Harbor Freight Hammer Mystery

[HFTDave]

So, there's a strange thing happening with HF's wood handle hammers maybe someone could shed some light on. The Pittsburgh 16 oz. claw hammer #66862 and 16 oz. rip hammer #67716 are both suddenly flying off the shelves across the country, both online and in stores. Again, these are the wood-handled hammers, not the fiberglass ones. It came up in a meeting yesterday and no one has a clue as to what's going on. Thoughts?

 

[lbperry]

Dave, are you sure you don't have a glut of the wooden handle hammers and are trying to create a run on them?

 

[shanny19]

I bought all 13 the local store had, thanks for the heads up!!

 

[General Geoff]

Good question, are they being bought by many individuals or just a few?

 

[gungatim]

spring time, more building going on...I would imagine it's a seasonal thing. Do you have sales history over time to identify a trend? construction is up across the country, more entry level builders maybe getting hired on and buying their first cheap hammer?

 

[HFTDave]

lbperry: Ha! Yeah, it crossed my mind someone would think that, but no.
ducksface: The resale might have made sense if it came from one area, but it's all across the country, and online no one person is buying like, say, a hundred of them; they're all individuals. There is Pittsburgh branding on the hammers' heads.
gungatim: That's a reasonable assumption, but we sell a number of different kinds of hammers-- and the fiberglass claws are only a buck more. It's only those two models.

Thanks for all your thoughts.

 

[panknuckshovel]

Might be all the workers/contractors/storm chasers heading to the flooded areas buying them up.

 

[jakemac]

I'd go with gungatim's theory. Check your sales South vs North. The southern states have a build season that starts before the Northern states. In addition, the winter we had delayed a lot of construction up north. This may be reflected in the sales numbers and might prove the theory.

Wood handle vs Fiberglass handle ?
I would guess that the wood handles would generally sell better than the Fiberglass handles. Not because of price, but because of cultural experience. The first hammer most people used as kids had a wood handle. You go with what you're most used to.

I needed to shift my thinking (severely) when I switched from a wood handle to a rubber gripped/ metal shank Estwing. It took an effort to become comfortable with it. At 50, I still won't touch a fiberglass handled tool.

 

[03protege]

Might be all the workers/contractors/storm chasers heading to the flooded areas buying them up.

Highly possible, after Katrina I saw contractors from every state imaginable (save Hawaii).

 

[rsanter]

Some chemist has figured out how to make meth from the chemicals used to coat the hammer handles

Bob

 

[zx2slow]

Everyone is getting really really angry and a $3 hammer clobbers stuff real good?

 

[panknuckshovel]

Highly possible, after Katrina I saw contractors from every state imaginable (save Hawaii).

Yah, saw an electric utility contractor fueling up all the trucks and heading that way the other day. They had quite a few homer buckets full of new tools in the back of the trucks, new chainsaws and pole saws and the like.

 

[PelicanPines]

Todd Hoffman figured out theres gold in the wooden handle... he is having all his friends buy them up and they will mine them for gold next season on Gold Rush !!!

Actually I agree... tis the season to build stuff and HF makes a mighty nice wack a nail tool.

 

[theoldwizard1]

The fiberglass handled "engineer's hammer" has been discontinued. Only wood handle.

 

[PureLeaf]

Mafia realised they're cheaper than concrete and has started buying them to weigh down bodies in the harbor

 

[Fugio]

In my experience, the rip hammers are always in much less abundance than the claw variety. No idea why.

But yeah, probably a combination of seasonal and flood repair.

 

[lbperry]

Just giving you a hard time, Dave.
I try to make it to HF every time I am in a city that has one.
I've got enough hammers though.
Good Luck,

 

[3baygarage]

Some chemist has figured out how to make meth from the chemicals used to coat the hammer handles

Bob

My first thought as well.

 

[franzdom]

HF Selling stuff? This really is a mystery.

Oh sorry, I got you confused with Sears

 

[u118224]

I needed to shift my thinking (severely) when I switched from a wood handle to a rubber gripped/ metal shank Estwing. It took an effort to become comfortable with it. At 50, I still won't touch a fiberglass handled tool. [/QUOTE]

Speaking of wooden hammer handles, I bought several Vaughn ball peens from Epstein last year. They called me to say that they were out of stock on a wooden handled version and would I like a fiberglass (or whatever it was) handled version instead? I said no, I'd wait for the wooden version. Jory then told me that almost everyone wanted wooden handled hammers. I guess we older guys don't like change

 

[bczygan]

Peter, Paul and Mary concert?

Us HF customers are cheap bastards, and a buck is a buck.

Plus wood handles don't shock the user as much as FG.

 

[jakemac]

Peter, Paul and Mary concert?

HA !
That joke may be a little too old for most of this crowd. View media item 41922

 

[rlitman]

I bought all 13 the local store had, thanks for the heads up!!

LOL. I almost spit my coffee on my keyboard when reading this one!

I too agree that it's probably just a seasonal thing.
As for the fiberglass being $1 more than the wood handle, for my part, even if the fiberglass were the same price, I'd pick the wood handle (though like a poster above, I've got a strong affinity towards Estwing).

Wood has a nicer feel, and while the picture of the fiberglass hammer on the HF website looks real nice, I suspect that the rubber inset handle reeks of the typical nasty Chinese plastic smell that seems to permeate HF stores (heck, there should be a Proposition 65 warning on the store's front door that says that breathing the air in there may cause cancer in California). For that alone, I'd avoid it like the plague.

 

[panknuckshovel]

Mafia realised they're cheaper than concrete and has started buying them to weigh down bodies in the harbor

So across the ocean then in the ocean?

Some chemist has figured out how to make meth from the chemicals used to coat the hammer handles

Bob

Then you could use the hammer head to bust up the meth.

Peter, Paul and Mary concert?

Hopefully not to use on folk singers

 

[Youngguns]

I don't want to be that guy, but I honestly don't know how you sell any fitted handle (i.e., wood) hammers. I once picked up every single wood handled hammer in my store and each one had a lose head. Not a single, tight hammer head. It was ridiculous! I get that some things at HF aren't the highest quality, but seriously?

 

[HFTDave]

Again, thanks for the input. I would have walked away accepting the seasonal explanation, except the mucky-mucks here live and breathe seasonal... and usually pick up on nuances like Hurricane Sandy, etc. Tell ya what, though, if we ever figure it out, I'll share.

lbperry: No worries, friend. Y'all are great. I'm sure there are some who still believe that, though.

youngguns, I wish I had an answer for you, but that's the first I ever heard that. I'll pass it on to Product Management.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I don't want to be that guy, but I honestly don't know how you sell any fitted handle (i.e., wood) hammers. I once picked up every single wood handled hammer in my store and each one had a lose head. Not a single, tight hammer head. It was ridiculous! I get that some things at HF aren't the highest quality, but seriously?

That's been my experience with HF sledge hammers. We used to have a bunch of them and they all loosened up really quick.

 

[thewatusi]

Really? I have a HFT 3lb sledge and after pounding in a bunch of stakes, busting up some cinder blocks, and murdering a smelly hobo it's still as good as the day I bought it.

 

[Builder302]

What about an organization actvity? I know I did scouts with my son this year, most of those activities are timed to occur across the the country at roughly sometime.

When the pinewood derby came lots of recommended tools and purchases. If the scouts or some other group recommended or provided a link to your particular hammers I can see a lot of individual sales across the country.

Keep us posted

 

[Strouty]

Very interesting, never would have thought there would be a run on wooden handled hammers. I own plenty, I use them when welding, anything with rubber tends to melt.

 

[Carves]

Peter, Paul and Mary concert? ................

For the younguns ....

.

 

[Caman]

Did someone post it to Slickdeals????

 

[chris142]

Someone on a forum said that they were a good buy. And every one on that forum went and bought one.Same thing happens here with duralast ratchets,HF composition ratchets etc.

 

[Strouty]

I do like those composite ratchets!

 

[Gmonkee]

Really? I have a HFT 3lb sledge and after pounding in a bunch of stakes, busting up some cinder blocks, and murdering a smelly hobo it's still as good as the day I bought it.

You probably let the head set in a puddle of the hobo's blood causing the handle to not dry out and shrink. The epoxy set heads as opposed to the wood wedg set heads always get loose faster. The epoxy is hard and doesn't withstand the impacts over time.

I'd but a swap meet loose head long before any epoxy set built hammer anymore. At least me selecting a good ash or hickory handle and the trimming and wedging it myself I'll know its good to use.

 

[dledmo]

I also do like the composite ratchets, my go to at work but impossible to keep clean. I also have a wooden handle hammer from HF but I bought that a few years ago.

 

[1foxracing]

There is a woman around me that takes wooden handle hammers then decorates the handle with script ( #1 Dad, You're the best, ect) and sells them for gifts. With fathers day approaching this might be the reason for the spike in sales.
Maybe check crafting websites and see if this is trending across the country? Not sure if these are Pittsburgh brand or not?
https://scontent-lga1-1.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/11295736_828606777186493_4768818138664927060_n.jpg?oh=6c0642be27f34dc93fda33cc885f63f4&oe=5601D2A1

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

There is a woman around me that takes wooden handle hammers then decorates the handle with script ( #1 Dad, You're the best, ect) and sells them for gifts. With fathers day approaching this might be the reason for the spike in sales.
Maybe check crafting websites and see if this is trending across the country? Not sure if these are Pittsburgh brand or not?
https://scontent-lga1-1.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/11295736_828606777186493_4768818138664927060_n.jpg?oh=6c0642be27f34dc93fda33cc885f63f4&oe=5601D2A1

I think you nailed it. This seems to be popular on Pinterest and Etsy as a Father's Day gift idea this year. That would explain why it is only the wooden handles.

 

[1foxracing]

If Harbor Freight wants to offer a prize for the correct answer I would accept a 72" industrial roller cabinet

 

[toddoky]

My first thought as well.

Nope, there's a national shortage of chopsticks in Chinese restaurants and a cheap source of disposable, cadmium tainted wood was needed to remedy the situation.