Blue Dolphin 9 Inch Plastic Paint Scuttle

A scuttle is a bucket you can load a roller from. Square, deep, with a flat internal face to work the sleeve against — the alternative to a tray when you want more paint and less bending.

This one is thick plastic with a metal handle, sized for 9 inch sleeves.

Scuttle or tray?

A tray is flatter, lighter and easier to carry one-handed. A scuttle holds a great deal more paint, is far harder to knock over, and can be carried up a ladder or hung off a bucket hook.

On a big emulsion job the scuttle wins on reloads alone. On small trim work, a tray is simply less to lug about.

The metal handle

It's the detail that decides whether a scuttle survives. Plastic handles crack at the pivot when the bucket is full and the weather is cold — usually halfway up a stairwell. A steel handle carries a full scuttle of emulsion without complaint, and hooks over a ladder rung.

Practical notes

• Don't fill past about half. A full scuttle is heavy and it sloshes as you walk.
• Work the sleeve against the flat internal face rather than dunking it — that's how you get an even load through the pile instead of a saturated end.
• Rinse before the paint sets rather than letting it dry on the working face. Dried paint there makes the sleeve load unevenly for the rest of the scuttle's life.

Takes standard 9 inch sleeves.

Ireland & Northern Ireland — 1–3 working days. Charged by total order weight, VAT included:

• Up to 30 kg — €6.99, or free on orders over €85
• 30–60 kg — €13.99
• 60–100 kg — €27.99
• Over 100 kg — pallet delivery €49.99

Great Britain — 2–4 working days. €13.95 up to 30 kg, then €27.90, €55.90 and €99.90 by the same weight steps. There is no free delivery to Great Britain.

Rest of Europe — non-liquid items only, from €11.75, priced by destination and weight at checkout. Paint and other liquids ship to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain only.

Dispatch and collection — order before 12pm Monday to Friday and it ships the same day. Click & collect at Ballymount, Dublin 12 is free and often ready within the hour.

Returns — 14 days to change your mind and 14 more to send it back. Tinted paint is non-returnable once mixed.