Estwing EALBK Al-Pro Hammer, Smooth Face, Shock Reduction Grip

Product Information

Stiletto’s titanium still has an overall better feel, especially as the day gets longer. It’s not just the lighter weight, but the additional length in the handle also serves to improve the power delivery. Estwing can benefit by offering an 18″ handle option next time around. Even with the extra length, it’s going to be awfully tough to beat out titanium in the premium hammer class. That doesn’t make it the sleekest-looking framing hammer the world has ever seen. But as we have experienced before, don’t judge a book by its cover. Kenny’s life around power tools started early. His grandfather was an airplane mechanic in WW2 and took up woodworking as a hobby after retiring from the power industry. Building everything from bookshelves to lazy Susans, he became extremely accomplished while his young grandson observed, fascinated at the way raw wood could turn into something both beautiful and functional. In fact, Kenny still uses several pieces that his grandfather made more than 30 years ago. We hear a lot about titanium with Stiletto framing hammers and the power to weight ratio they offer. It certainly pretty incredible. But as nice as those hammers are, even with their poly fiberglass handles, one of our favorites is still the Powerstrike Framing Hammer. Like the Powerstrike, Estwing opts for aluminum. This is much the same rationale as the bicycle industry – aluminum offers high strength and lighter weight than steel, though steel has better vibration dampening properties in general.

Thanks to the forging process and the alloy Estwing goes with, it’s claiming to be even lighter than titanium. That’s not a claim we can validate since titanium hammers go with a different material for the handle. Estwing’s aluminum, however, makes up both the handle and head. Other than side scratches and dings in the aluminum head from side nailing in tight spaces, it has remained in considerably good condition. I would have long ago broken a wooded handle from demo work and prying. I often use the claw to pry lumber apart by leveraging the hammer sideways and yet both claws are still intact. I can’t say that of my last hammer which broke a claw doing that. It had a titanium head and I should have known better, but when the work needs to get done and you’re in the zone you sometimes ask more of your tools. This hammer hasn’t let me down yet. Because this Estwing hammer has a full metal build and not a wooden handle, you get a vinyl grip. That’s a must have on any metal handle thanks to the vibration that will still come through. The grip reduces what vibration makes it to my hand and offers a pretty comfortable yet secure grip. The grip is a nice step up from my other premium hammers. The handle also has just enough curve to fit well in hand.In an ideal world, we’d be able to forge an entire hammer around whatever core we wanted. However, that’s not the case. Estwing has a few possibilities here: design a removable face to insert the shot to the core, go in through the top, or go in through the claw. The Estwing AL-Pro Framing Hammer uses a rear insert method, given away by the fastener location. It’s not the best nail puller on the market but that’s what a claw is better suited to be bashed with. The Estwing AL-Pro Shot Hammer obviously takes its cues from its dead-blow counterparts. But with a strikingly different application, does the concept still work?

It’s the perfect trade off between a timber handle which is lighter but fragile and a titanium which is very pricey. If this is the first expensive hammer you have considered, do not try to justify it, a paslode is far superior, this hammer is for those who appreciate the finer joys of building. It’s the equivalent of a businessman having a premium pen to sign off with.I got this because I didn’t want to follow the trend for a Martinez or stiletto and I’m very pleased so far.