dropped to a quick scuff of the edges. On tight ceiling junctions, the smaller 3-1/2" footprint was an advantage; it gets into spots where a 4"–4-1/2" inside tool can scrape adjacent surfaces.

If you prefer preformed corner tape or fiberglass inside corners, the trowel still works well—you’ll just need to reduce pressure because those products are thicker at the crease.

Outside corners: competent, with the right technique

Outside corners depend heavily on your bead. Over metal or paper-faced bead, the 5" outside tool is great for shaping and straightening after you get mud on with a wider knife. I found two approaches effective:

• For first coat: Use a 6" or 8" knife to load each side of the bead, then a single pass with the outside tool to true the arris. Wipe the edges with the 6" knife to remove any ridges the wings leave.
• For the finish coat: Run the outside trowel with lighter pressure; the spring in the blades keeps both faces even without flattening the bead apex.

If you’re chasing a wide, Level 5 finish on highly lit walls, you’ll likely want to follow with a 10" or 12" knife to pull the edges out farther. The 5" width here is best suited to shaping and finish passes rather than broad feathering.

Beyond drywall: plaster and stucco touches

I tested the set on a small lime-plaster patch and a sanded stucco corner repair. Stainless steel is the right choice in wet, alkaline materials—it resists staining and won’t pit the way carbon steel can. The tools are on the small side for large stucco areas but handy for repair-scale work and for blending a bead into textured finishes. Again, the light radius on the edges helps avoid comb tracks.

Ergonomics and day-to-day use

• Comfort: The soft-grip handles are genuinely comfortable. No hot spots even after a few hours.
• Control: Neutral balance; no tendency to tip. The flex is predictable, which matters when you’re angling to favor one side.
• Cleanup: The mirror finish sheds compound. A damp rag between passes is usually enough. Dried compound around the welds comes off with a nylon brush.

Fit and finish, and a word on quality control

My set was square where it needed to be, with clean welds and no play in the handles. I did add a touch more edge radius with emery cloth to make them glide in topping compound. I also checked the resting angles against a machinist’s square; they were slightly biased as designed, and under pressure they flattened to 90°.

That said, I recommend a quick inspection out of the box:

• Check the angle. If an inside tool sits obviously beyond 95°, or the outside feels pinched closed, exchange rather than trying to muscle it into spec.
• Feel the edges. If corners are sharp, ease them with fine sandpaper.
• Wiggle the handle. Any detectable play is worth swapping out; welded handles should be rock solid.

These are simple checks that prevent headaches later. Corner tools magnify small defects because you’re working on two faces at once.

Limitations and who it’s for

• Width and reach: The inside tool at 3-1/2" is nimble but not for broad feathering. You’ll still want 10"–12" knives for final blending on high-visibility walls.
• Automatic-tool alternative: If you’re finishing entire houses, an angle head with a compound tube or a corner flusher will be faster. This set is manual and shines on small to medium jobs or punch-list work.
• Technique matters: Press too hard and you’ll squeeze out too much mud or telegraph tape edges. A couple of practice runs on scrap board help.

Durability

Stainless blades, chrome-plated shanks, and welded handles add up to a tool that shrugs off water and jobsite knocks. I dropped the inside trowel once from ladder height; a tiny burr formed at a corner, which polished out in a minute. After a few weeks of use and rinse/wipe cycles, there’s no rusting or looseness to report. Hang holes are a nice touch—keep them off the bucket rim and they stay true longer.

Value and alternatives

The Goldblatt set lands in the sweet spot for price-to-performance. You can spend more for oversized wings, replaceable blades, or boutique finishes, and you can spend a lot more for automatic corner finishers. For most remodelers, handypeople, and pros who need a dependable backup set, this pair earns its keep quickly by cutting passes and sanding time.

If you routinely work with super-flat, highly lit interiors and demand the widest possible blend, consider pairing this set with a 4" inside corner tool and a 6" outside corner tool from a higher-end line. But for general drywall and repair work, I didn’t feel held back.

Bottom line

The Goldblatt corner trowel set does what good corner tools should: makes corners faster, flatter, and more consistent, with less sanding and less fuss. The stainless steel blades and intentional angle bias provide control and predictability, the handles are comfortable, and cleanup is quick. Inspect them out of the box—return any unit that’s visibly out of square or has sharp, unbroken corners—and you’ll have a pair that pulls above their price.

Recommendation: I recommend this set. It’s an efficient, durable, and comfortable pair of corner tools that noticeably improves inside and outside corner work for drywall, with enough versatility for small plaster and stucco tasks. While not a replacement for automated corner finishers or extra-wide knives, it’s a smart addition to a manual finishing kit and an easy win for anyone who wants cleaner corners in fewer passes.