"Jeffrey J. Kosowsky" wrote in message
...
Just went to the Home Despot tonight and the guy in building materials
(who seemed to be somewhat knowledgeable) discouraged me from buying a
straight Mortar Mix and instead recommended some Acrylic cement patch
stuff (I forget the full name). He claimed that Mortar Mix is made for
joining bricks and that it would not stick properly to a hole in the
cement wall. The Acrylic product apparantly includes cement, sand,
plus some additives to help binding.

His advice sounds logical, but on the other hand the product he
recommended is about 10 times as expensive on a pound-for-pound basis,
so maybe he just was ripping me off

Any thoughts?

Typical box store employee. If he knew what he was talking about, he'd be
out in the field making far more money than standing around in an orange
apron giving bad (overpriced) advice.
Acrylic or latex addatives, or premixed morters which include them, are
great for aplications where the mud is thin, and/or needs to strongly grip
adjoining surfaces. Overkill for your situation. Follow the good advice you
received from others here. Mix cheap mortar mix with just enough water to
make it like brown sugar consistancy. Pack it in firmly. Moisten the
surrounding area a few times over a few days.
I'd fix that hole with a 3-1 mix of coarse sand-Type II Portland, if it were
me, but I have these two componants of mortar on hand all the time. I think
the premix stuff is a bit lean on it's cement content, but for your
situation it should be fine.