Claw Hammer (560/20oz)

At 560 grams, twenty ounces, this is a step up from the standard sixteen. Four extra ounces does not sound like much and it changes the feel considerably: nails go in with fewer blows, which on a framing or decking job over a day is a real saving in effort even though each individual blow is heavier. Twenty ounces is the weight carpenters doing structural and framing work tend to settle on, where sixteen remains the general-purpose choice.

The head is forged fine grain steel hardened to more than HRC 48. That hardness is deliberately held back, and it matters. A face hardened much harder becomes brittle, and brittle faces chip rather than dent — particularly when they catch the edge of a hardened nail or land at an angle. Chips leaving a hammer face travel fast enough to cause permanent eye injury, and it is among the most common serious site injuries there is. Just over 48 gives a face that resists denting and mushrooming for years while staying tough enough to deform rather than fracture.

Forging is doing real work here too, flowing the grain of the steel around the shape of the head and the claw rather than cutting across it, which is why a forged claw can be levered hard without cracking.

The handle is a two-colour fibreglass shaft with a moulded cushion grip: dimensionally stable whatever the weather, immune to rot, absorbing a useful share of the shock, and not twisting in a wet or sweaty hand.

The buyers are carpenters and framing joiners, building and construction trades, roofers and formwork carpenters, shopfitters, and hardware dealers supplying the building trades.

Grip near the end for the full swing. Use a block under the claw when pulling nails, both for leverage and to protect the surface. Inspect the shaft below the head for overstrike damage. And wear eye protection every time. Message us on WhatsApp for a price.