The Bosch mortar knife is designed for use with SDS-plus rotary hammers. The first thing I noticed about this accessory was its similarity to a traditional knife design. In fact, your seven-year-old might mistake it for something to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with, but that design is very intentional. The combination of a blunt tip and knife edge makes up what Bosch has christened its Precision Plunge Tip, and fast, precise mortar removal is what this is all about.
Build Quality and Features
Product Manager, Matt Van, tells us that โThe Bosch mortar knife works like a conventional knife, so the precision is great. Thatโs important when the project involves expensive stone or brick, or a historic facade that cannot be replaced. No company has ever adapted this centuries-old knife design to tuckpointing in renovation and construction. The combination of accuracy and speed cannot be beat.โ Thatโs a pretty bold claim, considering the options available, but looking at the design, Iโd say itโs a statement that can be backed up with performance.
The Bosch mortar knife features a plunge depth of 8 inches and is available in either 1/4โณ or 3/8โณ widths to suit the specific job at hand. The design of the knife, combined with the action of the SDS-plus rotary hammer, means that the effective angle of use is greater than that of a plug chisel. The design also quickly removes debris to eliminate the โhalf-moonโ material in the head joint. Induction-hardened materials and a blunt tip extend the productโs life.
Clint DeBoer had a chance to see the mortar knife in action at the 2014 World of Concrete show in Las Vegas. Take a look at what he had to say about it and several other tools from Bosch in his article. Bosch tells us that they expect to release this product in the summer with a retail price of $20.
