Showerthought: I judged my whole pour by eye for 6 seasons until a $22 slump cone showed me I was off by 2 inches

Emery Johnson · 2026-10-26T07:50:03.606475+00:00

For 6 years I eyeballed slump on every driveway and slab I finished around here and swore I could read a mix by the way it rolled off the chute. Last month a buddy left his plastic slump cone in my truck and I finally used it on a pour in Springfield, and I measured a 6 inch slump when I was calling it a 4. That 2 inch gap is the whole reason my edges kept tearing when I pulled the forms early. I had been adding water to loosen it up when the real problem was I was finishing too soon on a wetter mix than I thought. Now the cone rides in the toolbox and I check it before the first screed pass, not after. Anybody else get surprised by a number after trusting their eye for so long?

Free To Speak

Loading…

Showerthought: I judged my whole pour by eye for 6 seasons until a $22 slump cone showed me I was off by 2 inches | Concrete Finishers - Free To Speak