There are a lot of different fasteners on the market, but since this article is about the auto hammer, we are going to touch quickly on two types, the nail and the screw which are the most common types of fasteners (don’t worry that there are different types of nails and screws).  People always ask why on earth would I ever use a nail anymore when I can just use my screw gun and get the job done quicker and easier.  Personally I don’t think a cordless screwdriver is quicker than a guy with a hammer.  Watch a framer who uses his hammer everyday, he can rip through a handful of nails in no time and I would put my money on him over the guy with a cordless screwdriver.  Okay but it’s not about betting right now, it’s about using fasteners.

There are times you want to use a nail over a screw and vice versa.  If you are framing you want to use a nail.  If you are hanging drywall you want to use a screw and here is one of the main reasons.  A nail has more strength for sideways force and a screw has more strength for up and down force.  To test this theory, just drive a nail and a screw into a piece of wood, leave about an 1/8″ sticking out of the wood.  Try pulling the nail and the screw out.  Which one comes out easier?  The nail.  Now do the same thing over and instead of pulling them out, try moving them back and forth.  Chances are the screw will break and the nail will just bend.  This is one reason you use screws on drywall, so they don’t pop out.  This is also one reason you use nails when framing because of the strength. There is more to this such as wood shrinkage, but this is the basic concept.

So now that you understand a very simplistic approach to nails and screws, let’s talk about the Craftsman Auto hammer.  So as you can see there will be times you will be driving nails and other times you will be using screws.  The times you use a nail, is it easier just grabbing a hammer?  Certain times yes and certain times no.  We really feel like the Auto Hammer is a very specific application tool.  When you need to drive a nail into a tight spot where a hammer won’t work, this is a great tool.  This is also a great tool if safety is in play.  If you are on top of a ladder, you might want to grab this tool.  Swinging your arm causes a shift in weight which as you know isn’t stable.  With the auto hammer you don’t have to worry about that.  You can easily secure yourself and get the job done.

Let’s talk about the specs of this hammer.  The auto hammer is basically a piston that goes up and down 3,600 per minute.  The magnetic sleeve holds the nail in position.  The first thing that is cool about this tool is the head articulates from a 90, 45 and 0 degree angle.  So getting into tight spots is even easier.  One complaint we have heard about is the noise.  While it is loud, so is hammering a nail.  Metal on metal tends to have this effect.  The kit comes with a battery and the Quickboost charger which is an innovative idea.

With that being said how many nails will you be driving in your home?  Are you fixing joists or installing pictures?  So as you can see only you can answer whether you really need this tool.  There are certain times this will be great, but many times you will pass this up and grab a different tool.  If you are one who has a problem and you always pound your thumb when hammering, then this might be a great alternative for you.  In reality this is a great tool for the hard to reach spots when you need to pound a nail and don’t have enough room to get your hammer in there.  Is this going to be faster for driving nails than your hammer?  No, the hammer is still much faster.

Minimal vibration was felt as we drove in nails.  The waffle head design gripped and felt solid.  The Hart 21 oz. Milled Face Steel Framing is under $30 at Home Depot.  Check out Hart Hammers

We all know a hammer is just a hammer, right?  After all it’s a simple concept.  You have a heavier object striking a lighter object.  A very simple theory, in fact its Newton’s First Law, well maybe his second law, it’s one of the of the laws.  Actually a hammer is more than just one heavy object striking another object.  A hammer, while simple, is actually complex and has come a long way from our ancestors who took one hard rock and beat another object.  There is a lot that goes into a hammer, the type of material used for the head, the design and shape of the head, the wood for the handle, the manufacturing process and more.  Lately we haven’t seen too many cool new innovations with hammers until we found out about the Hardcore Hammer.  The hammer is a hybrid between a smooth faced and a waffle head hammer which gives the Hardcore hammer some unique advantages over all the other competition.

When we first found out about the Hardcore Hammer, we were excited to find out that the founder and inventor lived right down the road from us.  Well not right down the road, but pretty close.  We contacted Steve and just started talking.  What initially caught our attention to this hammer was the unique look, but after talking with him we were impressed by so much more.  We found out that Steve has been a carpenter for over ten years.  He stated that he was tired of his hammer head wearing out, so he decided to do something about it and that’s how he came up with the idea of Hardcore Hammers, which we will touch on in a bit.   We ended up convincing Steve to come on over and give us a little demonstration with the hammer.

Before we get started there are two main types of hammer heads a Milled or waffle head and a smooth head.  A waffle head is great for framing jobs and a smooth is great for finish or other projects.  It’s a give and take for each hammer head.  A waffle head is great because the milled face grips the nail much better when a user strikes the nail.  It’s bad because it leaves nasty marks on the wood when you miss or drive a nail flush.  The opposite is true with a smooth head.  Remember this for later on (I know I hate remembering things and sorry about the homework assignment).

Now there is a lot to like about this hammer, but what we really like is everything on this hammer is either American grown or American manufactured.  How can you not like that?  This hammer is a 19 oz. hammer.  The head is forged out of 4140 steel, so it has great strength.  The inner milled face or waffle plate is made from S7 tool steel, the same thing jackhammers use.  As you notice the head has a smooth outer rim and an inner waffle face which we will cover in a bit.  There is a top and bottom magnetic holder which allows the user to pop a nail on either side and get the nail started with one hand.  We like the fact that a user has two different options.  Sometimes when you are working overhead, you need that bottom magnetic hold so you can see where you are driving the nail.  On the backside of the hammer is a straight claw which is great for pulling nails and ripping boards.  As we move down the hammer  there is an oversized handle sleeve to help protect against overstrike.  The hammer is comprised of a US grown 18” Hickory handle which comes in straight or curved.

Now let’s talk about the meat and potatoes of this hammer, the patent pending head.  If you look at the head, you might wonder what is going on, is it a smooth head or is it a waffle head.  Like we said it is a hybrid head.  The smooth outer rim has a couple different functions.  First, when you drive a nail home or flush with a smooth head, you will not be left with waffle marks on your wood, which is great for finished wood.  This also prevents you from having to carry around two hammers.  The second feature of the smooth head is that when you are framing sometimes you mess up or need to pull a nail or something.  You grab your pry bar or nail puller and beat on it.  With a waffle head, your hitting milled metal surface on a steel bar,  naturally the milled face will lose its shape.  With the Hardcore hammer design, your milled face is protected by the smooth outer ring.  As we stated with a smooth finish you don’t get good gripping power with a smooth face.  With the Hardcore hammer you still have the waffle insert to provide the gripping power you need to drive home nails.  So as you can see this is a very cool concept and is truly a hybrid hammer.  You get all the benefits of a smooth hammer head along with all the benefits of a waffle head.  How can you lose?

As we noted above, we convinced Steve to come to our shop and give us an overview.  While he was there we also convinced him to get on camera and talk about the Hardcore Hammer.  He is a little shy, so we would like to thank him for his time.  He did a great job explaining the hammer.  As you can see in the video, we really tried to give a nice overview of the hammer.  There is a lot in the video below, but the thing we really want to focus on is the head of the hammer and two key things.  The first is when Steve hits the 2×4 with the hammer head using a waffle head, you truly can see a huge difference from the waffle head to a Hardcore Hammer head.  This makes a world of difference for certain applications.  When we first saw the hammer, we thought it was a cool idea, but had our concerns with the indented part of the waffle head.  We thought that it might leave the nails sticking out of the surface a little.  As you can see with a couple good blows to the nail head, that was not an issue, even when taking the last swing and hitting the nail with the waffle part of the hammer.  As Steve pointed out any person can pretty much sink a nail by making the last blow using the smooth part of the head.

Overall, we really like the concept behind this hammer.  The head is unique and the hammer offers many advantages over the competitors hammers.  We feel the name stays true to the hammer, Hardcore Hammers.  We know some people will complain about the price of the hammer and that’s OK.  If you are a homeowner hitting a couple nails here and there, then price should be an issue.  If you’re a contractor, well if you’re a contractor you probably understand the price thing and don’t need us to tell you about it.  The fact that everything on this hammer is 100% American, well it doesn’t get any better than that.  We like seeing the fact that a small company can come up with a truly cool concept and compete in the marketplace, well that’s America.  A guy who has been out in the field for over 10 years, saw a need and created a hardcore hammer.

Links

Learn more about Hardcore Hammers

]]> http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2011/03/hardcore-hammer-jackhammer-hammers/feed/ 1 http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2009/09/stelleto-hammer-review/ http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2009/09/stelleto-hammer-review/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:46:45 +0000 Eric Jopp http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/?p=2745

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Stiletto 14 Oz. Hammer Overview

Isn’t a hammer just a hammer?  Well, yes it is, but as you know there are different types of hammers such a claw hammer, framing hammer, brick laying hammer and more.  For this review we are going to cover the Stiletto Framing hammer.  The Stiletto is one of our favorite hammers around.  Out of the four guys who run this site, three of us have used a Stiletto hammer in our day to day work for a long time.  Some longer than others, sorry just had to get that rip on some of the old timers.  Stiletto hammers are known for two things, their quality and their price.  Ask any tradesman who is the top manufacturer of hammers and most will name the Stiletto, they are the Rolls Royce of the striking tools.

For this you pay more than your $10 hammer you buy at your local hardware store, but there is a reason.  You pay more because of the quality.  Stiletto hammers have great balance and great feel in your hand and when you are using a striking tool day in and day out, it wears on your wrist, your elbows and your shoulders.  The Stiletto with its lightweight and great balance helps relieve a lot of these problems.  This is primarily because of the materials they use in the handles and the hammer head.  Plus they have great balance which gives the user greater leverage when striking.

For this review we are taking a closer look at the 14oz. Framer hammer with a Titanium head and 16″ straight hickory handle.  The face is a Milled Driving face and according to Stiletto it has the same driving force as a 24 oz. steel hammer with less recoil shock than steel.  If you have used a Stiletto hammer and steel hammer, you can easily believe this to be true.

The Stiletto Hammer Review

We picked the Stiletto hammer up at Tylertool.com.  We have to admit, reviewing a hammer is not easy to do.  This is one of those tools you just need to try to believe.  The video was also hard to put together as hammering a nail into anything isn’t to impressive, since you can pretty much use any hard object and pound a nail into something.  However we wanted to show it in action and also cover some of the most important things about this hammer, which we pretty much did in the overview section.

As we noted above, we have been using these hammers for a long time because they are worth every penny.  The Hickory handles on these hammers are nice and light with a large area to grip.  The Titanium head is also light, but not too light.  Put this all together and you get one great hammer.  What we really like best about this hammer, is well two items.  First the leverage you get.  Holding this hammer properly allows the user to get more down force when driving home a nail.  When you use a steel hammer, the weight and your body is doing more of the work.  You would think a lighter hammer would cause the users to have to put more muscle into the swing, but that’s not the case.  Take a breaker bar.  When you are trying to loosen a nut and you have a short socket, you need more force to break lose the nut.  When you use a breaker bar, a longer bar, you can get more leverage and more strength, due to the longer bar.  The same holds true for this hammer, even though it is lighter, you have a better leverage available to the user and can actually get a better swing.

The second item we love about this hammer is the feel.  When you actually hit a nail, you have a better feel, so the user can feel more of the work.  We are not saying it recoils more or causes pain to your hand.  If you golf then you can understand when you use your driver and hit the ball in the sweet spot with a good club as opposed to hitting it with a bargain bin club. This is very important when your driving nails all day long, you want to make sure the nail went into the material the proper way.

Another item to note is the magnetic start.  On the top of the handle there is a groove where a nail can lie.  There is also a magnet to hold the nail in place.  Now while you probably wouldn’t use this every time you drive a nail, it is a great feature for ladder work or other hard to reach places.  On a ladder you always want three points of contact for safety reasons.  This would be a perfect place to use the magnetic feature.  Place the nail in the holder and you can take one swing to start the nail, while having three points of contact with the ladder.

Final thoughts on the Stiletto Hammer

If you are a weekend warrior and want a great hammer and don’t mind the price tag, take a look at this hammer.  For those of us who use a hammer to make a living, this is a must.  Yet you are paying more, but in the long run it is well worth the extra cost.  This is very light and very easy to work with.  This hammer saves your arm, shoulder, wrist and more.

More information on the Stiletto Hammer

You can see more information on the Stiletto Hammer site

]]> http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2009/09/stelleto-hammer-review/feed/ 1 http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2009/08/estwing-tools-visit/ http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2009/08/estwing-tools-visit/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:58:50 +0000 Eric Jopp http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/?p=2165

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About a week ago we were lucky enough to get a tour of Estwing tools  in Rockford, IL.  After our tour we sat down to have lunch and we were talking about the tour and how cool it was.  After talking a while we touched on a subject that made us all think about what is going on, but we can get to that later on.

If your not familiar with Estwing, go to almost any job-site and you will see one of their striking tools.  Estwing makes one of the top striking tools in the market place.  They make a variety of tools such as nail hammers, bricklayer hammers, drywall hammers, axes, bars, geological tools and more.  Since 1923 when they first opened their doors, they have been known for their quality of tools and even today when you see the famous blue handles and yellow type, you know it is an Estwing tool.

At the time we didn’t even think about bringing our camera, but now wish we did.  Estwing has their main office building and on the outskirt, they have smaller buildings where the tools are formed.  Across the street they have their distribution center.  The whole process is very cool.

It all starts when semis drop off large, thick steel rods that are solid.   We were inundated with information, so some information we forgot, but we think the rods are about 3″ thick.  They have a cutter that cuts through this rod like nothing and cuts it into about 3-6″ pieces.  It then gets moves to another building where these two guys were heating them up and placing them into the stamp and dye.  This was pretty cool.  When the dye would come down and hit the hot metal rod to get the shape, we were about 30′ away and you could feel the ground shake.  It was amazing the power and force these machines have.  After they have their shape they get moved over where the extra metal gets trimmed.  It then goes through another process and then buffed to a nice shine.  Next it goes back into the main building where workers attach the grip and the stickers.  They then packaged them in boxes and they get sent across the street to the distribution building.  There is a little more to the process, but this is a majority of how these are made.  If you ever get a chance to visit a company that makes hammers or other tools, we would suggest grabbing the opportunity and taking it as it was very cool.

As we noted above, there was one aspect that made us think when we were eating lunch.  When we walked into Estwing, we were waiting in the lobby.  We noticed an aerial view of the whole property.  When our tour guide came out we were asking him questions.  One was about the history of the building.  From the picture above we could tell they did additions over time.  He told us they had seven major additions over the course of their life.  He also explained the other building on the outside and how they use to be full and over time they knocked some of them down because they were no longer being used.  Over the course of the tour we also found out that at one time they use to run full crews, all three shifts and seven days a week.  When we looked at the employee parking lot, it was half full.  Long story short, it is amazing what happens to these companies when the economy slows down and we have more companies importing tools.  Now if you are familiar with Estwing tools, their slow down has nothing to do with quality.  In fact they have one of the highest quality hammers around and are a huge seller.  But with the housing market slow down and the overall economy slow down, you can see how some companies might have a hard time.  At one time it is weird to think these companies were booming, they expanded to meet the demands of the consumer and one hiccup and these companies are now having skelton crews.  We won’t go into the whole issue, but I think you get where we are going with this.

Overall the tour was awesome.  We learned a lot about Estwing and their high demand for quality.  We had a chance to see how these striking tools were made and would recommend anyone who has the chance to grab it up.

Hilti announced their new release of the TE 80 Combihammer.  Hilti’s new TE-80 offers the best power to weight ratio in it’s class.  This harnesses a powerful 1700W motor.  As usual, Hilti uses only high quality components which helps with an efficient cooling capability and help extend the life of this tool.  Hilti uses an optimized mechanical clutch for maximum torque.  The housing of this tool is made out of reinforced glass fiber.  The new TE 80 uses an AVR system (Active Vibration Reduction), and low contact pressure for better work comfort.

Hilti implemented an ATC (Active Torque Control) which is a nice safety feature.  Basically, this is an electronic rapid cut out system that reduces the risk of injury if the bit were to stick.

Over all, this tool is one hard core piece of machinery that will rip through all most any application such as concrete, stone or masonry.  It is ideal for drilling holes for rebar and anchor bolts.  This is also a great tool for chiseling and certain demo jobs.

Last week we had a chance to visit a job site in Chicago and were able to use this bad boy.  All we can say is this is one incredible tool.  We couldn’t believe how easy it was to use.  We had a chance to drill some holes for rebar, plus do a little chiseling on concrete.  No exaggeration, we could hardly tell we were drilling or chiseling.  We hope to review this tool soon!