Which Leveling Spacers are Best? Twist or Wedge?

With so many tile leveling spacers to choose from, which is best? The twist type & wedge type are the most common tile leveling spacers. I believe they both have a place. I prefer the wedge clips by Rubi Tools for most of my installs. They're easily to install and kick off and speed up the installation process, but they can only handle tile around 5/8" thick. For tile over 5/8" all the way up to 1 inch thick I like the Troxell Torque System. The Troxell Torque System has an optional "Anti-Motion Plate". In the past when I used twist style spacers, once you tighten them up, the twist motion can open up the grout joints. The "Anti-Motion Plate" prevents the twist style spacers from opening the joints. The "Anti-Motion Plate" also serves as a buffer to prevent scratches from sensitive stone such as marble.
Both of these types of leveling spacers have a place, the best one depends on the type of tile that your working with.
What do you think about these leveling systems? Let me know in the comments!

[@garrettdavis9630]

I am finding that the cap leveling systems tweak the tile. While the wedge systems push the tile towards the spacer. I am constantly having to fight the tile with the caps in keeping them pushed up against the spacer.

[@HowToTileLikeaPro]

Same! I prefer the wedge clips as well. The only time i use the cap ones is for marble or soft stone though, the plastic plate protects it from scratching 👌

[@falsealarmno]

That's why the malots are often hanging on the shelf next to these. The caps work better for me because they can be used in corners whereas the wedge can take up a lot of space .

[@DumbCarGuy]

As a professional tile setter besides my screen name there. The only good leveling tile system is the systems that provide curved bottom leveler/spacers. You might think when you get granite, marble and stone tiles they are machined perfect and thats far from the truth. you can put any of those flat bottom spacers under two pieces of stone tile and one stone tile is 7/16 and the other is 3/8" for example those flat bottom spacers will not putt the thin tile to the surface and make it flat with the top surface. It will just angle your wedge or twist on the surface and keep the tiles level on the thinset side. Everything these days is quicker and cheaper and you charge more and the homeowner get a less superior tile job. The curved bottom spacers are the the only way to go for true professional results, not the normal DIY results. Yep they are a bit harder to work with but the results are worth it. They are also seemingly fading away because everyone and their brother are producing these crappy flat bottom levelers.

[@HowToTileLikeaPro]

Nice, I've never tried the curved ones, I've seen them, but thought they would be too big for the trowelled thinset. I've used both of these with marble and haven't had any problems with flatness or lippage. I'll have to compare them with the curved ones 👌

[@DumbCarGuy]

@@HowToTileLikeaPro lets say you make a video. make sure you use box store marble/stone where the thickness varies even though it isn't suppose too.

[@DumbCarGuy]

@fartpooboxohyeah8611 here’s an example. You go to the depot and the homeowner picked out some white marble 12x24. Before you install it you notice these marbles are different thicknesses. So having a tile leveler clip that doesn’t push the tile to the face is now useless. That’s what happened to me 3 weeks ago. Good thing I had a pail of Ramondi curved self levelers. They are like a spread out V and the spacer between the tiles pull on the V forcing the wings to pull the tiles to the front so they hit the wedge. Hope that helps.

[@arinb12]

​@DumbCarGuy any links or pictures?

[@TechmateSiddharth]

I get what you say about curved bottom. But would you prefer it with the wedge or the threaded top?

[@zeus_2001]

Never use twist cap type clips. The torque twists the tile and opens the gap up. Also they are murderous on your hands.

[@HowToTileLikeaPro]

I've had the same problem... but if you use the anti-motion plates in this video, it won't spread the joints 👍