Rating of the best hammers 2023: review, characteristics, advantages

In order to choose the right hand tool, you need to have experience working with it, at least short, but varied.Choosing a good hammer is easy; you only need to work with the tool for a week to understand what a professional quality hammer should be like.

How and which hammer to choose

Long gone are the days when there was only one hammer in the house for all occasions. They hammered nails and split bricks with one tool. In the workshop of a modern homeowner there should be at least 2 types - for mechanics and for carpentry or carpentry. Although in general the number of models is greater, it is true that they are not always present in the house.

Most often used by professional builders and mechanics:

1. For straightening metal, for example, for car bodies, fence cladding, and repairing metal containers.
2. In roofing work - when laying the roof, for stuffing battens and counter-battens.
3. For laying brick or block walls.

All this is a specialized tool and it is always present in the ranking of the best hammers. You can't go anywhere without them.You can also recall a universal hammer, usually heavy - weighing up to 800 g. It was used mainly for repairs, where you need to hit hard, or as a substitute for a sledgehammer. With such hammers you can do all operations, however, the quality will greatly depend on your skills in handling the tool.

The best locksmith hammers

This is a full-fledged percussion instrument. You have to hit with a plumber's hammer more often and harder than with any other models. Therefore, when choosing, you need to consider:

1. Weight of the firing pin (front) in grams. For a mechanic, 500 grams is enough. But for strong hands and unforeseen circumstances, you can choose a heavier hammer - up to 900 g.
2. Balance or grip is largely determined by the shape of the handle.
3. The presence of heat treatment of the impact surface.
4. Method of attaching the striker to the handle.

Everything else - color, design, tool manufacturer can be ignored.

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Solid forged impact hammer Krafttool

Third place goes to model 20070-05. All-metal forged metal construction with rubber grip.

Characteristics:

1. Weight: 900 g. Of this, the impact hammer accounts for 500 g.
2. The shape of the striker is close to optimal with beveled vertical edges and a blunt wedge.
3. Where you grip it by hand, the handle is covered with oil-resistant rubber with additional notches that prevent slipping.

Overall, the hammer looks like a full-fledged working tool for a car mechanic.

It's too heavy for home use. Plus, the use of a metal handle and oil-resistant rubber makes the hammer reliable, but not very comfortable for small plumbing work.

German locksmith hammer GROSS 10400

Confident first place. The design of the plumber's hammer is better than the previous model.

Main characteristics:

1. The weight of the striker without a handle is 300 g, the total weight is 0.769 kg.
2. The all-metal forged design, the handle with a rubber pad has an orthopedic shape to improve hand grip.
3. The striking surface of the striker is hardened to a hardness of 52 HRC.

For a plumber's hammer, the last point is more of a disadvantage than an advantage. A hardness of 52 units means that with a strong impact the metal will chip, and it is unknown where the fragment will fly. Therefore, the best metalworking hammers should have a moderate hardness, up to 40-45 HRC.

In general, the hammer can be considered successful due to the light weight of the striker. This means that it will be easier to control the impact force. The rating is spoiled by the metal handle and overheated firing pin.

Middle weight category – Stanley 051908

The first place is a typical American hammer for plumbing work around the house. Expressive design and flexible handle shape. The weight of the striker is 500 g, the total weight is 700 g.

In this model, unlike most locksmith hammers, the handle is made of composite, and this is very important:

1. The recoil to the hand upon impact is approximately half that.
2. The balancing changes, the main weight falls on the end of the tool, which means it will be easier to work and the accuracy of the blow will be higher.

The shape of the striker is ideal; the design provides for reinforcement of the handle on the mounting hole. This is a sign of a good mechanic’s hammer that will last a long time, and most importantly, such a tool is safer to use than all-metal structures.

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The best straightening hammers

A good tool for straightening metal should not be heavy; a handle with a profiled surface must be used.The main difference between a good straightening hammer and a conventional tool is that the worker, when gripping the handle, must feel and correctly assess the position of the striker relative to the surface being processed.

Unlike a carpenter's or metalworker's hammer, you need to hit it lightly with a straightening hammer, the main thing is to accurately hit the right place and measure the blow correctly.

A good tool for fine straightening is KING TONY 7842-28

The instrument does not impress with its modern design. In fact, this is a good, if not the best form for straightening thin-walled metal at the final stage.

KING TONY is a rattle hammer. The weight of the striker is 165 g, it is hollow from the inside, the body is machined from aluminum. There is a shot charge inside. This is a good solution if you need to straighten metal that springs under impacts.

Durable polyurethane plugs ensure contact with the surface being treated. The wooden handle, coated with varnish, ensures good grip. Even if the coating wears off, the wood provides grip on the skin of the palms.

MasterDiamond

This is a heavy version of a straightening hammer for initial surface leveling and processing of thick sheet workpieces. The weight of the steel head is 450 g. The tool is distinguished by the good quality of the metal striker. In addition to traditional straightening of car bodies, the hammer can be used as a common household tool.

It is worth noting the good layout:

1. The optimal weight of the head is 450 g, while the shape of the striker makes it possible to work with any materials without the risk of splitting or breaking the surface.
2. The handle is made of fiberglass, but its shape is optimized for a good grip with the palm, whether in a short grip or in a long one.

The only negative is that for straightening you will need to additionally buy a set of linings for the spherical head of the firing pin. They are not included with the hammer.

Model JTC2530

A classic version of a good straightening hammer. Used to pull out small deformations and bends in thin metal. The main purpose is body repair, but the straightening machine provides good quality extraction of small defects, so it can repair any thin-walled metal. For example, wind-bent corrugated board on the fence of a house.

A 300 mm long wooden handle will ensure a good swing, and a relatively wide heel with a diameter of 41 mm will ensure a uniform impact force. It is clear that the striker is not hardened; all good straightening attachments have a soft surface, so chopping bricks or hammering nails will not work.

The good quality of the hammer is confirmed by the lifetime warranty of the manufacturer.

The best hammers for a roofer

Roofing tools are different from ordinary plumbing or carpentry tools. Oddly enough, when laying roofing on the roof of a house, the most common operation is carpentry - you need to drive small and large nails into the rafters, sheathing and counter-lattice. But since this is happening on the roof, you have to work with one hand; the second roofer most often holds on to the ladder.

In this case, you still need to somehow hold the nail, otherwise you won’t be able to hit it correctly with a hammer. Therefore, specialized roofing tools differ from ordinary ones:

1. Less weight and handle length.
2. There is a spike or awl that can be used to make a hole in a sheet of metal tile or simply hook the tool onto a batten to temporarily free your hand.
3. Many models have a nail holder.

This is a groove on the heel of the striker where you can insert a nail with one hand, and then hammer it into the wood (shallow) with a strong blow. That is, all operations using a roofing hammer can be performed almost with one hand.

Third place – Zubr 20203

The manufacturing company classifies this tool as a professional one. The design is quite attractive, although simple in form. The head of the hammer, weighing 600 g, is made of forged metal, the handle is fiberglass with an additional lining of silicone.

The length of the handle is 270 mm, this is enough to drive all nails up to a hundred square meters inclusive. Due to the use of fiberglass, the tool turned out to be light, so the hand practically does not get tired.

The only disadvantage of the BISON is the place where the handle is attached to the striker. It has no reinforcement, so if a novice roofer regularly misses and hits the sheathing with the handle rather than the head, the hammer mount will quickly fall apart.

This model can be considered more successful due to the well-thought-out design of the tool. The axis of the striker is tilted at a small angle in the direction away from the worker. With such a tool it is much more convenient to hammer nails on the roof in conditions where the worker is forced to stand on a ladder or work on a roof with a large slope.

Second place – KRAFTOOL 20181

The design and overall construction is one of the most successful for a roofing hammer. The tool is forged in two parts – a handle and a striker. The weight of the striker is 600 g, the total weight is 800 g. The striker part was carburized and hardened, after which it was forged welded with a handle.

This is one of the few models of specialized tools whose handle is made of chrome vanadium steel.The grip area is covered with dense silicone rubber. The color was chosen well; if you drop such a hammer from the roof into the grass, you won’t have to search for long. The design of the handle itself makes it possible to intercept the tool with one hand. For example, take a hammer by the hammer, place the nail in the groove of the holder with your other hand, then simply lower your hand with the hammer down and let it slide in your palm until it reaches the rubberized lining on the handle.

The hammer has a special groove and a magnet to hold the nail when it first hits wood or roofing. But the main advantage is that the axis of the striker is deflected by a small angle towards the worker. This makes the job easier if, for example, you have to hammer nails while sitting on your knees or squatting.

The only negative of KRAFTOOL 20181 is its high price, for 2400-2500 rubles. You can buy several simpler hammers. Although the service life of KRAFTOOL 20181 will be quite long, 20-25 years, no less.

First place – Stayer ProStrike 20205

It is relatively inexpensive, but it is completely all-metal, forged from tool steel. That is, in terms of strength, such a tool is only slightly inferior to heavy hammers for masons. The weight of the striker is 600 g, the total weight is up to 1000 g. It is somewhat heavier than models with wooden and plastic handles, but its resource is approximately three times higher. And if it is really made of tool steel, as the manufacturing company declares, then the tool has every reason to outlive its owners.

Benefits of Stayer ProStrike:

1. It is well balanced, the center of gravity is behind the head, so there will be no strong kickback in the hand, even if you hit metal or stone.
2. Comfortable handle with ridges for your fingers.The grip is more comfortable, you miss the nail less.
3. Proper design of nail puller and picks.

The shape of the tip and groove for pulling out nails is large enough to pull out the most “hundred”, but does not upset the balance of the tool.

In many roofing models, especially those made in China, the nail puller is made very large, forgetting that the lever arm is reduced, and only a very physically strong roofer can use the device.

The best hammers for a mason

There are 2 types of tools for working with stone. Firstly, in order to chop rubble, a natural hard rock, heavy hammers with a striker weighing up to 1.5 kg are used. For such a tool, a durable handle is selected, up to 60 cm long. The upper part of the striker and the striking surface must be hardened to a hardness of 50-55 HRC. The rest should be viscous and soft, otherwise the hammer can easily split with strong blows.

Secondly, to trim ordinary bricks, a relatively light hammer with a sharp and hardened striker and a short handle is used. The weight of the striker is up to 0.7-1 kg. This tool does not chop, but breaks off the material into small pieces.

Third place - mason's tool Startul ST2008

A good option for manual cutting of bricks. Startul ST2008 differs from most Chinese and German models in its manufacturing technology. The hammer is cut from one continuous forging of metal. This makes it strong and durable.

In order to save metal, competitors’ workpieces are pre-cast, tempered, and then only subjected to forging. As a result, the hammer looks impressive, but due to internal casting defects, such hammers break and crack more often.

Design Features:

1. Optimized heel and piercing head shape.
2. The handle is made flat. It is based on a steel rod in a fiberglass shell with a rubberized lining.

In addition, the hammer is well balanced, the center of gravity is shifted to the front, which is an important condition for the correct distribution of force when striking a stone.

Second place – ZUBR 20155-400 best hammer in the light category

In terms of design, this is a classic tool of good quality, made according to the design of a Soviet construction hammer. The model is composite - the firing pin itself, weighing only 400 g, is mounted on a fiberglass handle.

This is a good decision:

1. The composite design dampens the vibrations that occur when a hammer hits a stone.
2. The handle is made with a reverse wedge. That is, there is a thickening on the front part that will not allow the striker to fall off the handle even with the strongest impact.
3. Stable forging quality. A separate head is easier to forge, good depth of processing and hardening.

The only negative is that for such a design a good handle needs to be made of oak or ash. Fiberglass or fiberglass wears out faster.

First place – medium hammer NEO TOOLS 25-105

The weight of the head is only 600 g, so the tool works well only on chips of high quality metal and moderate hardening of the chisel. A good mason's hammer should not give a strong rebound when struck, so the cutting edge should not be overheated.

The handle has a rubberized lining so you don’t have to worry about swelling if you forget the tool at a construction site in the rain. Convenient to store on the waist belt while working.

A good option for a construction hammer for every day.

The best carpentry hammers

For a joiner or carpenter, the weight of the tool is not as important as a good grip.Typically, a carpenter's hammer is used either to knock down wooden parts or to drive a nail. This is why the best hammers have a “shoemaker” hammer configuration. It is believed that with this shape of the tip, even if you miss the head, the nail does not bend, but simply ricochets along the round heel.

Third place – 20oz/13.5” hammers from FISKARS

Attractive design of the instrument with a stylish orthopedic handle (390 mm). The hammer weighs 570 g and is made of forged steel, which increases the life of the carpenter's hammer. Total weight up to 1000 g.

If you use it to hammer a nail, the tool is too heavy; ideally for carpentry you need a hammer of 300-450 g, and the handle should be twice as light. Here, almost half a kilo is allocated for the handle alone. Moreover, for carpentry work, a metal handle is not needed, wood is not stone, it softens the shock load. Only an experienced joiner or carpenter can hit correctly.

Second place – carpentry tool Stanley FMHT1-51276

One of those tools that are commonly called indestructible. Made of all-metal with a plastic lining in the grip area. It is valued not for the quality of the metal (which is very high), not for the shape and weight of the striker (500 g), but for the design of the nail puller. It’s a paradox, but this is the best carpenter’s hammer you can think of for pulling out fasteners and disassembling wooden packaging.

They are not so convenient for driving nails; many users note strong vibrations on the handle when hitting a hard surface.

First place – TOP TOOLS 02A205

Middle weight hammer. The shape of the striker is rectangular, without any fashionable “boot” heels. This makes the carpenter's hammer safer to use.The firing pin weighs 550g, which is heavier than all-metal competitors.

The main feature of this model is a flat wooden handle 32 cm long, without any rubber or silicone pads. Thanks to the successful shape of the handle, the position of the hammer in the hand is much better controlled if the manufacturing company had sealed the handle in a silicone shell.

The balance of a carpenter's hammer with a wooden handle and a heavier striker is shifted towards the end of the tool. This means that less force will be required to strike, and the hand will work in more comfortable conditions.

The only drawback of the model is that the developers sealed the place where the handle is attached to the striker in epoxy resin. For any hammer, using epoxy does not make sense; the resin will fly off after just a few hours of use, but the tool will still remain functional.

The best hammer may be unprepossessing in appearance, the main thing is that it fits well in the hand, is easy to control when striking and is reliable. If you have to repair the handle or striker more often than work, then it is better to get rid of such a tool right away.

Tell us about your choice, which hammer model, in your opinion, can be considered the most successful. Which model would you choose for your home workshop?

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