LEVEL5 48-Inch Skimming Blade | Precision 0.3mm German Stainless Steel Blade Insert (Replaceable), Ergonomic Aluminum Blade Profile | 4-948

I am a 60-year-old, fat grandma...but I have a thing for fixer uppers. I just bought a house with the horrible popcorn ceilings, so I have been scraping and scraping and scraping. I was dreading the skim coat because whenever I have attempted anything with drywall in the past, it always ends up being a horrible mess.I was not confident in my drywalling skills, to say the least.I watched some videos about this thing. I asked a couple of friends who are contractors, they had never heard of a skimming blade. I was a bit skeptical, but what do I have to lose, right? I know if I touch mud, it will end up a huge mess, so I may as well try this "miracle worker".I was not disappointed! This thing makes skim coating a breeze. I used a paint roller to put the mud on. I found if I used a knife to apply the mud, I ended up flinging it all over. I rolled the mud on, then used a knife to apply to the edges. I then ran this blade across it and I swear it created a perfect finish! I was literally astounded! I finished one room today and I have a lot to go. I am now confident that I can finish my ceilings myself because of this amazing tool.I actually have nothing bad to say about it. I got the 16". I am 5'2" and this worked just fine. I think a longer length would have become to cumbersome for my short arms. I do not see a need to buy an entire kit of different sizes. I just don't see how all those sizes would be worth the extra money.I have not tried it on a pole. I think I would need more practice before that. I just climbed up and down the ladder, working my way around the room.This is a completely AWESOME tool! Buy one! You will not regret it!

I read a few reviews which mentioned end caps arrived broken. I think the manufacturer read those reviews as well because it came with spares! Mine were fine by the way and the tool was nicely packed. I bought the 24" version. It's very easy to use even for a person like me who only does drywall on occasions. The grip position and motion felt very natural. I added compound with another knife and used this to level /smooth everything. It also works well once everything dries as a means of seeing how level a surface is.I was working on a wall which had been wall papered and was not painted so taking the wall paper made a mess of some of the drywall paper (used Zinsser Gardz also excellent). Not only was I dealing with a lot of repaired areas but the people who did the job originally knew they were using wall paper and did a less than stellar job of finishing the wall. There was an obvious seam running across the entire width of the wall at the 4 foot point. Using this tool and with a focus on that part of the wall it looks great! I was shocked that I could make it look as good as it does.One other general tip I figured out and hadn't tried before was I inspected, circled areas with a pencil, marked with "S" for sand, and "F" for fill. A wall with compound on a large area makes it difficult to find imperfections so as you inspect circle them and mark them. I didn't skim coat the entire wall and I primarily used this on the long seam and near the corners or larger areas. I think had I used it even more I would have used less pencil!Great tool!

Great product, makes an amateur look like a pro.

Residential remodeling contractor. Makes a HUGE difference, even for those who work with drywall regularly. Indispensable for DIY or homeowner working on larger project.Purchased the 24” version, and it’s the sweet spot in terms of price/value.This thing really shines when working on large surface repairs, especially where long butt joints occur in the middle of a sheet of drywall (ie no adjoining tapered edges to work with) or when skim coating.Construction is top-notch, super easy to hold and use, the blade is thin and leaves a mirror smooth surface (…and it’s replaceable). On top of that, it cleans up easily.Best product I’ve bought in a long while. Now that I’ve used it, I wouldn’t do drywall without it.

Works great but takes some trial and error to get the technique correctly. Works great for applying skim coats to wall and ceiling. It is a bit pricey but solid construction.

It takes a little getting used to, but the results are amazing

Great quality, easy to use, blade can be replaced if it becomes damaged.

I know, I know you’ve seen the reels and the shorts on the internets and ask yourself is the level 5 stuff really worth it. Well this thing definitely is. I’ve done plenty of skim coating with a 12”blade and this thing just makes it so much faster and easier. And well time is money for this kind of work. Just role the mud on and smooth it out. Now I don’t know if all the cheaper alternatives work just as well but I do know this one works. So dont be a cheap ass and just buy it already.