Spent a month forging with a cheap hammer versus a good one...night and day difference

I picked up a $15 hammer from a big box store when I started out. Used it for about a month making hooks and simple stuff. Then a buddy let me try his 2lb German pattern hammer from a real tool maker. The difference in how it swung and hit was huge. My cheap one bounced like crazy and left dents. The good one just drove the steel where I wanted it. Has anyone else noticed a big jump in quality from switching to a better hammer?

3 comments

3 Comments

drewgonzalez26d ago

Hit the nail on the head there.

the_miles26d ago

Oh man, I had a buddy who went through almost the exact same thing. He'd been using some old cheap hammer he found at a garage sale for like two years, and his work was okay but not great. Then his birthday rolled around and his wife got him a proper rounding hammer from a real blacksmith supply place. He told me the first time he used it he actually got kind of emotional because it just felt right in his hand. The way he described it, the cheap one fought him every step of the way and the good one just helped him get the job done. I've never seen someone so happy about a tool before or since.

jamie77026d ago

Yeah I get that completely. I've got a cheap hammer in my shop that I keep around just so I remember what it feels like to fight a tool all day. My good one, an old Estwing I found at a flea market, it just does what I want without me having to think about it. Honestly sometimes I catch myself talking to it like it's a person, like 'alright old friend, let's get this done.' Which is probably a sign I need to get out more but hey, at least my work looks better.