The 10 Best Putty Knives

For one knife that patches, fills and scrapes lightly, the DeWalt DXTT-2-139 is a sensible place to start. Its stainless blade is ground thinner toward the edge, so it bends enough to smooth spackle yet stays firm enough to lift flaking paint. The soft grip is riveted twice, and a metal cap on the end taps popped nails back down. A lifetime limited warranty from DeWalt covers it. It's too narrow to skim a long drywall seam in one pass.

Starting a whole room of repairs? The WORKPRO W004902 set gives you the usual widths in one pack: three flexible stainless blades, from a slim one for nail holes to a wide one for skimming, plus a stiff, sharpened blade for scraping. The grips are soft plastic with a ridge that keeps your fingers off the blade. The polished steel isn't rustproof in practice, and spots can appear on knives put away wet, so dry them after washing.

Smoothing a patch until it vanishes into the wall takes a wide blade, and the Goldblatt G05011 gives you six inches of flexible stainless steel for it. That width also gets under old wallpaper and peeling decals. A soft two-material grip, a hang hole and a metal end for setting nails round it out. It's too broad for small nail holes, and the label stuck on the blade can be stubborn to peel off.

Scraping calls for a blade that refuses to bend, and the Red Devil 4205 is made that way. Its narrow high-carbon blade slides under loose paint, old caulk and dried putty, and a steel cap on the handle sets nails. The plastic handle shrugs off paint thinner and won't shatter if dropped. Carbon steel holds a keen edge but can rust quickly, so wipe it dry after every job. It's too stiff for spreading filler smooth.

Drywall finishers want a knife that feels broken in from the first pass, and the Level5 5-403 gets there with a blade ground to bend near its middle instead of at the handle. Blade and handle are one welded piece of stainless steel, so there's no glued joint to work loose, and it rinses clean under a tap. Level5 guarantees it for as long as you own it. The bare metal grip is hard and cold, with no cushion.

Nail holes, screw pops and gaps along trim need a slim blade, and the Hyde 06108 fits into those tight spots. Hyde grinds its stainless blade thinner on both faces, which the company says puts the bend in the right place and helps the edge last. An alloy cap on the handle end drives nails and screws back flush. The narrow blade makes slow work of anything bigger than a small dent.

Painters keep the Purdy 14A900210 handy because one tool scrapes, spreads filler, opens cans, cleans out cracks, sets nails and squeezes paint off a roller with its curved notch. The stainless blade resists rust, and the rubber grip stays comfortable through long prep sessions. Its edge is sharp enough to dig out old glazing and caulk. The angled, notched shape is a poor choice for smoothing filler flat across a wide area.

Here's a cheap, classic knife: the Amazon Basics Flex pairs a carbon steel blade with a plain nylon handle and a riveted tang that runs the full length of the grip. It spreads spackle and wood filler well and tucks into corners. Bare carbon steel will rust if you put it away wet, and the blade can feel stiffer than its name suggests. It carries a one-year limited warranty.

Wooden handles and steel that runs all the way through them give the Rollingdog 50361 set a traditional feel. The knives step up from one inch to four, all in flexible stainless steel, so the narrow ones reach into corners and the widest handles patches. Beech feels warm in the hand but should be dried after washing. There's no stiff blade in the set, so heavy scraping needs another tool.

Plastic won't gouge a finished floor, a tub or tile, which is why the Red Devil 4714 earns a spot in the drawer. Use it to spread caulk, adhesive or spackle, or to scrape drips off a glossy surface, then toss it when the edge wears. The plastic stands up to solvents. It bends too much for hard scraping, and pressing hard can still leave light marks on soft finishes.