Has anyone tried Troxell Tile and Stone Tools?

[Sk8Crash69]

Hi Guys, just purchased my first home and I have been doing a lot of work lately including a tile back splash in the kitchen. I borrowed a friends tools to install everything and it came out pretty good. For future tile projects though I wanted get a few tools like a grout float, tile cutter, and maybe one or two trowels. Has anyone had any experience with Troxell tools? I was looking for a made in the USA brand and most if not all of their products fit that bill. I was also looking at Marshalltown but leaning towards Troxell. Any experience or reviews would be helpful. Thanks everyone.

 

[neophyte]

I've never heard of Troxell or Troxell-USA before.

While the company uses USA in their name, I didn't see anything on the companies website actually specifying that the tools were made in the USA.

There have been plenty of companies that have tried to falsely imply that their tools were manufactured in the USA by using USA in the companies name, even when the tools were manufactured overseas. Some examples of companies who did this are Artu-USA, Neiko-USA, and Bovidix-USA. I believe most if not all of the products these companies sold were imports. I believe Bovidix may have since removed the USA from their name and most of their branding.

There are a lot of different types of trowels so I'm not sure exactly which kind you'r looking for, but if you want USA made, you might want to check out Marshalltown, Kraft, W. Rose, Bon, or CS Osborne. Not all the Marshalltown is USA made though. I believe some or all of the Osborne Johnson products may also be imported. With Troxell you might want to contact them and specifically ask if the tools are actually made in the USA if you haven't already done so.

 

[neophyte]

When searching for information on Troxell I also found the below issue with a bucket water heater they sold. The UL isn't loved by everybody, and maybe Troxell purchased the item using bad information from a supplier but it does leave me with questions about the company.

http://www.cleanfax.com/articles/hazard-warning-bucket-water-heaters

"Home » Hazard warning: Bucket water heaters
Hazard warning: Bucket water heaters
APRIL 01, 2002
PRINT / REPRINTS /
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NORTHBROOK, IL — Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is notifying contractors, masons, home do-it-yourselfers and merchandisers that immersion electric water heaters manufactured by Troxell Manufacturing and distributed by Southland Tile Tools, both of Huntington Beach, CA, may present a fire hazard. UL says these water heaters have not been submitted to UL for testing, do not comply with UL''s safety requirements and bear counterfeit UL Listing Marks. UL says these water heaters are used mainly by contractors who may cut stone, brick and other masonry products during cold weather. The bucket heater warms the water and cycles it through the cutting blade, allowing for smoother cuts. The water heaters can be identified by the following markings located on the packaging or heater:
``Troxell, Mfg''''
``Model Nos. 05-2150, 05-3150
The counterfeit UL Mark can also be found on the heater and its packaging
UL advises those who have these heaters to stop using them immediately and return them to the place of purchase. For more information, contact either Troxell Manufacturing at (714) 596-2107 or via e-mail at [email protected], or Southland Tile Tools at 714-847-4242. To view pictures of the water heaters, please visit UL''s Web site."

 

[Sk8Crash69]

I contacted Troxell about their grout float and they did confirm that it is Made in the USA.

 

[Sk8Crash69]

Hey guys, just wanted to provide and update on the Troxell tools I purchased, I got the 1/4 Stainless steel trowel, a float, and a sanding stone. All of the products are of amazing quality. The float fits great in the hand and is not to bulky. The trowel has a great finish and seems like it will last a very long time as long as it is taken care of. Also included in my order they threw in a free folding razor knife. In the future if I end up needing and more tiling tools, I will definitely check them out first.

 

[defektes]

Troxnell makes the best soft face knee pads on the market. For tools you mentioned they are good quality, I prefer Marshalltown, but the Troxnells work great too.