I am wondering about spatulas. I recently bought a Wilton large angled spatula to spread icing smooth. It does not seem to work very well. I tried using water with it and it still is not quite right. Now here is what is strange. I have a simular spatula, only I got it from Pampered Chef. It works great. Why am I having such a problem with the Wilton?

It's all in the wrist. I only have Wilton, but if you use Buttercream icing.. You can do the VIVA paper towel method and it works great no matter what spatula you have.. good luck

i don't muck about with paper towels (though i certainly respect the choice of other decorators to achieve their fine results with the Vivas).
my experience is that:
a) angled spatulas tend to have more "give" (are bendier) than straight ones and thus may pose problems, particularly if a kink develops on the "underside" of the blade and a curve results, which means that not all the surface will be in contact with your cake; and
b) wilton spatulas tend not be as sturdy, i.e. as strong and firm as some others (brands vary, and blades will vary within the same brand). if you find a brand and model you like, stick with it!

my best advice is to use the smallest possible, most inflexible palette knife you can for each job (the smaller the knife, the more control you'll have, and i find an 8 inch blade is good for most jobs). a large angled spatula may be handy for dealing with the tops of very large sheet cakes, but if the blade is bent or too bendy and uncontrollable, it's going to be more trouble than its worth.

I don't use a spatula for the top of my cake. I use a joint compound knife. I know its sturdy and the blade is even.