New to this? You might think they're the same-nope. They're cousins, but do totally different jobs.
Looks first: Brick trowel's the big one-8-12 inches long, wide blade, 4-6 inch handle. Sturdy, thick steel. Pointing trowel? Tiny-4-6 inches, narrow, pointed end. Short handle, thin steel. Light as a feather.
What they do: Brick trowel builds the structure. When I made my garden wall, I used it to scoop mortar, spread bed joints, tap bricks into place. It's all about speed-turns a pile of bricks into a wall.
Pointing trowel? Finishes it. After laying bricks, mortar oozes out of gaps. Leave it? Ugly, and water seeps in. Grab the pointing trowel-scrape excess, pack fresh mortar into gaps, smooth it. My wall went from "meh" to "neighbor asked if I hired a pro" after using it.
And strength? Brick trowel takes taps-pointing trowel? Nope. I bent mine once trying to nudge a brick. Now it's got a kink. Oops.
So: Brick trowel = build. Pointing trowel = perfect. You need both, but don't mix 'em up.
