The 5 Hammers Everyone Should Own
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- Опубліковано 20 вер 2024
- Turns out that not all hammers are created equal! Learn which ones are best for you.
Ideal Hammer Handle Size: • Ideal Hammer Handle Size
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The difference between a rubber mallet and a deadblow cannot be overstated. First time I used a deadblow, I was amazed at how little energy rebounded back off the workpiece. Definitely would add that to your collection if you're laying brick, or pounding something into place.
Also longevity just sitting on the shelf. I've been through three hardware store rubber hammers that have dried cracked and fallen off the handle before their 2nd use. One deadblow has outlasted them all.
find myself regularly turning to my dead blow hammer. It made my rubber mallet all but obsolete.
Where most use a rubber hammer, I use a rawhide hammer, and they live longer, but I only carry a deadblow for most site work as it's far better for most purposes.
Amen, said the same thing. Swap out the rubber mallet for a soft faced deadblow and add in a copper/leather dual faced and you have the complete 6 pack.
I was thinking the same, I find a dead blow has more uses and I have gotten away with using it in place of a rubber mallet for the last ten year
I'm going to add two instead of list two. In addition to the five essentials listed in this video, I'd add a deadblow and a wooden mallet. I'm into woodworking and both of them are handy when you want to move something without damaging it.
Wooden tappy-tap-tap will not mangle sheet metal and move it more locally than rubber or rawhide mallet. Very useful for small adjustments on already/nearly finished shiny metal.
you really need a wooden mallet if you are going to do any chiseling as the ring of a metal hammer will drive you crazy. Chiselling mallets are also cut at a different angle to be more efficient and ergenomical. (sp?)
+1 on the wooden mallet and woodworking. And they are fun to make! I made one for a buddy who is a fellow woodworker and he told me it's his go-to for tapping stuff into place.
A number of years ago i moved from using a traditional mallet to a Thorex nylon faced hammer for woodworking, not a big difference but I think it's easier to work with.
Agree 100% on the wood mallet and deadblow.
7 years into running my own company and I’d like to thank you for all the knowledge I’ve gotten from you over the years 💪🏾💯
I don't do construction but I too have gotten a lot of knowledge out of these videos as well.
As a young carpenter who just turned 30, ive come to the conclusion i know nothing.
Great video. Over 50 years ago I showed up to work on a roof for my great uncle. I had a curved claw hammer. Uncle took it over to his tailgate and sawed the handle off. He went to his truck toolbox and gave me a straight claw. He showed me how to flip it around and bury it in the roof if I was sliding or falling. He said we'll fix the hole later but you can't do that with a curve claw.
Dang.
I been on a few roofs with my dad in the day but he never gave me that lesson. Holy...
I hope that's not a lesson that you or he ever had to actually use.
My dad just says i look like a monkey fucking a football. I still do not know what this means.
Do monkeys even like footballs?
I thought that was framing roofing 101. At least it is for everyone in my crew.🍻
Scott, like Tommy Silva and Norm Abram, you're the salt of the Earth. Myself being a career field geologist, I've spent decades traimpsing over terrain all over the world mapping formations for esoteric research papers. But it's you all as tradesman, building contractors, fabricators, plumbers, blacksmiths, electricians, masons, landscapers as patrons of the practical that I have always respected the most. You're tough, work outside in all conditions doing physical work, read blueprints/plans, solve ongoing problems from engineered drawings to structure, build products for us that we live in and that stand the test of time for generations beyond, and inspire with the knowledge and advice which you freely demonstrate/share on your channel. Even though you and I are the same age, I've always regarded your calm, soft-spoken, and knowledgable demeanor as an indication that you're a rare sage indeed of all things practical and a much older and wiser soul than I. Thanks for such a great and inspirational channel.
As a bricklayer/mason I'd be lost at sea without my lump hammer and scutch hammer. I always keep a claw hammer in my bag for any rudimentary or enabling carpentry work.
As a diesel and heavy equipment mechanic I would add to your list a ~2 lb. brass hammer. I mostly use the ball peen, engineers/sledge, and brass hammer day to day. Also specially tire dismount hammers and wheel weight hammers and more. I couldn't do my job well with just two but the two in my hand the most are probably a ball peen and the brass hammer with the sledge a close third. A deadblow hammer is also super useful.
As an electrician, my two go-to hammers are a 16 oz Estwing and my linesman pliers
😂 lineman's pliers! oh lord, yes. can't count the times i've used mine for pounding on things.
The infamous hammer Klein's the safety guy has nightmares about😂 Scaffold builders know them well.
I'm about the same age as Scott. I've bought a few brand new hammers and a lot of used. A quick gather up the other day I had 45 and I wouldn't want to give one of them up!
Such a natural delivery style. One that the "professionals" only hope to achieve in their lifetime.
Hammers, everyone needs at least a dozen or so....... I'm in my seventies, I still dabble at work a little, a few years back I got really arm-weary swing a framing hammer, so I purchased a Stiletto 16oz ...... what a beast, and with that 16 in handle It has
all the leverage in the world for pulling all most bent everything..............................what a game changer, worth every dollar !!
,
As an auto mechanic, I'll add one more. In a similar vein to the rubber mallet for wood, if you're a machinist or auto mechanic or something of that nature where you can't afford to mar the finish (or threads) on something that needs a sharp strike, you just can't beat a brass or non-ferrous hammer.
Additionally, they're absolutely indispensable if you're in an industry where you need non-sparking tools, because brass is about the only game in town in that regard that has both the mass/density and the safety to do the job. And you would be surprised where you'd need a brass hammer too, flour and sugar mills, along with coal power plants that use fluidized bed burners (where they blast air up thru a contained quantity of ignited coal dust with constant fly ash removal and new coal powder feed, it's a very thermodynamically efficient burner type) come to mind because of the ever-present danger of a dust explosion.
A lead hammer is an absolute must for a machinist.
If you’ve ever worked on classic British sports cars like Healies or MG’s, many have knock-off center wheel nuts that came with brass hammers from the factory to remove them without damaging them. They’re packaged with the tool kits in the vehicles.
@@matthewgallant3622
Over the years, those get lost or go missing for other reasons, so it's good to have one that's "yours" in case you can't find the "proper" one for something like that.
@@44R0Ndin It definitely is good to have your own. Especially if you’re working on MG’s exclusively, just buy your own it’ll be quicker than digging out the same tool out of every car
I want to congratulate you on your patent! Wonderful news!
When I was in the union and doing footings your hammer invention would have been in my holster had it been invented then.
Scott, you're a truly great man, and I'm proud to be a subscriber..
I used to swear by a rubber mallet until I bought a cheap orange Deadblow mallet (found in every big-box DIY store ever). All the energy into the work and no marks.
I also made a wooden mallet out of scrap oak with a curved head and angled faces, handle about 18 inches (sized so it will rest on a face with the handle tip on the bench). It's about 4lbs and it moves things.
My biggest hammer mistake was a 12lb sledge - too heavy to swing with any kind of finesse - bigger isn't always better.
I have well over 25 hammers now but I don't have a problem. I really don't have a problem.
lol
You forgot to mention that some think "every tool is a hammer" 🛠
Palm strike, dont be a tool, be the tool 😅
I found a 2-3lb short(14”) handled sledge hammer on the street, I believe dropped by a utility worker, years ago. It was a life changer outside of my fiberglass handled, semi-curved claw hammer, it’s been the most useful hammer I have ever owned.
I used to use a 3lb hammer with a wedge on one side. Ive since switched to a 4lb engineers hammer. I get better strikes and its flat on both sides so performs the same either way. Ive had too many times swinging that wedge end on a chisel im holding, only to get a glancing blow off the chisel and into my hand.
I keep a 6lb one hand sledge handy too. In case i need to send it! Or drive a stake into the ground.
My favorite hammer is my 2 1/2" lixie dead blow though, second favirite is my stiletto.
In your category of soft hammers, the dead blow hammer is amazing. The lack of rebound and fine control despite the weight is essential for the trades involving machinery.
Love my 2 1/2" lixie dead blow. I use mine for carpentry and masonry with the softer heads (orange/brown)
As others have mentioned, the modern plastic deadblow hammer has mostly replaced the rubber mallet for me. My 40 year old rubber mallet sits forlornly in the shop. The other "whacking device" I enjoy is a fairly small headed (10oz?) claw hammer that lives in the in the house tool kit. An all purpose device for sure.
I use a 2 1/2" lixie dead blow mallet with interchangeable rubber heads. I use the super soft orange to wail on finished wood flooring to install. And brown on the other side for a firmer but still soft head which i use for all kinds of stuff.
I want to get one of their dead blow sledges too (a one hand sledge size) I'll show that floor who its daddy is!
I found out today lixie got selected by nasa to be their deadblow, means a lot to me because both my grandparents were engineers on the apollo program.
I actually have 2 of them
I’ve always wanted to get a tattoo of a crossed claw hammer, and ball peen hammer. My father was a primarily a carpenter (among other things), and supported his family with a claw hammer. I ended up being an Airframer, and working sheet metal on planes in the Navy, so I supported my family with a ball peen hammer. It’s wild to think about the connection of how central a hammer is to both of our lives.
That would be an awesome tattoo!
Quit playin'. Go get that tat on your left cheek, son.
Tattoos are tacky -- nobody regrets not getting a tattoo when they're 60, I promise you that. But there are thousands upon thousands who definitely DO regret getting that tacky artwork permanently etched onto the temple that is your living body.
@@Russ0107 I have a lot bigger regrets than my tattoos. My tattoos aren’t regrets, they’re proof of lessons learned. Plus there’s nothing like a painted up salty sailor or something.
@@Russ0107 some tattoos aren’t tacky
I’d have to add a light tack hammer to that list.
Adam Savage highly recommends a small thwacker. And for home use as well, I always recommend a tack hammer, small, light weight, for hanging pictures and such on your walls.
I have a lot of hammers, but the one I reach for the most by far is an old, somewhat beat-up, ordinary, and modestly-sized ball pein with a hickory handle. I happened upon this hammer in the oddest way. I came into the office one morning - and I'll note here that this was an office building in downtown Boston - to find a large hole in the wall over my desk and said hammer resting there innocently like nothing happened. I picked it up. It felt good. I took it home and have used it for decades. It is as it was: head slightly loose, paint splattered, etc. I never bothered to fix it, clean it, polish the faces or anything else. I just like it for most any light hammer task. Beyond that hammer, I don't know ... I do use a 2-faced rubber/plastic mallet a lot, a harbor freight dead blow, and a 5lb hand sledge.
I’ve built up a pretty decent collection over the years and have quite a few that I really like. Still my absolute favourites would have to be 10oz Stiletto for light work, 20oz long fibreglass handle milled face Vaughan for framing, and my 12oz Walboard drywall hammer.
#6 - The “MC” Hammer 🕺🏻
#7 arm & hammer
#8, hamm er bacon?
In your online store you should show a photo of your "Form Setter" hammer driving a square concrete form steak.
Congratulations on your patent well done Smithy.
I love myself a stacked leather handle for my carpentry hammer. I have replaced damaged plastic for leather a few times myself and it holds up great and feels so much better.
where do you buy that? are you buying flat strips and wrapping it?
@synapticburn I have 9oz leather in full hides. I stamp out disks of the right size with a hole in the middle and stack them with flexible epoxy in between. Then shape the handle to final dimensions.
Estwing makes a leather handle hammer. I used to have one, but the concrete eats the leather and ends up killing it in my use.
They are great and feel good, they just arent for masons i wouldnt say. Estwing makes them from 12-24oz i think. For me its the blue handle though.
My two goto hammers are the Estwing rock hammer and the Estwing 3lb drilling hammer. If you're doing rock work those two will get you where you need to go.
My two go-to hammers are a 100 year old hickory handled Germantown claw hammer and a medium sized ball pien that was made in China. I use those at my workbench all the time. When I'm in the field I tend to use a heavier straight-claw steel hammer, a no name that like 90% of my tools, I bought at a garage or estate sale.Great video Scott. Keep up the good work!
By the way, I've used a 20 pound sledge hammer once in my life. That was enough!
I really enjoyed this discussion on hammers. There is definitely not a one size fits all hammer all jobs.
I’m an automotive mechanic, huge gear head and forever a car guy, and I own a lot of different hammers you’d never think you’d need but I use them every single day at work. A dead blow hammer and ball peen are essentials, and a 4lb sledge hammer as well.
I’m in excavation and logging. Small drilling hammer preferably estwing, and a good double jack. I can not live without these.
I could not go without my dead blow hammer. Carpenter, use and abuse almost every day. Thanks for the video
I got my Estwing when I was an apprentice and it’s still my favourite after 34 years, then my duel faced rubber mallet with weighted head and wooden handle..
Never knew a mini sledgehammer was called a single jack. To answer your question, the two I use the most are my brick hammer, it’s a 24oz Goldblatt with hickory. My second is a toss up between a single jack and a 2 pound framing hammer a finish carpenter of all people gave me a long time ago. It’s an estwing with very worn out waffles.
I inherited my grandfather's Dalluge titanium hammer. Prior to using that I have been swinging a Hart hammer (this was before that brand sold to Walmart and still produced a quality tool.)
The Dalluge instantly became my favorite. The huge face and light weight made driving nails a cinch. The Hart however still earns it's keep as my concrete hammer. The steel handle makes yanking out stakes easy and the side nail puller, wow what an innovation. Most will be familiar with the Martinez version of the same thing but at the time Hart made a great hammer with that feature for a fraction of the price.
So titanium for carpentry and steel for concrete/demolition. Just got to get my hands on a form setter now...
Excellent insights, as ALWAYS, sir! You were speaking of hammer heads mostly (very interesting), but I have a collection of hammers whose HANDLES are OCTAGONAL (from the 1950's and 1960', I think)--love 'em! You are AWESOME, Scott, keep up the good work!!!
its awesome that you acknowledge "perhaps its confirmation bias". we are imperfect creatures, and sometimes were not willing to admit that until we get nice and ol... 'experienced'.
Congratulations on the patent. Engineer and framing hammer are my two go to always with wood handles.
I have an old steel Stiletto that I inherited which has quickly become my favorite, and my second-favorite is a pair of lineman’s pliers 😉
And your third favorite you charge money for people to see you use.
As a woodworker, my #1 hammer is a wooden mallet. I use it all the time.
I would also add a farrier's Rounding hammer for blacksmithing.
For the woodworker or timber framer doing joinery, a wooden mallet is ideal, but the rubber mallet will suffice. Great video and congrats on the patent!
Stiletto 14 oz with hickory, dead blow, and some sort of sledge. Thanks again for all the good work from a fellow Pacific Craftsman.
I'm a leatherworker, and for me a soft-impact hammer of some sort (rawhide/rubber/poly) is a must. I spend a lot of time using stitching punches, hole punches, letter stamps, whatever - they all end up with dangerous, ugly mushroomed ends if I don't use something soft.
The second must-have would be a ball-peen - the face of it for hammering stitches or flattening something; the round end for finishing saddler's rivets.
I'm a millwright and I carry a 2lb soft face drilling hammer with a fiberglass handle everywhere. If you wear gloves and particularly if you get grease, water, and various oils on your glove, the fiberglass handles with deep ridges can't be beat. I used to carry a 2lb forged cross peen with a hickory handle but I found a lot of instances where I would be fighting to hold onto it.
Honorable mention to my 8lb sledgehammer with the 18 inch handle. Sometimes absolutely nothing else will work for driving or beating something in close quarters.
Claw and single jack couldn’t live without
I have one or more of the 5 types. But, my standard go-to hammer, for the last 40+ years, is an Estwing 20 oz. straight claw with the leather wrapped handle.
Got me one of those recently and love it check my comment here as well
Ya i had the leather dry up, split, then fall off like a candy necklace over time...
#masonlife...
Mason here and i use a rubber mallet very regularly, mostly for laying flagstone for paths, patios and other flatwork
Bro! You should check out lixie dead blow mallets. All my rubber mallets now gather dust.
The lixie has interchangeable rubber heads and the dead blow action transfers energy so much more efficiently. I got mine for hardwood, but use it for so much. I have the softer orange/brown heads on mine.
I want to get a one hand dead blow sledge next! These mallets arent cheap, but they last and are so much better.
Inherited from my dad a number of hammers. A couple of them stand out, an upholsterer's tack hammer ( it has a magnetized split head on one end and driving head on the other ) and the other is a combination splitting / nailing hammer for cedar shakes / shingles.
A 4 pound sledge and carpenters hammer is my must have combo. Sometimes bring out the rubber mallet when I'm roofing.
I work in a tire shop and have four hammers I use. First a soft faced wheel weight hammer for slamming clip weights onto a rim. I've been through about half a dozen of those in thirteen years.
Next I have a double jack for convincing stubborn wheels off of the hub. Works well on duallys. A single jack as well for when it is not a big welding truck of some kind.
Then the standard framing hammer when I have to "modify" some horribly designed lug nut with an aluminum cap (for some reason) because it swelled and doesn't fit in the socket anymore. Claw hammer and a cold chisel and replace the lug nut. I really enjoy when that happens. DESTROY!!
After 20 years as a boatbuilder/carpenter/joiner/builder I’d go with a framing/claw hammer, ball pein, sledge hammer, dead blow with a soft or rubber face and copper and hide hammer. Is also add some sort of wooden mallet for hitting wooden handle chisels.
I use a lixie soft face hammer every day in the machine shop. It's a fantastic tool and worth every penny.
To all the young guys out there who are just as confused as I was when getting started in the trades, I have found that as a carpenter who has worked in framing, finish, and forming, one can never have enough hammers! You only need a few, however, to be taken seriously and be able to effectively complete all the tasks within the carpentry trade.
-A Stiletto smooth face framer (I like a 16oz wood handle)
-A Vaughn milled face ( I like a 23oz with a wood handle)
- An Estwing 22oz smooth face for doing demo work and for a backup to finish the day when your wood handle breaks.
-An Estwing 16oz smooth face for finish work.
-A single-jack 2.5lb maul for demo, form setting, and when you just need to move or break something with one hand.
- A double-jack 8lb sledge (some pieces just need to be told twice to move or break)
- A dead-blow. In my experience (which is not all encompassing) a dead-blow will do all things a rubber mallet does but with a more enjoyable work experience and with a better result. It's one of those tools where I couldn't tell you the situations in which I use it the most, but whenever I use it, it's the only tool that will do exactly what I need.
This collection will suit anyone well but the first one you should get is the Estwing 22oz smooth face. It does almost anything for a price that can't be beat.
I have been a contractor for almost 50 years. My go-to hammer is a 20 oz. smooth face with a wooden handle from a 28 oz. hammer. It gives me just a little extra length on the handle, it's a little bigger in diameter, and it improves the balance of the hammer. I keep a 3 lb. double jack for driving stakes and light demo work.
19 oz Vaughan framing hammer when I'm working on the house and my 1.5 lb copper hammer when I'm in my machine shop.
I was an automotive mechanic. My 2 go to Hammers were a ball pein and a Thor brand copper/raw hide no. 3.
As a woodworker and furniture maker, my go-to hammers are a dead blow and a wooden mallet. As a homeowner, a 16 or 20 oz. straight claw Estwing has can't be beat. They last forever.
I’ve always had a 16 oz claw hammer and a 16 oz ball peen. They’ve served me well around the house and as a general mechanic. I’ve also had a 4 lb engineers hammer for heavier work. Now that I’m getting onto blacksmithing. My needs have changed to more specialized hammers. I now have a 2.5 lb cross peen and recently a 3 lb rounding hammer
My house has 200yo oak framing. I usually use a 4lb hand sledge to drive any nails into that and even then it is hard to find many nails good enough to drive into that wood. When ever I work on new construction it blows my mind how easy nails drive in yellow pine.
45 years of framing and finishing my go to hammer is a 16 oz smooth face curved claw fiberglass handled hammer. Vaughn or Plumb are my favorites. Curved claw is best for pulling nails. 16oz is easier on my elbow and wrist. Smooth face is versatile and will not take out a chunk of meat if you happen to miss. A checkered face is not necessary if you keep the face smooth face clean or lightly sand the face with fine sandpaper when it gets a waxy or oily finish on it.
A fiberglass handle is indestructible and have never had to replace it, however I do like the feel of a wooden handle. It minimizes vibration and feels very well balanced. If you opt for a wooden handle, make sure the grain orientation is right or you will be replacing the handle moe often. I have tried most every type of carpenter's hammer even a titanium Stiletto costing a couple of hundred dollars but keep going back to my go to hammer, it just feels right.
the cabinet maker that lived next to me when I was kid used to say I was born with a hammer in my hand...have not used one in over 16 years now...but I have used everything from a claw hammer to a sledge hammer.. mallets, mash, sledges, ball pin, cross pin,panel beating, copper & hide and more have all been of use at one time or another oh what you called a double jack we called a Mel we have a 16lb one in my Dads garage WELL DONE ON THE PATENT!
Wow! Congratulations on the patent, Scott!
Another wonderful video! I’ll echo the Stiletto/titanium preference. Have 3 (milled and non-milled 14 oz. framers and a 10 oz finish hammer), all w hickory handles. Made the investment 20-some years ago. I’m 3 months from 60, work full-time as a carpenter/builder, and (KNOCK WOOD, all) have good elbows still. Other item I’d add are my Garland split-head rawhide mallets (#3 and #5), musts for timber framers and anyone who cares to protect lovely wood-handled chisels/slicks - and your work - while still bringing some oomph.
32 years as an engineering officer in the American merchant marines I like a good ball peen hammer and make it heavy. I can tap lightly with a heavy hammer if needed but can only strike so hard with a light hammer. Wood working as a hobby I use a dead blow more than anything, it seems. But I agree and can find a use for all your suggestions. Keep up the good stuff, thanks. Ps, picked up a wood handled Stiletto 12-15 years ago without too much use but will grab it because it feels so good. Thanks.
The two hammers I can't do without - a 20 oz smooth faced Estwing and a 16 oz Ball Pein Hammer. A 3 lb Engineering Hammer is a close third. I may have to try one of your Forming Hammers. It could also be used for fine straight peining w/ a little bit of grinding to dull the pein.
I do AGREE with you ... perhaps you could have added in - that if you are to buy a hammer , do not waste your money on a cheap one ! I bought my Estwing 45 years ago and spent 30 years using it on the job doing everything from concrete forms , building houses and installing expensive trim ,cabinets, millwork , computer flooring ,industrial racks. and many many other things . another nice hammer to own is a good Dead blow hammer !
Love your show!
Frame to finish carpenter.
Common persuaders.
Vaughn 20 oz yellow fiberglass framing hammer with the waffle warn down. Thats my best friend. Does not ping all day.
Estwing 20 oz smooth face. Any thing finish, dots, plugs, fine tuning. Also unbreakable for demo.
2lb small sledge or single jack. 5lb sledge or double jack, adjustments in framing and for demo.
Malutes, deadblow and rubber for cabinet work.
I be a simple man.
I am a Glazier by trade, and the 2 hammer that are a must have for me is a 32oz STANLEY dead-blow mallet and a 3lb cross-pien hammer when something (less delicate) has to move.
Rubber mallets can be used for leveling or sanding interlocking pavers as you do not want to risk cracking them. When leveling, the mallet will help settle the stone dust underneath the pavers to bring them flush and when sanding, it settles the sand between them. If you use polymeric sand you want it to settle between the pavers so that once you water it it will harden and hold them in position.
Hello EC and Nate. I’m a huge fan of your content. Been watching for years. I’m a union plumber in Chicago. Mainly new commercial construction. We still use lead and oakum on cast iron so I use a 16oz estwing ball peen daily when doing cast iron waste and vent.
For precision metal working, you need a dead blow and/or a brass hammer. They have plenty of mass and won't damage finishes.
Also: wooden mallet, deadblow (small, medium, large), specialty hammers for specific trades (eg tire weight hammer). As a shade tree mechanic my go to is a light flat faced/pointed end, body hammer that is great for shaping sheet metal, chipping rust, and just persuding things. Found it at some yard sale. I have a whole set of Stiletto's including a waffle head given to me by a VP of Stiletto I chatted with at a bar after work one day, but I never really got comfortable with them. My favorite is my Tim Allen "RRR" polished steel 16oz that I got as a Christmas gift. Ill check out you patented whacker, looks like i might need to add it to my collection!
Scott, my two are now a 14 oz long steel handle (the 22 oz wood handle stays in the box because I've broken too many handles) and a 2 lb puddling hammer for driving stakes around forms.
I split wood for exercise and heating, and do carpentry around the house, so my two main ones are an 8-lb double jack and a straight-claw carpenter’s hammer.
I absolutely love my esteing framing hammer and my estwing leather handle trim hammer
My trusty claw hammer, I've had for half a century, inherited from my father, it must be at least 70 years old and while worn and weathered it still functions well, and my my newest addition from 14 years ago a small sledge hammer from Lowes that I call Mini Thor, not to heavy but good for demolition and driving stakes!
I've got em all! Guess I better get out there and start swinging! My two favorite are the claw hammer and my 8lb sledge that makes stubborn things move 😄.
I build furniture and also hand carve.
By far, my most used hammer is a urethane faced mallet that weighs about 20 oz. I use it to strike chisels, position pieces, and close joints.
When I strike a workpiece with it, I always hold a small piece of scrap wood on top of the piece to be struck to distribute the force and prevent marring.
Estwing and a three pounder. Every day carry tools.
I have gotten good at tossing the claw of the Estwing on a concrete floor and catching it on the rebound. After thirty years it's just as functional. The three pounder usually gets the job done and scrap lumber can soften the blow. I'm not giving up my sledges or ball pien!
I just want to say that I think you’re awesome. I’ve watched your videos for years. I wish that I could’ve had a mentor like you. Since I didn’t, I’ll settle for appreciating your wisdom through videos. Thank you.
Probably 25 years ago, I was returning a movie to Blockbuster video (for reference of age) and there, laying in the parking lot, was a Stiletto. Most likely fell off an unfortunate framers truck. I never would have bought one but it’s been the best, most useful hammer I own. And I guard it fiercely.
Dear Sir I am a DIYer all the way from PNG. I really want to thank you for all the knowledge you impart through your UA-cam channel. I have learned alot from you so far. Thank you and keep up the great work. May our Lord God bless you.
As a mechanic definitely go with a 2 lb. mini sledge with an 18-inch glass handle, you can choke up on it and be pretty delicate or deliver a pretty good lick when necessary. for the bigger stuff a10 lb. short 18-inch handle sledge and then get serious with a 20 lb. eggbeater. For occasional nail beating I like the waffle face 21 oz. Estwing war club, nothing else can mess up a thumb or fingertip any better for the money.
My two are a 12oz claw and an 8lbs sledge (for woodworking and driving splitting wedges to make lumber). Third is a wooden mallet for driving chisels and persuading parts together.
20oz estwing. Im a tile and remoding contractor. Served me well over the years
My go to hammers. Top 3. Claw hammer for general hammering
Brick hammer. I am a utility insataller. This hammer is great for setting gaskets into mechanical joints and shaping bricks to build manhole inverts.
4 pound mini sledge.
Greetings from Ireland. I was an apprentice to my father who was a carpenter. He always insisted on a 16oz stanley claw hammer, also a 4lb lump hammer for masonry work. I also like a ball peen.
I ended up with an old raw hide mallet. Holy cow. I use it more than my screw drivers. Its amazing how many things need a soft little mallet.
I'm old and retired, a career in IT, but I have always been a DIYer. I have examples of each of the hammers in my collection, except I have a 3 pound (-ish?) engineers hammer that is represented by your patented design. Thanks for the video!
My daily drivers are my Martinez M1 and my stiletto TBII but I have an old school craftsman 3lb engineer hammer with the orange handle that I keep with my tools always
Honorable mentions
Craftsman/Vaughn 19 oz California framer craftsman/vaughn 20 oz waffle faced fiberglass handle.
While I agree with your choices, as a mason I’ve been able to use my good old Estwing big blue head with the hickory handle for a lot. I’ve cut 2x4s in half with my hammer. Up on the roof of a huge job at Yale we needed a 2x4 to be cut. We couldn’t do anything unless this board was cut to get out of the way of raising our foot plank. One laborer left to get a saw and extension chords and while he was gone I pulled my etswing brick hammer out and chopped the board in half and we raised the plank before the other laborer came back. Drives nails pretty quick too.
Using the right tool for the job is the best approach. That said you can go many many years with just a claw hammer and get by.
I was doing some chainsaw milling in the woods yesterday and only had my 60” Peavey with me to use as a hammer, it worked for what I needed instead of a long walk back to the truck and a short drive home to grab a sledge. So a hammer is a hammer is a hammer, and then some.
Hi Scott I see I’m late to the party. As a woodworker I have to say that my dead blow hammer gets a lot of use when assembling projects. The black rubber hammers leave marks. So I use the orange plastic one.
Your channel is what convinced me of having a good hickory handle, so I have been in the process of switching over. It definitely helps my hand. I have found that I can do anything I need to do, including demo work with a 3lb drilling hammer, a 2-3lb engineering hammer and a 19oz framing hammer. I am looking for a 5-6lb maul that I can saw down to be a heavy single jack for heavier demo work. I also vastly prefer a dead blow to rubber mallet. I do not like the rebound of a mallet. Cheap harbor freight dead blows work just fine and their soft faces do not mar the work.
The other day I scored a very interesting hammer. It is 10lbs with a 24" hickory handle, a striking face that and a cross peen. The front half of it looks like a drilling hammer. I got it for heavy, short strikes and confined space work for when I really need to move something.
One of my favorite hammers is a dead-blow mallet. I have a couple of them, but one has both sides covered in rubber, the other (which I use more) has one side covered, the other exposed steel. The deadblow puts the energy into the thing you hit, whether nail, piece of lumber, or other, without the bounce. When a hammer bounces, you're not getting all its energy into the object. When it comes to sledgehammers, I like a heavier one vs a lighter, at least for vertical work. I find that if I try to swing an 8 lb sledge for something like log splitting (hitting a wedge), I'm very tempted to use my back to pull the hammer down harder, get some speed into it. But with a 12 or 16 lb sledge, I only guide the hammer down. It's a lot easier on my back, and I'm pushing 60, so my back doesn't need more stress. That said, for more horizontal work, like demo, I want a lighter sledge. In my current, fully mobile lifestyle, I don't carry around a sledgehammer at all (or a real axe, maul, pick, mattock, etc), but I do carry a claw hammer and a dead-blow mallet.
Well, to me, you made your question really hard by asking for two hammers--it depends on the work trade/job.
My response is a claw; but then are you framing or finishing; I have to have both--you can't finish with a framer; you really can't frame with a finish!
Then for metal/automotive; I have to have a ballpeen but then I absolutely-need a 5-lb. mini-sledge for tight spots; dead-blow to not bounce; rubber for hubcaps.
Then we have foundation-work; so a double-jack and a single-jack (love your foundation hammer!) which I always used my 5-lb. mini-sledge but it gets heavy!
Note: I really love your foundation hammer, because you can dig and pound. I have to switch to a pickaxe to dig; so no wonder you got a patent--congrats big-time!
Congratulations on the design patent !