Rick Eisfeller doesn’t have a second to waste. “I’m doing five jobs a week. Who can do that?” the veteran drywall finisher and Six Sigma Green Belt candidate asks.

Key to his success is a tough-minded attitude to … well, just about everything in the trade. If he’s not happy with a tool, he invents a better one. He now works with nine different tool makers, including Marshalltown Tools and Advanced Tools, where he shares three patents. His day job remains owner and operator of Ice Rock Drywall of Stockton, Ill.

Drywall products are especially big targets for Eisfeller’s critical eye. Take corner beads, for example.

“I started out in the 1990s with steel corner beads. I never liked them. Then I switched to 350 Bullnose corner beads because you use less mud with 847 glue and divergent staples,” he explains.

He didn’t care much for that either after learning about a new drywall cornering advance about two years ago. “Basically it changed how I work,” Eisfeller says of the fateful discovery.

What made this next-gen corner bead a game-changer is much about what it didn’t do versus what it did. High on his “finishing reduction checklist:”

  • Time. Juggling multiple jobs and deadlines means every second counts. Time studies indicate the new corner bead technology shaves install time by 13% over paper composite and beats paper-faced metal beads by 17%. The kicker: fast drying time. Eisfeller “… can do two coats in one day.”
  • Money. “I use less mud which means I save money on material,” Eisfeller says. Comparative research found the new approach uses 30% less mud than paper composite and a whopping 43% less mud than paper face metal beads. For a solo contractor like Eisfeller, that’s money in the bank.

The big savings are the result of a series of technological innovations:

  • Tapered Legs. The legs taper to a fine edge, substantially reducing the need to use mud for a seamless effect.
  • Hinged Corner. The pliable hinge forgives a multitude of cornering sins by the drywall hangers by masking them without telltale bumps or framing irregularities.
  • Patented Mud Locks. Staples? Glue? Tape? Who needs them? This “mud and done” approach bonds the corner bead tight with remarkable speed and confidence.
  • Nearly Dent-Proof. The dents and dings downstream trades can leave behind at the corners is all-but a thing of the past. It’s dent resistant, rust-proof, and the finished corner is crisp and uniform.

The only pitfall Eisfeller can see for the product, called Fast Edge from Trim-Tex, is availability. Fast Edge is a pro’s product that isn’t in big box retailers. Even so, Fast Edge is the fastest-selling product in Trim-Tex’s 51-year history.

“This isn’t for the guy doing just five corners. I recommend going to Sherwin-Williams and ordering a case,” Eisfeller advises.

It could be easy for Eisfeller to treat Fast Edge like a secret weapon, giving him an unfair advantage at bid time. Anyone who knows the finisher or has seen his demonstration videos knows that’s not his style. “I just try to help people as best I can. No one taught me anything. The right tools with the right product make life so much easier.”

To learn more about drywall tools, visit https://www.trim-tex.com/.