I guess it was bound to happen — I am writing an article on my favorite hammer. Maybe I really am getting older…maybe it’s a “guy thing”….or maybe the Stiletto Titanium Hammer is just a damn good hammer! I’ll opt for choice #3: the Stiletto Titanium Hammer really IS the best damn hammer on the market today, especially when compared to some of the other more notable brands of hammer on the market, specifically the Vaughan“Steel Eagle.”
Why is Stiletto the best? Because their hammer is made of TITANIUM. Titanium beats the Vaughn 19 oz. drop forged steel head every time (in my humble opinion). Vaughan can brag all they want about its patented “ShockBlok” shock absorbing core. But the Stiletto delivers where it means the most: less where and tear on your arm and more speed when driving nails.
Look, I’ll be honest with you: if all you need is a hammer to whack a thumbtack or stick a nail in the wall so you can mount a photo of your dog than pretty much ANY hammer will do. Heck, a shoe will probably suit your needs just fine. But if you do any amount of serious building or carpentry than I gotta tell you — titanium hammers are the best thing to happen to hammers in years! The lighter hammer-head allows for a faster swing with the same effort as the steel hammer counter part. With the Stiletto Titanium Hammer I feel that I can drive nails faster with it than I could with a steel headed hammer. And what’s more, I can whack more nails for a longer period of time and my arm or elbow doesn’t start hurting.
The Vaughan Steel Eagle Hammer is o-k as far as hammers go. But for one thing, the Vaughan Steel Eagle weighs more (19 ounces as compared to the Stiletto’s 14 ounce weight). Trust me, you do any long-term nailing and those extra ounces will add up over the course of a day. But here’s an even more significant difference: the Stiletto Titanium Hammer does not let as much of the power of the blow to get absorbed by the hammer as a steel hammer does. That means more of the power delivered to the nail actually is absorbed to the nail, instead of being lost and absorbed in the recoil of a steel hammer.
Stiletto.com carries a full line of titanium tools. The Stiletto Titanium Hammer — like all of Stiletto’s products — is lighter by nearly half the weight of conventional hammers, what I personally like — in addition to the hammer’s light weight and durability is that Stiletto’s line of Titanium hammers significantly decreases the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive-motion, stress-related injuries.
With a price-tag that ranges from $85.00 to about $250.00 (depending on the size and weight) the Stiletto Titanium Hammer represents a significant investment for a hammer. Try explaining that one to your wife. But it money well spent. You can carry a titanium hammer in your tool belt all day and not even know it’s there. Less weight translates to more control – especially in awkward positions.
The Vaughan Steel Eagle hammer runs under $20.00. In fact most of Vaughn’s hammer line runs about $18.00. And that’s great. If you want a wood-handled STEEL hammer that will tear your elbow to pieces then go ahead. It’s your arm.
But for my money — I just couldn’t live with myself if I used anything else than the Stiletto Titanium Hammer for all my building and hammering needs. NOT USE a Stiletto Titanium hammer?
