What's the difference between a London-style and a Philadelphia-style trowel?

Question

I'm looking to buy a Marshalltown trowel for an archaeology field class, professor said get a pointed Marshalltown 5-6". Now I'm checking out the Marshalltown archaeology trowels on their website and they have London and Philadelphia styles. What are the differences? The Philadelphia style only seems to be more elongated than the London one. Is there more advantage of using one over the other? I tried looking online for an answer but found nothing.

The London offers a choice of handle being 'wooden' or 'durasoft', what the heck is durasoft?? =p

The Phili style also lets me choose whether I want the blade to be stiff or flexible.

So which style is better for what situations? We'll be digging in San Diego, CA in a desert-y nature preserve a couples miles from the coast.

Answer 1

Durasoft is a light padding.  It's kind of nice, because trowelling is hard on your hands.  You'll develop calluses anyway, but the Durasoft might help a bit.  I like it.

I have absolutely no idea what the London/Philadelphia thing is.  I'm also not sure about this stiff/flexible thing, either, although I suspect it has to do with the thickness of the blade itself.  Which is better depends on what you're going to be doing.  If you're doing a Phase I- testing- a thicker blade's nice because you can pound the bejeezus out of rocks and stuff.  It takes more work to keep them sharp, but that doesn't matter so much with that phase.  If you see yourself doing lots of features and 1x1s, the thinner blade's probably better, because you can keep it a lot sharper.  It's also a personal preference.

You might also (_might_) be able to get one at Home Depot.  I had to go there to get my last trowel, and, miraculously, they had Marshalltown.  I only paid $12 for it, too.  And if your professor isn't too serious about the Marshalltown thing, the $2 or $3 trowels from the hardware store might be a good bet until you know what you like.  If you're anything like me, you'll lose the d@mn things all the time, anyway.  I went through three freakin' trowels this summer.  Marshalltowns are definitely nice, but you can do the same thing with the cheap ones.  If you need directions in the store, ask for masonry trowels.  They're usually by the concrete and masonry stuff way at the end.

Definitely get a file, and you might want to look at the square trowels, too.  They are fabulous for getting your corners pretty on the 1x1s.

And good luck!  Field school can be tons of fun!

Answer 2

Marshalltown trowels are the strongest and lightest trowels. After you spent a day digging with a cheaper version (heavy and the weld breaks) you'll use Marshalltown.

So we agree on what we're discussing, here's a London style with a leather holster:

http://store.marshalltown.com/productDet...

and the Philadelphia

http://store.marshalltown.com/product_De...

To be honest I use a margin trowel and never, ever a pointed one.

http://store.marshalltown.com/product_De...

"Durasoft" simply means it's a cushioned handle.

The greatest temptation with a pointed trowel is to start poking around with it. The margin allows a more sweeping motion that shaves the earth. I also carry a knife sharpener to touch up the trowel edges.

It comes down to personal preference. Buy one that you like and fits your hand. Don't worry about the leather holster, that's what painter/back pockets are for. On the dig try some of the other trowels. You may be very happy or may want to change.

One final point, mark the handle. I don't know how many times somebody has come by "collecting" the digs tools and tried to grab mine.

You might look at a toolbox, root clippers and small brush. Watch what people bring to the dig. It's always nicer to have your own kit.

Answer 3

Just get one of each, and what you don't use, Return!