Hammer technology – It is a hand tool and we love them

There are more hammers than you can shake a stick at…well technically hammering does involve some stick waving but there are so many varieties of hammers. 

It’s a tool that is used universally and next to a screwdriver, is probably the most reached for item in your toolbox, right?

They’re most often used to drive nails, but they actually have many other jobs as they are such a versatile tool.

Think about it, what other tool can do as many jobs as hammer?

With many new models of hammer coming to market, the premise remains the same – a handle with a mainly blunt object on the end. 

It’s a hand tool that requires your grunt to work properly, as well as hand eye coordination. If you are not of usual exposure to the use of a hammer, then you are pretty likely to be causing a wee bit of self-inflicted injury as you get used to your new tool. 

Hammers do not change they just get smarter – not that they can answer questions or anything. 

New hammers have tested various different materials that enable the wielder to do their job better. A recent surge in materials technology is enabling new hammers to be lightweight and yet still do the job of their heavier counterparts, whilst still keeping the vibration levels low for the end user.

The weight of a hammer is one of the most important deciding factors when choosing a hammer, especially if you use one all day long. You need it to be light enough to swing nicely, but heavy enough to do its job and drive a nail down in as little blows as possible.

Lighter hammer heads are a widely popular choice as they allow for a faster swing velocity. However, a good swing velocity is also helped out by various handle designs. When buying a new hammer, you need to take into account the vibration-absorbing materials, length and angle. To find the best framing hammer, it needs a combination of certain head and handle qualities that make it feel “right”.

What are the different types of hammers?

Spike Claw

Engineers Hammer

Magnetic Claw

Demolition Hammer

Carpenters Hammer

Framing hammer

Steel Lump Hammer

Rip claw hammer

High Velocity Claw Hammer

Roofers Hammer

How much does a typical hammer cost?

The cost of hammers varies depending on various factors, such as the structure and size. Typically, the range from £15 up to £50 and you can choose the best one suited to your needs.

To make the process of choosing a hammer slightly easier, we have put together a short buying guide with all of the components to look out for when you’re in the hammer market…

• Type of hammers: Depending on your work, you will need to look into each hammer and decide one which is best suited to your needs.
• Size: The longer the hammer, the greater the swing. The swing and blows from a long hammer are usually much greater than those from a shorter hammer. For home DIY’ers a small to medium sized hammer would be just fine.
• Face type: Smooth face hammers are perfect if you don’t want to get rough with the object you’re working with or lose its original shape. 
• Weight: The weight of the hammer mainly depends on the weight of the head. Normal hammers, which are suitable for most jobs around the home, weigh in at around 8-10 ounces.
• Comfortable handle: If you’re a perfectionist at work, you will want to pay attention to the handle of the hammer so you can obtain a comfortable grip.

Looking for our opinion?

Go on then… we’ll let you into a little secret – we have our favourites.

Our favourite hammer in the TOOLKiT office is the Framing Hammer like the Ultex Prymate (brings out the primate in us!) and the Fiskars Carpenter’s Hammer. 

They are both such beautiful tools

But if you like a general-purpose hammer then you cannot go wrong with the Roughneck VRS Low Vibe roofers hammer, a real 400g babe!