The new 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 make up what Bosch has christened its Precision Plunge Tip, and fast, precise mortar removal is what this is all about.
Product Manager, Matt Van tells us that “The Bosch mortar knife works like a conventional knife so the precision is great. That’s 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.” That’s a pretty bold claim considering the options that are out there, but looking at the design, I’d say that’s a statement that can be backed up with performance.
The Bosch mortar knife has a plunge depth of 8 inches and comes in either 1/4″ or 3/8″ widths to match the 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 “half-moon” material in the head joint. Induction-hardened materials and the blunt tip extend the life of the product.
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.
