The Best Hammers and Mallets
A good hammer is forged, not cast. The head and handle are balanced so that the energy from the swing arrives at the nail face, not your wrist. These are the hammers that carpenters keep for forty years and that feel right from the first swing.
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How to Choose
Weight is a function of the task: 16 ounces for general carpentry and finishing, 20 to 22 ounces for framing. Curved claw for pulling nails; straight ripping claw for prying and demolition. For handle material: Estwing's forged steel one-piece construction is indestructible; traditional hickory handles have a better feel and absorb vibration more naturally but can loosen over decades. A wood mallet is for driving chisels -- never use a steel hammer on a chisel handle.
Estwing 16-Oz Curved Claw Hammer
Estwing has been making one-piece forged steel hammers in Rockford, Illinois since 1923. The E316C is forged from a single bar of American steel -- no joint between head and handle. The leather grip wrap absorbs shock. It will never loosen, never break at the neck, and never need a new handle. The 16-ounce curved claw is the standard for finish and general carpentry.
The most durable hammer made. One piece of American steel that cannot come apart.
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Estwing 22-Oz Framing Hammer
The same Estwing forged construction at framing weight. The 22-ounce head drives 16-penny nails in fewer swings. The straight ripping claw handles the demolition work that goes alongside framing. For anyone building decks, framing walls, or doing serious rough carpentry, 22 ounces is the right weight.
When 16 ounces is not enough. The Estwing framing hammer is what production carpenters reach for.
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Vaughan 20-Oz California Framer
Vaughan has been making hammers in Hebron, Illinois since 1869. The California Framer has a drop-forged head, an American hickory handle, and a milled face that grabs nail heads rather than glancing off them. The wood handle feels better in hand than forged steel on a long framing day. It can be replaced when worn.
For the carpenter who prefers the traditional feel of wood over forged steel handles.
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Thorex 712 Dead Blow Mallet
A dead blow mallet has a hollow head filled with steel shot that absorbs the rebound from each strike, concentrating force into the work. The Thorex 712 is the professional-grade dead blow used in assembly work and carpentry where a steel hammer would mark the surface. The face is replaceable when worn. An essential tool for anyone using chisels or assembling furniture.
The mallet to use when you need force without damage or rebound. Irreplaceable for chisel work and joinery assembly.
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