Wood Bull Float Vs Magnesium (We Have a Clear Winner)

Ah, the classic debate.

Wood bull floats or magnesium bull floats?

There’s a clear winner here, and it’s not the magnesium ones.

But magnesium feels lighter, right?

Yes, it does, but that’s not really the defining factor here.

The defining factor is that wood bull floats are much more durable.

If you drop a magnesium bull float on concrete, it’ll chip. If you drop a wood bull float on concrete, it won’t.

Magnesium just can’t handle it. It’s too brittle.

So you’re saying magnesium ones are flimsy?

Yeah. That’s the best way to put it. They’re flimsy.

Sure, they’re lightweight, but that’s about it. They also feel kind of cheap and awkward to use because of the way they’re weighted.

Wood ones, on the other hand, have a nice weight to them. They feel sturdy, and they’re comfortable to use for long periods of time.

And you would use them for…?

You use them with concrete when you want to smooth it out, level it, or give it a nice, even texture.

They’re like giant trowels, but they’re more powerful and effective at getting the job done quicker.

Another point is that you can use them with a handle, which is the real advantage of using a bull float. A bull float without a handle is called a “hand float,” and they’re simply not as versatile.

If you’ve got a really big area of concrete to work on, you’ll want a bull float with a handle, so you don’t have to constantly crouch down to use a hand float.

What are the downsides?

There are two downsides:

• Bull floats are pretty expensive, but they’re worth it if you’re going to be using them often.
• They’re just one tool of many that you’ll need to get the job done, so they’re not really worth having unless you’ve got some serious concreting work to do.