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Mac anti vibes vs Snap on dead blows?

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Fusion13

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Feb 2, 2015
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What's everyone's thoughts on those hammers? I hear good things about both. Wondering what works best... Want something that hits hard and don't vibrate me to death. I know I can get the Proto anti vibes, their cheaper then the Mac but looking for opinions... What's your favorite out of the bunch???
Thanks guys
 
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ecotec

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I do not have any of the MAC or Proto…

I have a mix of Snap-on, Trusty Cook and HF dead blow ball piens and dead blow mallets. I am happy with all of them. If you are tight on money, the HF mallets are fine.

Trusty Cook has a presence on GJ, and on occasion they offer deals for members. I would look there first. They are made in USA, and really well made. They also offer bundles of hammers cheaper than buying them individually. A lot of GJ members have Trusty Cook dead blow ball piens and mallets. I have had mine for years, and I love them.
 
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B_Bimmer

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I have harbor fright, trusty cook, snap on and stanley US made which I think would be similar to proto and Mac but not sure. I would not recommend the harbor fright ones unless you live next to the store or like killing time. Very short lifespan.
 
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CS454

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Oct 10, 2014
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Sold my Anti-Vibes, Trusty Cook FTW. Coworker seems to kill a snap on once a year, warranty.
 
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ford freak

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Orange county ca
You talking about rubber/plastic dead blows? Or steel?
I have the snap on ball peen dead blows. Hands down my favorite hammer. Mine is over 10 years old. Still looks new
 
OP
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Fusion13

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ford freak said:
You talking about rubber/plastic dead blows? Or steel?
I have the snap on ball peen dead blows. Hands down my favorite hammer. Mine is over 10 years old. Still looks new
Click to expand...
Looking at the snap on one you usually see... Rubber/plastic handle, metal ends
 
P

Professional Tool User

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I don't have the metal head Snap on one's, but the soft head Snap on dead blow hammers are next to impossible to destroy.
 
X

xjfish

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Feb 22, 2014
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Use both also. I find myself reaching for Snap-Ons more often. The Anti-Vibes are still nice! MAC seems to have deals on them fairly often...
 
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Steve_P

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Sep 15, 2010
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I bought the TC dead blow ball peen hammers years ago and sold them almost immediately. They didn't seem to offer any real dead blow advantage vs a conventional hammer. Plus the grip size is too small, and it's uncomfortable in my hand. Snap On prices are typically insane IMO, but their hammers do look fantastic- they put a lot of thought into the ergonomics of the grip design.
 
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AA/FC

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I have both Trusty Cook and the newer Snap on dead blows like Ford Freak posted above..... several of each brand. I like the Snap on the best. However, if I never owned any SO dead blows, and I didn't know any better, the Trusty Cook dead blows would serve me just fine.
 
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Zewnten

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Anti-vibes tuning fork design stops an inch and half above the end of the handle and all of my coworkers handles are broken there because of it. Snap On dead blow hit hard but on my old one the face was really hard and left prints in everything it hit. I also didn't like the football shape of the head, in tight quarter swings I always caught it on something. I really like trusty cooks dead blows, mine are labeled cornwell and ABN
 
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F-22

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I'm thinking about getting the PB Swiss dead blow mallet. They seem really nicely made.
 
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Rinspeed

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NY
We have several of the Stanley at the shop and they have held up very well with daily use.
 
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Ton ton

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Zewnten said:
Anti-vibes tuning fork design stops an incha nd half above the end of the handle and all of my coworkers handles are broken there because of it. Snap On dead blow hit hard but on my old one the face was really hard and left prints in everything it hit. I also didn't like the football shape of the head, in tight quarter swings I always caught it on something. I really like trusty cooks dead blows, mine are labeled cornwell and ABN
Click to expand...
Cool, thanks for sharing.
 
OP
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Fusion13

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Feb 2, 2015
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My snap on guy is gone to Dallas for the show... Going to check out a few on the truck in a week or so
 
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Dakotadadv8

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Shoreline_

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Springfield, MA
I've never broken a Snap-On hammer, maybe Im too nice with them. Trusty-Cook in Mac flavor Ive broken. But it wasn't mine, and was well worn by the time I borrowed it.
 
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KnurledNut

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Shoreline_ said:
I've never broken a Snap-On hammer, maybe Im too nice with them. Trusty-Cook in Mac flavor Ive broken. But it wasn't mine, and was well worn by the time I borrowed it.
Click to expand...
Trusty-Cook never rebranded for Mac that I'm aware of.
Stanley manufactures their own (Compo-Cast) urethane hammers.
CBH12.jpg
 
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KnurledNut

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Shoreline_ said:
Hammer was from 02/03.
Click to expand...
Stanley bought Mac in 1980.
They have been making these hammers since the early 80's.

If someone has a Mac branded TC hammer, id love to see it.

There is some interesting history behind TC with Stanley buying them out in the 80's.
Seems like they didnt want the competition.
Once the non-compete agreement expired, TC re-emerging as private in the 90's.
 
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Buckgnarly

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Raineman said:
Don't rule out these. I've got a 26 oz. and love it.

www.tekton.com

Ball Peen Dead Blow Hammers | TEKTON | Made in USA

Shop high-quality dead blow hammers with polished Cr-Mo steel faces, and durable polyurethane jackets. Available in sizes: 26 - 50 oz. Free Shipping.
www.tekton.com www.tekton.com
Click to expand...

Trusty Cook made...but if they have the Tekton warranty, HUGE plus. Strangely, none of the animals I teach have broken any of the ones we have, so I cannot report on the warranty.
 
J

j3rf

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Apr 26, 2018
Messages
488
Location
Ohio
One thing I noticed about Trusty Cook hammers, they advertise a bit different weights compared to everyone else. For example a 50oz ball peen dead blow total weight is listed as 50oz, but the head weight is listed as 40oz. Are other hammer manufacturers using this same system? Wouldn't be fair to compare a 48oz Snap On ball peen dead blow to a 40 oz (50oz total weight) from TC.
 
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RCxRC2

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Oct 30, 2022
Messages
21
Tekton is made by T.C. On Amazon, their prices are a couple of bucks cheaper than at T.C.'s website on most, but not all models.

I've been looking for a Trusty-Cook "coupon" sale post recently. Having not seen any recently, I did a search for posts by T.C. Seems they haven't posted since May '21. Interestingly, they now have a discount/blemished hammer sales website:

deadblowhammerdeals.com

Home

For over 30 years, we've engineered the best spindle liners, bar feed accessories, dead blow hammers, hush tubes, and wear shoes in the business. Period.
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