The documented job is “How to Prep a Deck for Refinishing — The Complete Step-by-Step Guide”.
✕CHOOSE A DIFFERENT TOOL WHEN
Face-on flat wall and door work. When the surface is vertical and in front of you, a straight blade drives your push in a cleaner line — that is the 12050's job. The bend that helps on floors just raises your hand off a wall you would rather push straight into.
Overhead and reach. The 8-inch handle is fixed. For ceilings, high walls, and gables on a pole, use the bent pole chisel 12070.
Prying and striking. It is a scraper, not a bar and not a struck tool. Pry with the 45600; strike only the hammer scrapers.
Filling and finishing. No apply role — compound work is the flexible putty knives.
low, and let the bend set your hand height — you should feel the edge lying at the surface while your wrist stays straight. Direction: push, driving with body weight over the tool; on floors and decks, get your shoulder above the handle. Grip: two hands on the 8-inch handle for the heavy pops and long pulls. Edge care: high-carbon steel, a fixed and filed edge — dress it square with a mill file when it dents or rolls, and expect to file often on abrasive exterior coatings (scrape, file, scrape). Wipe it dry after wet work so it does not bloom rust. Sequencing: remember its place — it is the break-it-out tool that runs ahead of the pull scraper, not a finishing tool.
Asked before buying
BUYER QUESTIONS, ANSWERED BEFORE YOU ORDER
What does the 20° bend actually do?
Two things: it lifts your knuckles off flat work, and it sets the edge at a biting angle so your wrist stays straight through long horizontal strokes.
Bent or straight?
Bent (this tool) for floors, decks, and roofs; straight (12050) for walls and doors you face head-on.
Where does it fit on an exterior repaint?
First — it breaks out the thick blisters and alligatored build; then a pull scraper planes the field to sound paint.
How is it different from the 12000?
Same bent blade, longer 8-inch handle for more leverage on stubborn work.