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Milled Faced vs. Smooth Hammer Heads
This is an easy decision. A milled-faced hammer (sometimes called waffle-head) has a little traction, if you will, and is designed to drive in a nail without bending it over. But that final blow is going to leave a waffle shaped mark on the surface. That’s okay for rough framing, but if you work with any material like interior trim, where a waffle-shaped mark would be undesirable, then get yourself a hammer with a smooth-faced head.
What the Pros Had To Say:
“I use three different DeWalt hammers. The 22oz framing hammer, the 14oz finish hammer, and the 22oz demo hammer,” says general contractor Stu Cushman. “I swear by all of them for the comfort of handles, longer necks, and oversized faces. I can swing them all day and not get fatigued, the balance is awesome. I’ve been a carpenter/general carpenter for over 25 years and use a hammer for almost everything I do. I have found that the DeWalt line works best for me.”
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Are Titanium Hammer Heads Worth the Money?
Hammers with a titanium head typically cost between $75 and $200, but they can reach the $300 neighborhood. So what do you get for all that money? More bang where you want it. When a steel head strikes a nail, about 30% of the energy from the blow recoils back up the hammer. When a titanium hammer head strikes a nail, only 3% of the energy bounces back. This means a titanium hammer will get the same results as a much-heavier steel hammer.
Also, this recoiled energy from a steel hammer head doesn’t just vanish into the ether; some of it will find its way back into the joints of the person swinging the hammer in the form of vibrations. If you pound in a bunch of nails every day and would enjoy properly functioning wrists, elbows, and shoulders 10 years from now, then invest in a titanium head hammer.
We recommend this model from Stiletto.
“All day, every day I swing a 14-oz. Stiletto with an 18-in. wooden handle,” says framing carpenter Jonah Jardine. “It doesn’t weigh hardly anything, but it swings like a 24-oz. monster.”
Titanium hammers are genuinely amazing, but be advised: You may want to keep a steel hammer on hand for your demo work because steel is actually harder than titanium. Or you could buy a hammer with a steel head (or head face) and a titanium handle, combining the best of both worlds.
What the Pros Had To Say:
“We do not recommend excessively beating on hardened steel objects such as steel nail pullers, pry & crow bars, concrete stakes, foundation bolts, scaffolding pins & cup-locks, etc., as these objects will cause the milling on the solid Stiletto titanium hammer face to wear down faster, just as they would on a steel milled face,” says Joel Allen, manager of sales & service for Stiletto Tools. “The wear is typically just faster when used [titanium] in these applications, but usually no chipping or spalling (mushrooming) occurs.”
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