JBL Aqua-T Handy Angle

JBL Aqua-T Handy Angle is an angled glass scraper: a 15 degree stainless steel blade, 7cm wide, on a 30cm handle. The angled head reaches the base of the pane and the corners from above, and the 7cm edge works on flat and curved front panes alike.

Key Features

• 15 degree angled blade: the angle is what lets you reach the bottom of the pane and the corners without putting your wrist in the water.
• 30cm handle: long enough to reach the floor of a reasonably deep tank from above.
• 7cm stainless steel blade: suits flat front panes and curved ones alike.
• Protective cap: covers the edge in storage.
• Replaceable blades: the spare blades are sold separately, so you replace the edge rather than the tool.
• Glass tanks only: never use a steel blade on an acrylic pane.

Using A Blade Scraper Safely

• Keep the blade almost flat to the glass and let the edge cut. Pressing harder at a steeper angle is how panes get scored.
• The angled head is for the bottom edge and the corners, but stop short of the silicone seams and finish those by hand.
• Stay above the substrate line. Sand under a blade will scratch glass.
• Fit and remove the cap away from the tank, and check the blade is seated before you start.
• Keep it clear of heater glass, hoses and cables.

Good To Know

• Glass only, never acrylic. A blade, steel wool or a metal-threaded pad will cut straight into an acrylic pane, and the scratches do not polish out in a filled tank.
• Keep a blade away from the silicone seams in the corners. A nicked seam is a slow leak waiting to happen, and no scraper is safe against silicone whatever the packaging says.
• The usual way people scratch aquarium glass is to trap a grain of sand under the pad or the blade. Check the face of the tool before each pass and stay a finger's width above the substrate line.
• Replace the blade when it stops biting rather than pressing harder. A blunt blade is what makes people push hard enough to do damage.
• Keep blades and spare blades well out of reach of children.
• Rinse the tool in plain water after use and let it dry. Never clean anything that goes into a tank with detergent.