Hyde Tools 01340 3" Flexible Black & Silver® Stainless Steel Joint Knife

Handle in the palm, index finger laid along the spine when you want fine angle control on a spot or a patch edge. Because the tang runs in line with the blade, your wrist reads the blade's pressure directly — that feedback is the whole reason a joint knife beats a backed taping knife for close, feeling work. Angle. Low and loading (15–20°) to lay compound on; high and firm (past 45°) to wipe it tight and shave a fastener flush. Flex, used on purpose. Bias your pressure toward the blade's center and the corners float clear of the surface, so they don't dig tram-lines; that is the flexible knife's core trick, and it matters even at 3". Edge and corners. Keep the corners clean and un-dinged — a nicked corner on a narrow blade scores every pass. Dress a rolled edge lightly flat; retire a blade with a real chip. Between passes, wipe the blade on the pan rim every stroke or two — a dried crumb riding the edge scars everything it touches. Stainless earns its keep here: at day's end it goes in the bucket and comes out clean, no oiling.