Nsynewbie Posted September 3, 2018 Report Share Posted September 3, 2018 As the DIY newbie, I am shopping for one or more (if necessary) hammers to start a backyard project. At Home Depot, Lowe's, etc., I saw a wide variety of hammers. Which ones should I get for someone who never have one in my life yet? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bcsnyder Posted September 3, 2018 Report Share Posted September 3, 2018 Estwing hammers are quality and very reasonable in price. Get a straight rip claw like the one in the pic. I use a 16 oz. daily.Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jronman Posted September 4, 2018 Report Share Posted September 4, 2018 I like something with a nice soft grip. If you are doing rough work you may want a milled faced hammer sometimes called checkered or waffle. For finish type work you may want a smooth faced hammer. The hammer I currently use is a stanley fatmax antivibe 22 oz hammer. The grip is a nice soft rubber and everything else is all steel which is very nice. It has both a milled faced option and a smooth faced option. I have both options. They are around $20. I feel like the price is reasonable for what you get. I personally do not like wood handle hammers or curved claws but that is just my personal opinion. Eventually I wouldn't mind trying a Martinez Titanium hammer but they are pricey. Bottom line if you can only afford one hammer you should get a 16- 20 oz hammer with a rip claw and a smooth face. If you can afford 2 hammers I would go with a 22 oz with milled face and rip claw and a 16-20 oz with a rip claw and smooth face. Any other hammer is more specialty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regopit Posted September 14, 2018 Report Share Posted September 14, 2018 Over the years I have owed more hammers then I care to think about. My hammer of choice these days is a Stiletto but, for a home owner DIY you can't go wrong with the 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgidMakita Posted September 16, 2018 Report Share Posted September 16, 2018 Estwing 20oz claw hammer is my favorite. Was my first hammer 9 years ago. Have been through 3 now though, not due to breaking. One was dropped in a lake from a dock project, couldn't recover it. The second one was stolen from a jobsite over a weekend. So now I'm on number 3. Great all around hammer, I find 20oz is the perfect weight for any situation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulengr Posted September 23, 2018 Report Share Posted September 23, 2018 Claw hammers are OK for wood but useless for just about everything else and the claw is so so on hail pulling. I carry a machinists hammer which has two flat hammer:https://www.lowes.com/pd/Estwing-40-oz-Smoothed-Face-Steel-Machinists-Hammer/1000382011This does 95% of the work. Others are a dead blow hammer for soft material,, aa planishing hammer and similar ones for sheet metal shaping if you do sheet metal work.and a spike maul for aiming at small targets. You use a spike maul by holding the narrow end on the spot you want to hit and hit the big end with the machinists hammer. For big jobs get a bigger hammer aka sledge hammer.If I only had one hammer it would be a machinists. The second would be either dead blow or spike maul. Then a dead blow when needed.If you need nail pulling, get a nail puller. If you're a carpenter then it's mostly nails so the straight head claw hammer makes sense. But I found my pry bar with a nail puller hole works MUCH better so I have no use at all for claws. So I only use it in a pinch if I'm doing carpentry.Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolgeek8426 Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 I personally prefer the 19 oz California framer from Vaughan also comes with straight handle and in 23 oz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.