Ball Peen/Pein hammer

[jjarrell4]

What are yall rocking for ball peens?
I am looking at getting the craftsman 5 pc set for $60
But I am an avid fan and supporter of Estwing, all my claws and drilling hammers are Estwing and in my mind they are the Rolls Royce of hammers.
Since estwing ball peens are like $20-30 new a piece, I was thinking craftsman. Still made in usa and hickory handles are pretty solid.

What do yall think/use?

 

[Mike83]

The Craftsmans are rebadged Vaughan hammers. Very good tools. I would recommend the Craftsman versions since they can be warrantied more easily IMO. I do agree that Estwings are sweet, but the price, esp for a whole set, puts me off.

I do use Estwing for all my curved claw and rip claw hammer needs.

 

[wornoutoldman]

Snap On deadblow ball peen. You'll throw your other hammers away.

 

[D9H 90V]

Snap On deadblow ball peen. You'll throw your other hammers away.

100% truth there!!!!!!!!!!
it like the 16oz dead blow ball peen is equal to or better then a normal 32oz ball peen

 

[asp]

Hmm, if it weighs twice as little, works twice as well, it must cost at least 4x as much.

 

[Stuey]

Wood handled Craftsman or vaughan or great. I have steel handled Estwing and Vaughan, but don't use 'em much. Recently picked up a dead blow ball pein but haven't really used it yet.

 

[DRhodes]

Hmm where did you find the 5 piece set for $60?

It's normally $100 around here.

 

[woody 73]

I like all kinds of hammers have you ever tried a Nupla hammer? very light weight and well made...

 

[cowboy73]

I just have some well worn, rusty ones from the flea market!

 

[Tjc]

Stanley's and snap-on

 

[jjarrell4]

Hmm where did you find the 5 piece set for $60?

It's normally $100 around here.

Right here
http://m.sears.com/productdetails.do;jsessionid=qLrnWryk082HuHT8vxTTgg**?partNumber=00938074000P

 

[briggsguy17]

Snap-On with red/black comfort grip handles. Have one of each in ball peen and a soft face, brass face, and a 24 & 56 oz. dead blows. Best, most comfortable hammers around.

 

[Sterff]

I have the Craftsman set you mentioned and it is a good set. For the money its a great deal and they are easy to warranty as said above.

 

[GTO]

Wood Handled Vaughan's and One 32oz. older Stanley Wood Handle(Made in USA)pd $8 @ the Flea for it.

 

[Elroy]

If you're looking for a traditional, hickory handle ball peen. Elroy would suggest you look at the offers from Proto.

The Vaughn and re-branded Craftsman are fine choices but the Proto's are much nicer in Elroy's opinion.

Alas Elroy fails to have any Proto's inventoried but they're on the list. Currently we have these recycled vintage examples. Note that both copper and brass versions are represented as well. No lead but there is a raw hide example floating around among the urethane dead blows somewhere

Both of these ball peens started out as 50 cent rust covered turds. They're nice and hard and most likely well over 50 years old. New handles and a couple of three hours is all it takes

Be advised that Elroy is NOT a simple tool polisher

 

[D9H 90V]

Hmm, if it weighs twice as little, works twice as well, it must cost at least 4x as much.

Yeah it does

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

Right here
http://m.sears.com/productdetails.do;jsessionid=qLrnWryk082HuHT8vxTTgg**?partNumber=00938074000P

I have that set from Craftsman, Its a good set to buy for the guy who doesn't have any.

I want 16 and 24 ounce deadblow ball pein hammers. I used a buddy's a few weeks ago and loved it...

 

[sawatch]

Ball peen hammers are so numerous that it seems foolish to spend a lota money on 'em. I did finally get a new 16oz DB Snap On for $40 though, but that was a huge splurge on my part. Sweet hammer indeed...

 

[Charles (in GA)]

At home I have a whole drawer full of steel ball peens, rubber mallets, a bronze hammer, a brass hammer, plastic mallets, a dead blow and similar goodies. The Ball Peens are all Craftsman hickory handle and most are fairly old. The handles are all still tight and in good condition. I just today bought two Williams hickory handled ball peen hammers at the flea market, one a 16 oz and the other was 12 oz. Both were new and I got the two of them for $10. I plan to resell them at work. Someone will give me a few bucks more for them.

Charles

 

[MrMark]

100% truth there!!!!!!!!!!
it like the 16oz dead blow ball peen is equal to or better then a normal 32oz ball peen

I agree. This is really one area where there is no comparison. No one makes a hammer like Snap on

If not snap on I would get the vaugn/ Sears. Estwing are the best for hammering nails for sure but I like a wood hand on a ball bein for some reason.

 

[bchee]

a couple of three hours is all it takes

What is a 3-hour?
A 3 hour soak in vinegar or evaporust?

 

[reptilezs]

i have a old blue point made in usa that i found on the road. put a new handle on it and wire brushed it clean

 

[crowldawg]

I had a few Craftsman but I bought a box lot of heads and another of handles on the Bay. Put them together for about $40.00 .Six hammers are all in varying sizes. Never bothered to look for names .I have never swung a ball peen all day like my Plumb framing hammer.A few shots here and there. Not non stop for 8 hrs

 

[Jim C.]

I've got a 4 ounce Craftsman and a 16 ounce Craftsman. I've had them for several years and I'm happy to say that both have served me well. The price was right, both were made in the USA, and their quality is respectable.

 

[WSMC633]

Snap On deadblow ball peen. You'll throw your other hammers away.

Yeah... I love my Snap On DB Hammers. All of them kick ***!

 

[Skin]

at work, some ancient thing that looks like its been through both world wars. The handle below the head is considerably worn from missed blows. The head hasnt even begun to loosen though. I suspect it will just break when its time.

At home, a more modern made in mexico fiberglass stanley that i rarely use. Got it off ebay for something like $12.

 

[Keep]

I have a set of Gray hammers, I am pretty sure they are made by Estwing, but no one will confirm that fact for me.

 

[fflintstone]

I only have one vintage ball peen I guess 24-32 oz. I have 3 4lb mini sledge. Just had my 4-year old try a 4 oz ball peen; he will be getting one for Christmas.
I have a grossly mushroomed lead hammer that was gramps, so I need to either build or borrow a forge to re form it.

 

[Krokodil]

Nice job on those hammers Elroy! Did you polish them by hand?

 

[Elroy]

What is a 3-hour?
A 3 hour soak in vinegar or evaporust?

Elroy tells me that's a three hour soak in elbow grease with a liberal application of buffing compond across the cotton wheel.

Wear your gloves as it gets real hot !!

 

[senlow]

I have a somewhat motley assortment of ball pein hammers. I have Snappy and Trusty-Cook dead blows. There are a couple of channellock, a Plumb (not Plomb), a Cheney, and a couple of Vaughns with wooden handles. My L.S. Starrett hammer has a forged steel handle.

I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one that polishes hammers. Of course Elroy's ball piens look nicer than mine. I only polish the working surfaces. I wonder who took the photo of Elroy's hammers. The quality of the photos is up to par. However, I don't see Elroy's trademark single finger salute.

Those Gray hammers that Keep has look really nice.

 

[Steve_P]

I like Estwing- for those tired of "loose heads".

 

[DRhodes]

Right here
[]http://m.sears.com/productdetails.do;jsessionid=qLrnWryk082HuHT8vxTTgg**?partNumber=00938074000P[/url]

Here are the ones I have and I really like them. I saw the $60.00 set your talking about in the store, but I thought you found these babies for $60.00. I was going to make you buy and ship me another set

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00938528000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

 

[Elroy]

If you're looking for a traditional, hickory handle ball peen. Elroy would suggest you look at the offers from Proto.

Member jvitez posted some pictures of his Proto's here:

Well look what I brought home today.......

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=869618#post869618

 

[lbgradwell]

24oz. Blue-Point Polyurethane-handled Deadblow
16oz. Mastercraft Hickory-handled
12oz. Shelley Hickory-handled
8oz. Mastercraft Hickory-handled
4oz. Gray Hickory-handled
3 or 4oz Indestro All-Steel
2oz. Blue-Point Hickory-handled

 

[otis66]

If I didn't already have a Snap On set of ball pein hammers I would get the Estwings. Estwings are great hammers. I have a few claw and nail hammers.

 

[Monte]

Habero (Gedore)

 

[catfish]

What are yall rocking for ball peens?
I am looking at getting the craftsman 5 pc set for $60
But I am an avid fan and supporter of Estwing, all my claws and drilling hammers are Estwing and in my mind they are the Rolls Royce of hammers.
Since estwing ball peens are like $20-30 new a piece, I was thinking craftsman. Still made in usa and hickory handles are pretty solid.

What do yall think/use?

i think 20-30 is nothing if it's going to last you at least 25 years

 

[stricht8]

Habero (Gedore)

That's nice. The Europeans seem to make more ergonomic tools.

 

[zer0cell]

Vaughan and Estwing are both excellent. If cost is an issue I'd definitely say go with the Vaughan. It has no equal at that price point that I have seen. I'd definitely get one of those over some cheap no name brand or from HF. The price is not a big difference but the quality certainly seems to be based on how the tool feels and the difference in quality in my opinion. Estwings on the other hand do not have a wood handle... they are solid steel which I'd imagine would increase the lifespan of the tool even further. It may cost up to 1.5x or 2x the price though. Both are good choices however. I don't have any experience with the euro brands so I can't comment on them.