The archaeological trowel is such an essential part of the archaeologist's tool kit, that only the right kind will do. The right kind of trowel is not just your average, garden-variety trowel, but rather something closer to a masonry trowel. The blade must be flat on the bottom, not curved, for assisting with keeping the floor of your excavation unit as flat as possible. The shape of the trowel must be triangular (although there are afficionados of the rectangular 'Plains trowel'). The handle must be comfortable and sturdy. The welds connecting the trowel to the handle must be firm and hold up to a lot of use. Finally, the trowel blade must be of adequate weight and density to permit repeated sharpenings, either with a bench grinder or, in the traditional manner, by hand. Two types of trowels are considered the best for archaeological research--in the United States, people swear by Marshalltowns; in the United Kingdom, it's WHS or it's nothing. The photograph of the WHS trowel on the right above was taken by Katrien Janin.
How to Sharpen Your Trowel
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