Has anyone used an Auto Hammer

[JohnMcD348]

OK, I was watching TV the other night and saw an ad for the Craftsman Auto Hammer. Does that thing really work? I've never heard of anything like that. I always thought that a hammer was the ultimate cordless power tool.

Had I not seen it I would have thought it was someones idea of a joke. A cordless power hammer. Why?

 

[Diesel-Mech]

Homer Simpson came up with one years ago.

As to the specifics of Craftsman's take on it I have no idea how well it works.

 

[Diesel_Crawler]

The words "Auto" and "hammer" seem like a bad thing, or a waste of money if you ask me.

 

[GT89mustang]

Yes, and it works, but its loud.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Gimmick tool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ImportTuner]

I saw that same commercial too; I almost want one .. it hammered a nail in tight corners that you can't swing a regular hammer

 

[Wesley B]

A while back on tv I saw something similar. I can't remember who made it but it fits in your palm. It was on a show called Cool Tools.

 

[JohnMcD348]

I saw that same commercial too; I almost want one .. it hammered a nail in tight corners that you can't swing a regular hammer

I guess I could see the usefulness in that manner. Other than that though, I just don't know. I'm just not creative enough to come up with other ideas that would make it more useful than the old fashioned swingin hammer.

 

[Adam McLaughlin]

I would use a cordless drill and a screw for chrissakes

Adam

 

[nate379]

Yeah, they are called nail guns.

 

[Jiffycake]

I have used an air palm nailer before. I think it was made by bosch or something. It was pretty helpful when doing joist hangers in tight spots.

 

[Shocker]

Saw that ad myself just a few minutes ago. Looked interesting, but I don't know why a nailgun wouldn't work.

 

[JohnMcD348]

Well, the only problem with a nail gun for the home user is that alot of people don't have access to the compressor and hose needed to run one. It just struck me as funny how it's being marketed to people who can't swing a hammer. I never knew those people existed until now.

 

[nate379]

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00911818000P#descriptionAnchor

 

[Abodyracer]

We've had good reations at work on these. The only bad feedback I've heard on them is that the magnetic tip will not hold a 3 1/2 framing nail very well and it take some time to drive them as well, but it will do it.

 

[LGMechanical]

Can anyone post a picture of this thing? Or a link to the ad? I wan't to see it.

 

[ahaidet]

I tested one out at the local sears. They had a 2x4 and some roofing and finishing nails there to drive into it. It worked alot better than I expected but my ears were nearly bleeding afterwards.. EXTREMELY loud...

If you can swing a hammer your better off swinging it..

If you have access to an air compressor a nail gun is faster and your ears won't bleed.

 

[PAToyota]

I've had some situations where that could have come in handy. Tight places where you have no room to swing a hammer or even fit a drill or pneumatic hammer.

But for $100, I've managed to find other ingenious ways to get the job done. The other problem is that the few times I'd go to use it the batteries would likely be dead.

 

[Major Ramifications]

If you had any of the other Nextec tools, then this might be a good addition. My pneumatic palm nailer has driven nails in places that I couldn't get to with a hammer, screw gun, or framing nailer. I bought the palm nailer after the salesman drove a machine thread bolt completly into a 4x4.

 

[Mr.Nutcase]

it looks like joke....

 

[vc-onthepc]

i was in sears the other day and they had one charged ... my cousin picked it up and held it against the counter top . pulled trigger .. instant can i help you sir ? lmao sounded like rbrbrbbrbrbrbrbrbrbbrbr really loud , i almost bought it except i didnt really need it .. i bet it worked really well .

 

[Hip2u77]

These may be gimmicks to some people, but for someone like my disabled mother this would've been a godsend. She was hit by a car in 1980 and besides being permanently wheelchair bound, she lost some of eyesight, and had ataxia (loss of coordination, shaking, etc.), so swinging a hammer meant a few misses for each hit. She was always fighting nails coming up on the deck so it would've been used quite a bit.

This was to be her mothers day gift, but she didn't get it as she passed away in February from Lymphoma.

 

[dledinger]

Sorry to hear Hip.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

 

[Stuey]

I mentioned the Auto Hammer on ToolGuyd a few months ago. Before that, I had read quite a few reviews on the product, all of which seemed to find some merit in the tool.

Some reviewers were a bit disappointed in how the Auto Hammer only partially drove framing nails, but praised the product for its capabilities in tight or inconvenient areas such as overhead rafters.

I wouldn't go so far to call it a gimmick - it's a 1st generation product - cut it some slack.

 

[chevy4lyf]

There will be some running change improvements in the near future to help address some of the issues but the item does work. It's a compliment to your normal hammer for those tight spots, not a replacement.

The biggest disappointment seems to be when people try to use it for longer nails in dense wood, which it isn't particularly suited for.

 

[JB740i]

My mother in law wanted to get one for her husband for Christmas. He's a retired electrician/farmer. She wants to be able to use it for putting fence staples in as well as as a regular hammer. Will it do staples ya think?

 

[GTO]

Air driven palm nailers have been around for years.

What's the big deal ?

 

[Stuey]

My mother in law wanted to get one for her husband for Christmas. He's a retired electrician/farmer. She wants to be able to use it for putting fence staples in as well as as a regular hammer. Will it do staples ya think?

Not sure, but it might be worth a try. Worst case scenario, it can be returned within 90 days.

Air driven palm nailers have been around for years.

What's the big deal ?

Cordless does not require a compressor or portable air supply unit. Plus, palm nailers are don't exactly fly off the shelves at retail stores.