Which framing hammer do you prefer?
- Stiletto “Ruger Titanium Professional†14oz.
- Stiletto TB II 15 oz
- Stiletto Mini 14 oz.
- Estwing – Steel Handled
- Estwing – Weight-Forward
- Shark Grip 24 oz. (aka “The Duck”)
- Latshaw Cobra
- Douglas DFR
- Vaughn California Framer
- Vaughn BlueMax
- Stanley Antivibe
- Stanley Fatmax
- Dead On Ti7 Titanium
- Dead On Graphite
- Fuller Wavex
- Other
You will not be able to change your vote.
Replies
that's all there is to choose from???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
What would you like to include?Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
oh, maybe Hart? Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"
God say, "No." Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin' you better run"
Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done?"
God says, "Out on Highway 61."
Touche - I had the Hart on my list, but neglected to add it to the poll. Whoops.Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
All right, I finally get to vote in an FHB poll<G> Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"
God say, "No." Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin' you better run"
Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done?"
God says, "Out on Highway 61."
Hart 21 oz, straight handle.
I am with tom on this one, but want to add
that i prefer my vintage Hart's to the new ones, as well as preferring Hart to Daluge, and
if you look closely at the face of the Hart it is not beveled on the corners like the vaughn and others. I use that 90 degree sharp corner on my hart all the time, and miss it when i use a tool that doesn't have it.
Hart...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
just out of curiosity...
why aren't they listed alphabeticly or are they already in prefered order...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Shut up & vote.
Joe H
I did...
democraticly....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Their not in any particular order, but are sort of grouped together by brand name.
...I'd like to start the poll over and add in the other hammers mentioend here, but we're up to 150 votes and it seems like it would be silly to make everybody do a re-vote. Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
Damm Justin.... you gotta have the Vaughn Ti-Tech on that list!View Image
Yes, add that one. The TiTech is what I am using now.
Also add the Dalluge Sweet 16, which I was using until the van got emptied.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
what about the Auto-Hammer???"Dogs don't follow an emotional leader. They follow the dominant leader. We are the only species that follows an unstable leader. "
Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, in an interview in National Geographic Magazine
Auto hammer?!!! I want one too. I especially want that one that hits it into a joist hanger in one swat. sometimes I have to shoot five nails with my Hitachi to get one to stick but the guy in the commercial can swing the hammer with a full swing and find the little hole!
That gets my vote.
blue
Of the choices listed, I voted for the Vaughan California Framer....obviously you can't list all hammers available.
The Cali. Framer is actually a bit large for my tastes. My choice would actually be the slightly lighter, 22 oz. wood handled, waffle head. That thar is a perfect hammer!
Happy
Holidays
Hart "Woody" - California framer
Forrest
Douglas FR20s
Before that Hartz framers , axe handle
Before that Stanley tubular steel handle
Before that the litle plastic ones that came with my first tool set.
;-)
Estwing Rules although I am growing fond of my Douglas...
I wonder if the ancesters of the 300$ hammer crowd wandered around the prehistoric world looking for just the right rock to use as a bludgeon, while the estwing ancestors just took one that got the job done and got the mammoth on the table( or cave floor) and didn't worry about caveman elbow???
"Dogs don't follow an emotional leader. They follow the dominant leader. We are the only species that follows an unstable leader. "
Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, in an interview in National Geographic Magazine
Hammers are so retro.
View Image
Tune in Tokyo.
I prefer the Stiletto 16oz “MuscleHead,” which by the way, is not on your list.
In case you didn’t already know, I’m a staunch promoter of wooden handled hammers. Its lack of vibration is a carpenter’s best defense against carpel-tunnel-syndrome.
Wood is also lighter than fiberglass or steel. That’s one reason I like titanium heads, they’re light-weight. In my experience, no aspect of carpentry moves faster than wood framing. That makes the weight of a framing hammer a serious consideration.
There is another factor, however, that I think warrants even more consideration when considering titanium. Titanium is rust proof. When you buy a titanium tool, you’re investing in a tool you can count on using for a lifetime. While wooden handles will occasionally break, the handles can be replaced rather inexpensively.
Whenever framing, I prefer a mill face, because it prevents the head from slipping off the nail. I also prefer a curved handle, because it prevents the hammer from slipping out of my hand. The Stiletto also comes with a handy magnetic nail starter.
The only drawback to a Stiletto is that its wooden handles are a little too fragile. For this reason, I like to keep a Hart hammer handy for those days I might have to do some heavy prying. I have come to prefer the Hart brand over Vaughn, because while comparably priced, Hart hammers don’t seem to rust as badly.
-T
Sorry, but I just had to check this justification for titanium.
There is another factor, however, that I think warrants even more consideration when considering titanium. Titanium is rust proof. When you buy a titanium tool, you’re investing in a tool you can count on using for a lifetime.
Do you really think a steel hammer is going to rust itself into a state that it couldn't be used?
Yeah....that seemed like an odd statement to me as well.
'Cept for my FIL, who leaves ALL of his hand tools lieing around in his backyard (including an 80 pc. ratchet set I gave him for his Bday some years back) until he needs them, I've never considered rust an issue with a hammer.
Happy
Holidays
Sorry Journeyman, never heard of the Muscleman - I'll have to look that one up...is it still made?Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
http://store.stilettotools.com/Detail.bok?no=33-T
I use an other. Its a 20 oz. Vaughn curve claw head with a replacement ax handle. Great balance and feel, for me any way.
Mike Merisko
http://www.sawkerfs.com
Mike Merisko
http://www.sawkerfs.com
There's no spot for my 18 oz. Blue Grass with longer replacement handle.
There's no spot for my 18 oz. Blue Grass with longer replacement handle.doode, where are you?...I've got a pretty good BlueGrass collection, from miter saws to hammers, never seen an 18oz'er...got an extra you want to move? Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"
God say, "No." Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin' you better run"
Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done?"
God says, "Out on Highway 61."
North central Ohio, it was a gift from my father many, many moons ago. My brother has one and my father still has his. There was one in a local auction a couple years back still kicking myself for missing the auction.
Blue Grass? Is that the brand name or model name?Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
Justin,Blue Grass is a manufacturer.
Belknap, Louisville, Trade Mark, Blue Grass The model no.. BG47R-18. This was given to me in the early 70's. Six or seven years ago, I ordered a 10 oz. and 16 oz. through the local Ace hardware. They only said Blue Grass on them, Belknap was no longer mentioned. They may not have been nationaly distributed in earlier years. The head looks a lot like some of the Harts. I have all straight claw type.
Edited 12/14/2006 12:18 pm ET by McPlumb
Sorry the more I think about it, it was the Vaughn's that they looked like
Edited 12/14/2006 12:22 pm ET by McPlumb
I voted for Douglass but I used a hart for 15 years prior to it.Karl
Well you're already getting beat up over it. All time fav is the original "Woody" axe handle from Hart. That was one helluva hammer. Douglas is a distant second.
I'm in a perpetual state of mourning since the claw on my Hart snapped. Someday I'll find one at a garage sale.
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
<I'm in a perpetual state of mourning since the claw on my Hart snapped.>
"Here I sit, broken-Harted . . .
Forrest
Oh. Also, I got my last Woody and extra handle at JustHammers.com
Forrest
I have 2 or 3 of them , slightly used(;-) ) as in the claws won't grab nails for pulling, the faces don't have much bite but if you really want one I can probably send you one.
that aint used, thats used up.
I figure ProDek has got me by ten years. He'll probably pass on before me. When I'm about 70, I'll get a brand new one out of his collection. :-)Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
rigging axe/ hart finish hammer
I'd split the options into Ti and Steel, then offer choices in each.
I use Ti in various versions.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
The Harts were always my favorites, till the deathsticks came around. I used them for years, beatin' the sh*t outa wood that wouldn't fit.
Then I got a stiletto. Wow, it was light. It flew outa my bags with so much speed I could flip it end to end as it came outa the hook and POUND a 16d inta a 2x12 header. Seriously. It's so light and fast, you can work it with your wrist and elbow seemlessly. The balance is perfect.
the only thing I don't like is I work on 'crete slabs and driving hardened cut nails thru my sill plates. The hardened steel rips chunks off of the titanium head unless it "dead on", sometimes even then.
Maybe soon I'll spring for one of the new $250+ models with steel heads.... one last thing, at first I couldn't move a tight stick with my stiletto like I could with my 24oz califramer. I got used to it and know how to swing all out now, and I can tap "jack studs" in a remodel situation easily now. It's more subtle and controlled than the sledge hammer mentality of the harts.JK
Edited 12/14/2006 12:00 am ET by KirkpatrickFramer
I'd split the options into Ti and Steel....
Hey, hey, hey.......whattabout wood handled?
This is a message board for professionals ya know.
Happy
Holidays
Edited 12/14/2006 1:32 pm ET by JDRHI
I'd split the options into Ti and Steel....
Hey, hey, hey.......whattabout wood handled?
This is a message board for professionals ya know.
@@@ Yes, heads, that is. The Ti head with steel nose makes sense.
With the exception of the rare and wonderful Stilletto with the aluminum handle, all my Ti hammers have wood handles. I favor a curved wood handle.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
I'd like to see the ages of those who prefer a steel handled hammer. Young or else not using it much, I'd bet.
That steel sends the shock straight up your arm like a tuning fork and IT WILL HURT YOU OVER TIME!
Yes, I've used steel and wish I hadn't. I cringe now when I see my old Estwings.
Something with a wood handle and 22 to 24 oz weight is about right for me, but I don't frame on a regular basis any longer.
"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd."
~ Voltaire
I want my True Temper Rocket back. Summun stole it ten years ago, and it was my favorite. It's been replaced with a wood-handled Vaughn '999' but I'd rather have my Rocket.
Edited 12/14/2006 4:55 pm ET by JonE
I want my True Temper Rocket back. Summun stole it ten years ago, and it was my favorite.
You're in luck, he put it on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/TRUE-TEMPER-JET-ROCKET-HAMMER-B16-NICE_W0QQitemZ270068531469QQihZ017QQcategoryZ39730QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
View Imagejt8
"When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." -- Alexander Graham Bell
Oh I'm looking all the time, I saw that one but it's a 16. I had a straight-claw 20.
Not on the list:
24 oz Vaughn framer, not the California style.
Years ago was the same hammer in a 32 oz, then went to a 28 oz, used to use the 'little' 24 oz for sheathing and decking, now it's my framing hammer, LOL.
_______________________________________________________________
I do all of my own stunts
They still make the 32oz Vaughan (non-California) framer. I've got one and it's a beast. I gotta bring my "A" game when I pull that thing out.View Image
In my 30+ years of construction, I've never owned a hammer that heavy
but I think worm drives are too heavy, too.
Yer a real man
I said I own one Shep..... it sure ain't my daily driver. It was for about six months though. Truth is, I'm so used to titanium hammers at this point that I'd have to work back up to it from about 22 or 24oz.
Most comfortable steel head framing hammer I ever used was a 25oz Estwing with a hickory handle. A lot of people don't realize that Estwing makes a couple really nice wood handled hammers as well as those steel shaft tendon wreckers. 25oz, California head, and a straight hickory handle. Yep those were nice hammers.
But for the past couple years I've been totally sold on the Vaughan Ti-Tech. Straight hickory handle, 16oz titanium head, with a replaceable steel striking face. Very nice hammer and reasonably priced too. And nobody's hickory seems to hold up as well as Vaughan's in my experience. View Image
you know, I was wrong.
I do have a hammer that heavy
my hand sledge
and I don't use that as my daily driver, either
It'd be a little tough on the trimwork LOL
Even way back when, when I was framing, the heaviest hammer I had was a 22-oz. Estwing. And that was heavier than my dad's or brother's. Fortunatley, guns came out pretty quick after that. <G>
you can screw on a new face on those hammers.Thats funny. When your doin trim do you dig in your bags and screw on a smooth face, that would give the boys a chuckleView Image
Edited 12/14/2006 8:45 pm by fishdog
You know the difference between a Finish Carp and a Framing Carp????
...
...
...
The finish carps Hatchet is sharp!"Dogs don't follow an emotional leader. They follow the dominant leader. We are the only species that follows an unstable leader. "
Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, in an interview in National Geographic Magazine
The rigging axes can be pretty handy. Mine sat in my garage for probably 10 years ,
only to be used as a pipe on occasion. Seems like the hickory and steel hardend up
over that time . I scratch a little warm water sexwax on the cold days and i bend
one, drop one, and drive one one.
32 oz? I'd think that would pull my toolbelt right off me.
My douglas 21 oz. is plenty for me. I'm thinking about trying one of those Ti-techs one of these days, but I really hardly swing a hammer enough to make it worthwhile. If I could get the smooth face and use it on trim, too, that might do it for me.zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
I hadn't seen a 32 in a long time, although I might still have the head of one around somewhere.
My framing glory days were 25 years ago and back then I had no trouble with the 32, plus you always had a sledgehammer on ya if you needed one, LOL. I framed a lot of houses without an air nailer in sight. Still have a grip that can crush bone, and my elbow troubles had nothin' to do with hammers.
As the years went zippin' by, I did less and less framing, and I found that when it came time to frame off and on, the 32 was then just too heavy if you weren't framin' all the time, so I went to a 28.
So now in the days of air nailers, when I am framing, I use the 24 for pretty much everything.
I do have a Dalluge Titanium sweet sixteen that just feels awesome in the hand, but it's just too nice to use. It has never touched nail, I just pick it up and swing it once inna while._______________________________________________________________
I do all of my own stunts
What about the dalluge or plumb hammers those are also killer framing bats
Hart 20 Deck hammer. Love those wood handles.
Headstrong, I'll take on anyone!
I've got the 19oz version of the Vaughan CA Framer and really like the feel and weight. I hardly frame any more and it's real gentle on my rapidly aging elbows. Of course when in doubt there's always the 3# mason's hammer :-)
Dalluge TI.
But any TI with a long axe handle would work for me.
Some days I wish I'd bought the kind with the swappable heads though. The waffles on my Dalluge disappeared 4 or 5 handles ago.