Tool Snob - ToolSnob.com: The Powerstrike Framing Hammer is easily the strangest hammer I've ever seen. With it's exposed welds, its nuts and bolts vibe, and the hollow metal handle, there is nothing about it that says "normal operating procedure." They sent me a couple to check out and I've been pounding on them for at least a month now. They're great too, maybe not perfect, but really nice.
9 comments:
$150 is certainly a lot to spend on a hammer, but I suppose if you're using it every day for almost everything you do, it's definitely worth the investment. Especially with features like the spring plate that would reduce vibration to the arm, that could be really important to protect your body if you're hammering all day long. Lightness would also be essential if you're using it constantly, since every extra ounce could have an effect. With that being said, if you're going to spend that much on a hammer you better be sure that it has every feature that you like, and this reviewer does bring up an issue with the claw end that is very valid. It might be better to get a cheaper tool with all the features you like that might wear out a little faster and just replace it when you need it.
This is a really great idea for a hammer and commenting on the price $150 is a lot, but not so much for a product this new. Plus once it is out on the market for a while the price may go down. However if I had an unlimited amount of money I would definitely have this in my tool kit. It seems like a new level of efficiency can be accomplished with this thing! A light handle and a face with a spring in it, I am surprised there are not more of these out there in the market. That being said the author of the article makes a really good point, hammers are rarely used for nailing anymore (this is especially true in the world of theater). The claw end gets a good amount of action and the more crow-bar-like it is, the more useful it tends to be. Therefore I agree that a thicker claw does not promote the efficiency of the overall design.
You'd think that it would be hard to make something as simple as a hammer better but this is another example of companies redesigning and innovating in fields that you wouldn't expect. 150 dollars is certainly a lot to shell out for a hammer but if it is a tool you are using all day long I can understand why people would be willing to spend that much. If this hammer really reduces vibrations and makes it easier to drive nails I can see it really gaining footing in the industry, despite the high price. It does have a really cool look to it and the ability to disassemble it could be really useful. Being able to replace parts and clean it better is a must with how much you are spending on it. If the striking face wears out I don't want to have to spend all that money again to replace the whole unit so being able to just replace that one part is a smart design. I can't wait to see what the next great innovation in the field of hand tools is.
I never really thought that you could improve upon something as old and as tried as a hammer. But The Powerstrike Framing Hammer is just that. A massive improvement to a tool that has been around the block quite a few times.I personally like the idea of the hollow aluminum handle and the interchangeable head piece. This design makes for a lighter handle with more "umph" per swing. If there's one thing that I'm really tired about conventional hammers is their weight. Cutting down on that, plus adding extra driving force for sending in those nails, what's not to love? Oh yeah, the $150 price tag.. Oh well.
I honestly don’t know what to think about the design of this hammer…I think the reviewer makes some fairly decent comments about the product. The one that stands out the most to me is his comment about the claws. When I look at the side by side picture of the Powerstike next to a more typical framing hammer it’s very apparent that the claws have a fair amount of…well, girth. I think this is a flaw in the design, not only for the reason that the reviewer indicates (using the hammer to pry studs apart), but also, FOR PULLING NAILS!!!! If you can’t get the claw under the nail, then you can’t pull it…and this hammer may put you in that situation. Having said that, I think that the inclusion of a spring within the hard to absorb some of the shock created by the blow of the hammer is a really incredible step in the right direction if you want to discuss innovation. I also agree that the hollow aluminum handle may be a little strange at first, but overall can be certainly save a frames strength overtime.
The hammer may be the first tool devised and employed by human kind. The invention and refinement of this simple tool could be the single most important technological advancement in our short history, and it occurred over 2.5 million years ago, marking the beginning of the Stone Age (see 2001: A Space Odyssey for further details). In fact, archaeologists name the stages of human development by the materials with which we made hammers and other tools: Stone, Bronze, Iron. Because of its close ties to our graduation from the Primate family, the hammer carries with it a Promethean quality, as if a gift from the gods that carried us out of the wilderness, that makes us who we are. For some reason hammers are important to me. I have a small collection of them, mostly of the metal working type: ball peen, cross peen, farrier's. I have one tattooed on my arm. One of my earliest memories is of the local smithy cold-working a horse shoe in our back paddock over a small anvil bolted to his simple rolling tool box. Hammers figure significantly into the stories I remember from childhood: John Henry versus the Steam Hammer, Thor the Norse God, Vulcan the Roman God (Hephaestus to the Greeks) - cuckolded Husband of Venus, Christ nailed to the cross. The hammer is a symbol for me of the extension of human agency through our ability to think creatively. The hammer is literally an extension and augmentation of the hand, adding weight and leverage to the end of the arm, essentially a pendulum swinging around the shoulder as a pivot, and delivering energy much more effectively than our bodies alone could do. The utilization and abuse of this increased agency is for me a metaphor that exists as a percussive refrain throughout cultural history.
This particular "Powerstrike" hammer seems apropos of our era. It is an ugly amalgamation of perceived needs and complications, a Frankenstein, an abomination of Nature. OK, maybe that's a little harsh, but like I said, these tools are important to me, for all the reasons described above, and this one just makes me pine for those good old Neolithic days.
I'll be honest, this hammer has a lot of cool features and i would probably like using it, but i'm not going to give up my classic 18" hickory handle 22oz framing hammer. A hammer is a hammer, i don't need all these fancy additions to a hammer that the "Powerstrike" has. It seems as though everyone is trying to reinvent the hammer with the side pull that a lot of hammers now have, or a funky claw like demo hammers or even the hammer that has a pry bar on the handle. I don't want all these features. Now, i would buy a stiletto titanium hammer because makes sense, it improves what is the most important feature of your hammer, how it drives in nails. now i understand this has some mechanical spring something or other in the head to help drive nails and a lighter handle, but a hammer really isn't the tool to be adding mechanisms too. I'd be fine wrapping a rock to the end of a stick and using that. Ok, so that might be a little extreme but my point is a hammer is a hammer, go reinvent the jig saw but leave my framing hammer alone (but i would like to try this just to see if i like it).
Ok, ok. It's a pretty cool hammer. If I were just buying tools for myself and I realized I use a hammer all day every day, then maybe, JUST maybe, I might splurge on this. The form factor stills strikes me as a little strange when compared to a "normal" framing hammer. But here's the thing. For the price of one Powerstrike, I could buy 7 standard framing hammers. If I was outfitting a shop or even a small team, I can't say I would be encouraged to buy the Powerstrike. I mean, it still is just a dang hammer. But hey, it does disassemble!!
I really don't know how should I feel about this, it looks....like....hammer...to...me.. like a hammer, hammer, though I've read the review and the author tried to explained how new and fascinating this thing is, it's still a hammer, with some more decoration. I would not pay $150 for a hammer first of all. I mean, yes hammer is important and it's worth investing a good quality one and use it for years but this is still too much and I wonder if it comes with a good quality or if it functions that well for the price. Or this is just my personal opinion since I'm not a huge fan of tools? Anyway, I give a credit to whoever designed this item for creativity and effort.
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