Trowel vs. Spade

Main Difference

The main difference between Trowel and Spade is that the Trowel is a one of many kinds of small hand tools used for digging, applying, smoothing, or moving small amounts of viscous or particulate material; common varieties include the masonry trowel, garden trowel, and float trowel and Spade is a tool for digging.

• Trowel

  A trowel is a small hand tool used for digging, applying, smoothing, or moving small amounts of viscous or particulate material. Common varieties include the masonry trowel, garden trowel, and float trowel.

  A power trowel is a much larger gasoline or electrically powered walk-behind device with rotating paddles used to finish concrete floors.

• Spade

  A spade is a tool primarily for digging, comprising a blade – typically narrower and less curved than that of a shovel – and a long handle. Early spades were made of riven wood or of animal bones (often shoulder blades). After the art of metalworking was developed, spades were made with sharper tips of metal. Before the introduction of metal spades manual labor was less efficient at moving earth, with picks being required to break up the soil in addition to a spade for moving the dirt. With a metal tip, a spade can both break and move the earth in most situations, increasing efficiency.