The Nela SuperFlex trowel hysteria came to England officially on April 16th 2014, but I had the pleasure of seeing these plastering trowels long before they came on the market, and I was excited way back then.
We are at this moment in time nearly a year on, I am as still as excited now as I was then, and I am now a Nela SuperFlex trowel convert.
What is the Nela SuperFlex?
The Nela SuperFlex is a finishing trowel that is specifically designed for finishing plaster. The Nela SuperFlex is not designed for laying on, and this is due to it being flexible. (as the name suggests) However, a number of our readers do use it to lay on with, but it’s not something we would suggest.
We have seen the rise and fall of plastic trowels, and The Plasterers Forum was right behind plastic trowels from the start. However, they damaged easily and running over a corner bead with one was suicidal, and you spent a lot of time with wet and dry paper keeping them in shape.
A trowel that has the flexibility of plastic but it is actually hard wearing, The Nela SuperFlex was born, and I had the pleasure of owning one and one of the first Nela ones!!
Since the day, I received the SuperFlex, I have used it a lot and to be fair I knew this trowel was going to be great because it felt right in my hand, and I loved the BiKoGRIP® cork handle but not only that it has been typically German engineered or should I say over German engineered.
The Nela Trowel Social Buzz
All across Facebook and the forum, we are seeing chatter, and I am constantly being asked my opinion on the SuperFlex trowel and also the other trowels in the Nela range. Those that know me will know I won’t promote anything that I don’t know enough about, or if it’s not a great product or service, so I have to use it, and boy have I used it.
The SuperFlex can be used straight out of the box but like any new plastering trowel, I always whip an oilstone over it just to make sure that the steel is in tip-top shape, and also you start to get a feel for the trowel.
A lot of plasterers and myself included that are using the SuperFlex can easily finish a set without the need to splash or spray water to get that flat and matt finish that all plasterers should be striving to achieve. Yes, I don’t splash or spray water at any of my surfaces to get a great finish. I just ensure that my trowel is clean, and this cleaning keeps the SuperFlex lubricated.
The Nela SuperFlex enables you to get on a set and start finishing it sooner and reading all the reports and comments on TPF and numerous Facebook pages most are seeing that they can finish 30 minutes sooner give or take than using a normal trowel skimming trowel.
Being able to get a set finished sooner frees up time, now how you spend that is totally up to you, but I like to make sure that everything is tip top and generally ensure my angles and edges are bob on.
The Nela SuperFlex is lightweight and a well-balanced finishing trowel that has a Bikogrip cork handle, and that cork handle is great even if you get it wet it does not slip around in your hand, and you can stay in complete control.
With any trowel it will need breaking in to maximise its performance, and yes, you can use the Nela Superflex straight out of the box, but like I said it will still break in nicely overtime.
It also does take a bit of getting use to and any plasterer worth their salt will know to adjust their timings a little to get the best finish with the superflex, you may feel that getting on it sooner than normal works better for you or getting on it later is what makes your sets look exceptional but just remember that you will need to adjust your timing to get it perfect.
The Superflex trowels are not gimmicks they are here to stay, and they are fantastic addition to your toolkit, and I strongly believe that you will be over the moon with your superflex.
Nela is a great company, and I have met the owner of Nela, who manufacture the trowels and he takes all comments on board and is constantly developing the trowels, and every single Nela Trowel comes with a five year warranty, and that is something you don’t see with the big trowel manufacturers in the industry, and this for me is a sign that a company is confident in their product.
If you have any questions about the Nela Superflex do head over to The Plasterers Forum® and have a quick search around and see what people have asked, and the tricks and tips other members of our community have to offer and don’t forget you can get In touch with Ryan from Plasterers 1 Stop Shop who will look after you through the whole process.
