How does this make sense

[John_C]

I recently was in the market for a new hammer.  I stumbled across several raves for titanium hammers.  Out of curiosity I looked at a few of them. 

A 14oz. framing hammer called Titan  $99.00
A 16oz. framing hammer called Musclehead $113.00

A hammer is the simplest of tools, one step up from a rock lashed to a stick.  It works on inertia.  In the world of steel hammers neither a 14 or 16 oz hammer would be a framing hammer.  So how does making the silly thing out of titanium make it work like a 22 oz  to  28 oz steel framing hammer.

And the names? Ya think they're compensating?


No worries. It'll be a snowy day in Hades before I buy one.  I bought an Estwing.

[peternap]

They are for the yuppies.

I always use Plumb hammers. 26 oz for light framing and general use and 16 for trim.

[ScottA]

There is a sucker born every minute. I built my whole house with a wood handle craftsman framing hammer I got at a pawn shop for 5 bucks. I've had it for atl east 10 years. I also built 2 sheds with it and I use it at work alot. I've even used it to break concrete before.

[Redoverfarm]

Used "Plumb" fibergalss handled ever since I started bending nails.  Still happens occassionally but not as much with the air nailer

[John_C]

My daughter took my favorite wooden handled Plumb hammer for her college tool kit.  The head on my fiberglass handled Plumb got loose a week or so ago, I think because I was working in very cold weather and then standing real close to my wood stove.  I think the metal head reacted much more to the extremes of temperature than the handle.  I'm still using it, but it makes me nervous.

My ancient Plumb hammers were made in America.  The ones on the shelves are made in China.  My Estwing bricklayers hammer and small claw hammer have held up well so I bought an Estwing ripping hammer.

If titanium hammers were the incumbent technology and someone made a hammer out of tool steel, that would be considered a real improvement. 

[MountainDon]

I had never heard of titanium hammers until this topic popped up. I've never bought a carpentry hammer; mine are all my Dad's, 3 Estwing claws and a couple others.

So I've been wondering how a lighter weight hammer could drive better than the traditional heavy hammer used for framing.   

Here's what I think is going on. They have a longer handle as well as a lighter head. The one I looked at had a titanium shank encased in graphite; light but strong metal plus and even lighter and strong material. If it weighs less you can swing it faster. The head and most of the weight is on the end on that longer handle, following a longer path and adding velocity.

The energy stored in a moving mass is proportional to the velocity squared. A small iincrease in velocity will make a big difference. Like packing more powder behind a bullet.

The titanium and graphite are both very stiff; stiffer than steel, fiberglass or hickory. So there should be less flex of the handle when the head strikes the nail, which I believe should lead to delivering more of the energy in the swing to the nail head.

My 2 cents.

Will I buy one? No. I don't drive enough nails to make it worth while and when I do drive a lot, like on the cabin project, most were air driven.

Oh, the lighter weight should take some of the strain of the wrist, arm and shoulder.

I wouldn't mind trying one out, but better not.   

[John_C]

After I posted I did some more poking around.  There is some science behind it.

Titanium bounces less  (3% recoil vs 27% according to wikipedia). It transmits more of it's energy to the nail. So a 16oz titanium hammer would transmit greater energy than a steel hammer of the same weight and velocity.

The conversation about whether energy or momentum would be more important when driving a nail would be a lot like the heavy bullet vs velocity argument.   E=1/2 M x Velocity squared    Momentum =MV.  If it was all about energy we should use very light hammer a swing them really fast.  Sledge hammers would be obsolete.

A lot of the people who like the titanium hammers have swung the heavy, long handled California framers for a number of years.  They are now older and may well have tendonitis. They find they can still be nailing efficiently after lunch with the lighter hammer..... big surprise..

I was thinking about it today while I was nailing together a deck.  If I'm going to be swinging the hammer for several hours I'm not all that aggressive swinging it.  I let gravity do a lot of the work.  So I wouldn't necessarily be hitting the nail with a lot more velocity if I used a Ti hammer.  Also the Ti is softer than steel and the hammers wear out more quickly.  I don't think I need an expensive,  fragile hammer.

I do find that some hammers just swing better.  I have a heavy framing hammer and it's nearly useless to me.  I bend far too many nails and I'm not nearly as productive as I am with more comfortable hammers.  It also hurts to swing it after a while.

[r8ingbull]

Another thing I hear from customers, they prefer the lighter weight to carry all day in a tool pouch.

I personally use a 24oz Vaughn "999 High Speed", but I am big guy (6'3" 250) so it's easy for me to swing.  I do know that once the pro's use a titanium hammer they don't like to go back to a heavier steel hammer.

I think the main advantage though, is the variety of handle shapes that the more expensive hammers have brought out.  I can't hit a nail with a hatchet handle, and my big meat hook hands need a large diameter, some just work better for me.