A Home Necessity: The Best Hammer

DeWalt is a name that has gained a lot of credibility amongst the building trades in the last 20 years. I have used a number of their tools and find them to be well designed and easy to work with. With a 20 ounce head, it's a bit heavier than a "standard" claw hammer, giving a bit more force. But the thing that really stands out is that it has an oval face. This is unique and was specially designed for toe nailing, something I always have trouble with and what ultimately sold me on this hammer. The hammer also has a side nail puller for pulling nails in tight places, a relatively new feature that isn't found on all claw hammers. The hammer is balanced to reduce fatigue along with a steel handle that features shock-reducing rubber overmolding.

The thing that caught my attention on this hammer is that it has a 75 percent larger face for improved striking accuracy. In other words, if you're one of those people who miss the nail every once in a while, this hammer has been designed for you. No longer will you just be hitting with the edge of the head, but with the full face. The head also has a magnetic nail starter for those times when you've got small nails to put in, a feature which can potentially save you lots of smashed fingers and frustration. The handle is a patented design specifically created to minimize vibration and shock while being slip-resistant as well. There's also a patented torsion control to stabilize the hammer and reduce arm-twisting fatigue. If I've got to say it, this hammer has been designed for the guy who doesn't use it all the time, taking into considerations the struggles that the weekend do-it-yourself encounters.

Estwing probably has one of the larger lines of hammers on the market as they are primarily a hand-tool manufacturer. This has to be the prettiest hammer on our list with its polished head and laminated leather handle. I almost feel like I should hang it on the wall in my workshop just to show it off. But that beauty isn't all the hammer has going for it as the polished head resists rust very well, as well as making it easy to clean paint and other chemicals off of it. The leather handle actually does a very good job of shock deadening, protecting your hands and forearms when you're using this pick. It also works very well to help prevent slipping, as the leather will absorb liquids rather than having them lubricate the surface. Although this is a 16 ounce hammer, they also have it available in a 20 ounce version as well.

Yes, you read that title right, this hammer actually has a titanium head which is why it's the most expensive hammer on this list. While Stiletto isn't the only company to make titanium hammers, they are the leader in this regard. Titanium is all but indestructible, at least with the forces that a hammer is subject to. So, if you want a hammer that will last a lot of abuse, this one's the one for you. Although they refer to it as a framing hammer, this pick has a smooth face so it can also be used for finish work. There's even a magnetic nail starter for those small nails that are so hard to work with. The handle is carved out of hickory and is curved for comfort; I personally like a wood handle on a hammer (rather than a steel one) although the other hammers I've selected are steel handled. That's just becoming more common on higher quality hammers.

I've given Snap-On first place for their high quality reputation. This particular hammer is 24 ounce, although they have them ranging from 8 ounces, through 23 ounces. I like a little heftier hammer for the extra impact that it gives. Considering that the purpose of a ball peen is shaping metal and metal doesn't cooperate well with that, I think the extra weight is justified. This one comes with a fiberglass handle, providing long life and some shock resistance. Additionally, there's a rubber sleeve over the handle, for additional shock protection. Snap-On also provides ball peen hammers that have wooden handles. Made in the USA, this hammer is backed by Snap-On's lifetime replacement warranty.

Stanley provides a very nice ball peen hammer, being the only company I know of to provide a graphite handle. Graphite reinforcement of fiberglass is intended to add additional strength, making for a handle that's nearly indestructible and also comes close to feeling just like a wood handle. Stanley even manages to do this at a very reasonable price. As with some of the other hammers, the handle is wrapped in a rubber overgrip, providing excellent grip and additional shock absorption. The head hammer face and peen are polished and the hammer head has an exclusive rim temper for reducing the chance of splitting or chipping. In this case, I've selected a 16 ounce hammer, although they are available ranging from 12 to 40 ounces.

Of all the soft-faced hammers out there, this one from SE is the most versatile. It comes with five interchangeable threaded heads, allowing you to use any combination of two as you need. One of the things that makes it so special is that two of the heads are brass and copper. While it's possible to find brass hammers for non-sparking applications, it's not easy to find brass or copper in an interchangeable head hammer. Thus, these two heads give this tool more flexibility than any other soft-faced hammer around. The other three heads are rubber, nylon and ABS, so there's a nice assortment of material hardness to work with. The head is lightweight aluminum, rather than steel, which means you aren't going to have to worry about using too much force, although you might find yourself frustrated about the lack of weight at times.

A rubber mallet is always handy for persuading things together but this pick from Estwing goes far beyond the typical rubber hammer. Rather than the head being all rubber, this one has a forged steel body weighing 24 ounces to give some impact to your blow. Two different rubber heads, one soft and one hard, give you a choice of striking surface. The heads are larger than your typical soft-faced hammer, providing you with a good striking face. The carved hickory handle is comfortable to hold and rugged enough to last. Estwing has elevated the rubber mallet to a whole new level with this one.

I've got a hammer just like this one which I've had for years. The soft red face and harder yellow face allow me to use it for a wide variety of projects. The heads are also replaceable so you don't need to worry about your tool becoming useless if you overuse it. With a 12 ounce head, there's enough weight to give some impact to my blows without the risk of beating delicate parts to death. The hammers hickory handle is epoxy sealed and wedge locked to the forged head, ensuring there's a permanent connection between the handle and the head.

Tekton's mallet has a tubular steel handle overlaid with a rubber grip. The idea here is to keep the handle light so all the weight is in the head where it does the most good. A lighter weight actually provides a better balance, affording you greater accuracy with your blows. Two replaceable faces are threaded onto the mallet's head, making them replaceable if they become damaged. With a diameter of 35mm, it's a bit bigger around than most of our hammers we've been looking at which have one inch heads. There's also a rubber grip on the handle which provides comfortable use and a non-slip surface.

I give Stanley the best marks on this style of hammer, mostly for producing one of this type with the best impact absorption. The handle is considerably more complicated than competing club hammer, combining several elements to make it more comfortable and protect the user from shock. This includes a rubber shock collar just below the hammer head and a particle-filled fiberglass handle that absorbs vibrations, rather than transmitting them. Finally, a rubber grip helps provide you with a good anti-slip surface while absorbing even more vibration. The hammer head has also been designed with rounded edges, reducing the overall surface area in order to increase the force applied in a narrower area.

Estwing counts on their molded and bonded shock reduction grip to reduce vibration and shock transferred to the user by this hammer. The porous grip of this hammer compresses well under the force of impact, absorbs the shock, then returnins to its normal shape. This happens so quickly that you don't really notice it but the impact of the blow is significantly reduced in your hand. The head and handle are one-piece forged steel, making this hammer basically indestructible. They're also powder coated to protect the tool from rusting and the hammer faces are polished as well. While I've chosen their three pound hammer for this list, they also have a two pound and a four pound version available. The two pound is the lightest drilling hammer on the market.

Vaughan provides a more traditional design of drilling hammer with a hickory handle. While some of the new handle designs have been created to overcome vibration, it's hard to beat what our noble ancestors used. By their nature, wood handles naturally absorb vibration, flexing slightly to reduce the amount of shock transmitted to your hand. The head of this hammer is finished on the sides, to prevent rusting and the hammer faces are polished. There's also the inclusion of wide bevels which help to concentrate the hammers striking force.

I've included this hammer because it's the only 2 1/2 pound drilling hammer I've seen. While not as light as Vaughan's two pounder, the 1/2 pound less in weight makes this hammer easier to use with much lower operator fatigue. While it might seem like you want the heaviest head possible, you'll be able to swing this slightly lighter hammer a whole lot longer before you get tired. The handle is fiberglass with a poly jacket surrounding the fiberglass which makes a great combination for absorbing vibration and shock, especially when you cover it with a rubber grip. The grip itself is actually molded to the handle so it can't slip or come off. A permanent epoxy bond holds the head and handle together.

Vaughan's dead blow hammer is considered a soft faced hammer, because it has nylon faces on both sides. The nylon faces are replaceable, threading into the aluminum head. The faces also have a shoulder on them to absorb the force of side blows which in turn protects the threads. The hammer head contains the shot and is serrated under the nylon face, preventing it from unthreading. By providing replaceable heads on the hammer, Vaughan has eliminated the problem of the hammer itself becoming damaged and causing problems. The head and handle are cast together for added strength and a neoprene molded handle provides for user comfort.

This unique hammer has a brass head on one end with a plastic head on the other. The brass head provides greater impact than plastic will but remains soft enough to prevent marring polished steel and aluminum parts. That's a great option to have when working with metals and situations where a bit more force is required; I say a "bit more" because this is actually a very light hammer with only a 12 ounce head although there's also 24 ounce version available. Brass is also non-sparking so if you need to use this hammer in a workspace where there's the danger of volatile fumes, this hammer is totally safe to use. For example, if you've got a drum of gasoline you need to knock the bung out of, this hammer could handle the task safely and easily without any risk of starting a fire.

I had to get at least one "fairly normal" dead blow hammer in this list for those in the market for one. Of all the normal dead blow hammers, I think that the Proto is the best. This one weighs two pounds which is a nice weight for a variety of tasks without getting heavy. The encapsulated head is spark-resistant as well as non-marring while the fiberglass handle is covered by a rubber grip which absorbs vibrations and shocks well. This is the dead blow hammer you'd want to use on wood projects as well as to knock a dent out of a car's fender. As a general purpose dead blow where you don't need any of the special features of the others, this is the one to reach for.

Although I personally prefer the idea of a rubber and fiberglass handle on a sledge hammer, most manufacturers make them with both fiberglass and the more traditional hickory handles. Hickory does a great job of absorbing vibration and is extremely strong; in fact, tools with hickory handles aren't likely to break, even if you drive your vehicle over them by accident. The handle is 36 inches long, providing you with plenty of swing while the hammer head is forged with machined faces to ensure perpendicularity to the hammer head and the handle. I've picked the 12 pound hammer, but Jackson Professional Tools provides the same design in 6, 8, 10, 16, and even 20 pound versions.

Kobalt is the proprietary brand of Lowe's Home Improvement Center. Created more than anything, to compete with Craftsman tools, they've come up with some good designs which are rugged and built to last. This 10 pound steel sledge hammer has a fiberglass handle for user comfort while the tail end of the handle is rubber coated to provide you with extra grip. There's also a molded-on guard to provide the handle with some good overstrike protection. While the handle is only 36 inches long, you'll hardly notice the difference between that and the 36 inches handles on some of the other hammers we've looked at.