Wooster Hammer-head Putty Knife

The putty knife is the tool you reach for a hundred times a day and never think about — which is exactly why a cheap one is a false economy. A blade that's taken a set, or corroded along the edge, drags a line through every fill you make.

The Wooster Hammer-head Putty Knife has a flexible stainless steel blade, a non-slip comfort grip, and a hammer face on the butt of the handle.

Choosing the width

• 1.5 inch — nail holes, screw heads, chips in an edge, and getting into a rebate or corner where a wider blade won't sit flat. This is the one that lives in your pocket.
• 3 inch — cracks, longer splits and small patches, where you want to bridge the damage in a single pass rather than build it up in strips.

Most decorators end up carrying both, and reach for the narrow one far more often than they expected to.

Why flexible rather than stiff

A flexible blade conforms to the surface, so filler is pressed into the void and drawn off flush rather than scraped across the top of it. If what you actually want is a rigid blade for lifting and scraping, that's a different tool — see Wooster's stiff scraper.

The hammer end

The handle butt is a hammer face. Tap a proud nail below the surface and fill over it there and then, without swapping tools or going back to the bag.

Stainless throughout, so it can sit in water between uses without rusting or staining a white filler.

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.