opinions on Estwing hammers

young_buck · Jan 3, 2013

I am looking to finally build onto my hammer drawer that consists of 1 16oz claw hammer. Estwing are sold locally and are made in the U.S.A. and I wondering if any of you have used them and your experiences good or bad. I am looking for a claw, dead blow, ball peen, cross peen and club. If you can recommend other brands that you live by let me know

flippin · Jan 3, 2013

The 28oz milled face Estwing probably hangs on the belts of more framers in North America than all of the other hammers combined. They are first quality product which extends to all of their other speciality hammers as well.

Ksullivan · Jan 3, 2013

I own a 20 oz claw hammer and honestly I don't think I'll ever own another brand of hammer, I'm a carpenter/woodworker by trade and I love how that estwing feels in my hand. Balanced perfectly, the grip absorbs almost all of what you are nailing. I can use one all day long. I own the campers hatchet as well, I love those hammers so much I wouldn't hesitate to fill my hammer drawers with a quality USA made product from estwing.

Terra Nova · Jan 3, 2013

I have a 20 oz rip claw and a 28 oz milled face framer. Love them both, the 20 oz is my go to hammer and about perfect for everything from trim to deck building. The 28 oz framer is great for driving 16s all day but it makes this loud pinging sound when in use. Other than being odd/annoying it's no biggie.

I would like to get their ballpeens too but the cost has kept me from it for now.

I also have the estwing fireside friend which is awesome for backyard bonfires. I highly recommend it

decaf · Jan 3, 2013

Estwing is classic! One of the best hammers IMO. I have the one with leather grip 20oz.
The only thing that is disturbing about it is that when you hit the nail really hard, the hammer starts a whining sound. Otherwise the hammer is great. Some people thinks that the leather grip becomes slippery when wet. I don´t.

PCO6 · Jan 3, 2013

You didn't list a rawhide hammer but I have an old one made by Estwing and it's one of my favourites.

woody 73 · Jan 3, 2013

Estwing are very nice hammers well built that will last you a lifetime of very hard workouts.

brickG-man · Jan 3, 2013

I probably own a dozen or so Estwings including some handed down from my dad. Great product and still made in Rockford, IL since 1923. :thumbup:

cgv69 · Jan 3, 2013

Estwing steel hammers are probably the best made hammers in the world as they are completely indestructible. You will hand them down to your children and they will pass them on to your grand children.

That said, for ball pein hammers, I prefer wood handles. Just a personal preference thing. While not as tough, I feel the wood handle gives me a better feel for what I'm doing which is not always just swinging away. Estwing's wood handled hammers are foriegn made so all of my wood handled ball pein and cross pein hammers are made by Vaughan in the USA and are also available under the Craftsman name.

Another FYI - Estwings red softface and ball pein dead blow hammers are made by Trusty Cook which is another good US manufacturer

The Boss · Jan 3, 2013

Terra Nova said:
I have a 20 oz rip claw and a 28 oz milled face framer. Love them both, the 20 oz is my go to hammer and about perfect for everything from trim to deck building. The 28 oz framer is great for driving 16s all day but it makes this loud pinging sound when in use. Other than being odd/annoying it's no biggie.

The new hammers will "sing" when you first get them but after a few years (about when you wear the milling off the face of the head) they stop. Like TN says - you can walk on to any job site and in a second figure out who has the new hammer.

I've had my 28 for over 20 years now and it is more comfortable in my hand than any other tool I own. I have a 16 too that I use for trim work sometimes but the 28 is never far away.

TommyK · Jan 3, 2013

Estwing 20 oz straight claw is the best general purpose hammer available.

decaf · Jan 3, 2013

brickG-man said:
I probably own a dozen or so Estwings including some handed down from my dad. Great product and still made in Rockford, IL since 1923.

Of course he came from Sweden :rocker:

"Estwing Manufacturing Company was founded in Rockford, Illinois, in 1923 by Ernest O. Estwing. Estwing was an immigrant from Sweden who settled in Rockford with many other Swedish immigrants. "

duke5572 · Jan 3, 2013

The Boss said:
The new hammers will "sing" when you first get them but after a few years (about when you wear the milling off the face of the head) they stop. Like TN says - you can walk on to any job site and in a second figure out who has the new hammer.

Truth. I only swing the 22 oz milled face Estwing, and the two I've been through ping like crazy for the first few thousand nails. It settles down eventually, for sure.

pfctblu · Jan 3, 2013

I used Estwing for many years, never gave it much thought. One thing I'm not a huge fan of is the grip tends to dry out and sort of polish after so much use and can cause problems. Maybe its the temp extremes up here, not sure. Anyone solved this problem?

Craftsman86 · Jan 3, 2013

I have 4 or 5 different Estwing's but like duke5572 said the pinging you get from the first 5 thousand nails drives some people nuts. I also use a 3lb handheld maul that's Estwing for tearing out cast iron tubs. I have no complaints other than the "ping" but after awhile you can tell who on the site is using one based on the sound when they hit the nail.

the1nonlyjl · Jan 3, 2013

Have one... I think mine is 16 oz...not positive. I did use them for decking replacement and hardwood flooring projects. No problem. Estwing is a good name.

zer0cell · Jan 3, 2013

As far as solid steel hammers are concerned Estwing is the best you can buy anywhere imho. Vaughan is also good but I tend to buy the steel Estwings and the Wood handled Vaughans. The 20oz rip claw with smooth face (leather grip or blue softgrip choice is up to you) is the best one to get for all around usage. Other than that you could also get a heavier milled face one for framing. If you want one of estwing's all steel framing hammers you might want to look at the one they call 'big blue' which I believe is something like 25oz and has a long neck. If you want a wood handled one I would recommend the Vaughan 23oz blue max with curved wood handle and nail starter. Hope that helps.

Estwing E3-20S with either grip:
http://www.estwing.com/nh_rip_hammer_leather.php
http://www.estwing.com/nh_rip_hammer.php

Estwing E3-25SM
http://www.estwing.com/nh_builder_series_framing_hammer.php

Vaughan CFB1HCM
http://www.vaughanmfg.com/shopping/...ornia-Framer-With-Curved-Handle__CFB1HCM.aspx

1/2 Cup · Jan 3, 2013

I have had an Estwing 20 oz claw hammer for 30 odd years, used daily for around 20 years when i was still "on the tools" so to speak and it is still as good as new. I would not have another brand other than Estwing.

Super Scout · Jan 3, 2013

When I was about 10 years old I asked my dad (who has worked in hardware all his life) who made the best hammer, without hesitation he replied Estwing, when I turned 12 he bought me one, I still have it. Great hammer, great tool.

McFarmer · Jan 3, 2013

I use an Estwing lump hammer and it seems very good. Rubber handle.

03protege · Jan 3, 2013

Silly question, how is it pronounced?

Does the "est" rhyme with "west"?

Bob-B · Jan 3, 2013

My go to carpentry hammer is a 20 oz straight claw leather handle Estwing. I also have a 16 oz curved claw for lighter work. I too prefer a wood handle ball pein.

bcradio · Jan 3, 2013

Estwing hammers are great. I also like the Stiletto Titanium hammers.

gatewaysysop · Jan 3, 2013

I have just about every size of the ball peen that they make, along with their 4 lb. crack hammer for the heavy duty stuff. I love the all metal construction and they are probably the best made of any hammer I've ever used. I'm sure they will outlive me by no small margin and for the money spent, they're probably one of the best values out there. :rocker:

cheechi · Jan 3, 2013

Dad broke one of the rip claws off his 28oz, that he had for most of my life, sometime in the late 90s. He walks in HD sometime around 2000 and they give him a new one.

We were walking through HD the other day and I swear he spent a good 5 mins just looking and touching the hammers hanging there. I almost bought him one so we could finish up & go.

north · Jan 3, 2013

As a DIY'er I'm mighty pleased with my 16 oz claw hammer.

duke5572 · Jan 3, 2013

03protege said:
Silly question, how is it pronounced?

Does the "est" rhyme with "west"?

Always wondered this myself. I've gotten funny looks on the jobsite when I say Estwing (rhymes with West Wing) but I just watched a video on their website and I WAS RIGHT!

http://www.estwing.com/video/outdoor.html

Alchymist · Jan 3, 2013

Have several, won't buy anything but an Estwing. Also have one of these:

amguttin · Jan 3, 2013

in my opinion it doesn't get better then estwing I am waiting for them to make a dead blow.

young_buck · Jan 3, 2013

amguttin said:
in my opinion it doesn't get better then estwing I am waiting for them to make a dead blow.

they make a polyurethane dead blow :rocker:

Roots · Jan 3, 2013

Even the Chinese hammers carried by Home Depot and Lowes tend to try to mimic Estwing, as much as they can get away with.

Absolutely top notch, although Vaughan is another quality brand to consider.

5lima30 · Jan 3, 2013

I have (4) Estwings they are the best IMHO. They are just about indestructable. Like the others said they are pretty much the industry standard in the building trades.

HaroRider · Jan 3, 2013

I have a 5 lb Estwing, that bad boy has removed many rotors and drums.

jontar · Jan 3, 2013

HI

I have 2 american made estwing hammers, but not all estwings are made in the USA, check out country of origin at these pages

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/2lb-drilling-hammer-fbrglass-handle/980929

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/estwing-24-oz-sure-strike-brick-layers-hammer/913588

Exceller8 · Jan 3, 2013

I have about 7 or 8 Estwing's now. I love their quality and the fact that they'll outlast me. There are the only hammer that I'll buy new. I'm hoping to add more as I find a need for them.

young_buck · Jan 3, 2013

thanks for all of the input guys! I have looked at a few of them around here at local shops but they are not as well advertised in Canada and a lot of folks I know in the field just use either snap on or craftsman

Jawn · Jan 4, 2013

amguttin said:
in my opinion it doesn't get better then estwing I am waiting for them to make a dead blow.

They've been making them for some time. I bought a 45 ounce Estwing deadblow from Home Depot a year or two ago. Made in USA.

jrlp · Jan 4, 2013

I love my Estwing hammers. I've tried lots of brands and have never found something that can hold a candle to them. Sure, you may find one that feels as great in the hand, but won't be as durable. Or the grip angle is different etc..

I have a set of their ball peen hammers, a 2lb all steel mini sledge, their 4lb blacksmith hammer with fiberglass handle, and their 36" camping axe. They all get used and abused. I recently picked up off the side of the road a weird Estwing hammer. I think it may be a brick layers or geologist. Either way they're amazing.

I'm about to add their deadblow set to my toolbox. I just wish they had more selection of pry bars! My only complaint!

Alchymist · Jan 4, 2013

jrlp said:
......"I recently picked up off the side of the road a weird Estwing hammer. I think it may be a brick layers or geologist".

Bricklayer or shingle hammer possibly:

duke5572 · Jan 4, 2013

Alchymist said:
Bricklayer or shingle hammer possibly:

Maybe it was a SCHLOSSERHAMMER!

http://www.estwing.com/i_schlosserhammers.php

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