Drew
Established Member
Japanese Viper Claw Hammer
This is my first attempt at something like this, so please don’t shoot the messenger.
Everyone I suppose will be saying a knocking stick is a knocking stick is a knocking stick. I for one would have joined in up until I came across this hammer.
For a start it looks like how a cartoon of a hammer would look, it even looks slightly misshapen with the large head and small claw.
Don’t let that fool you, this can really pack a wallop.
I've been used to a 20oz vinyl handle Estwing for years and happy with it. In moment of madness I bought one of these Japanese jobs. Its 24oz and feels lighter than my 16oz prentice hammer the bumf explains it like this "Off-centre gravity during rotation alters weight distribution to make this heavy duty hammer feel light and less fatiguing". I know from experience that stepping up 4ozs should have had my arm aching but it doesn’t. It is about 3" longer than my old Estwing with a fibre glass shaft and a comfortable rubber grip so no vibration to speak of. The claw the manufacturers say is hand sharpened, I don’t know about that but it gets a good clean grip of anything from a pin to a 4" nail and the extra 3" on the shaft length give it extra leverage to pull them out if required. The face isn't finished of like any hammer I've come across either, its milled with concentric circles on it.
Whether this will help prevent slippage on nail strike I don't know but I'm using it while building my workshop and so far no halfcrowns. The other difference from conventional hammers is it has a striking plate on either side of the hammerhead, yes, I know its bad practice but at some time everybody does it. The Japanese have taken this into account and provided for it.
I have nothing to do with the manufacture, import or selling of this tool. I'm just reporting what I consider to be something good.
Drew
This is my first attempt at something like this, so please don’t shoot the messenger.
Everyone I suppose will be saying a knocking stick is a knocking stick is a knocking stick. I for one would have joined in up until I came across this hammer.
For a start it looks like how a cartoon of a hammer would look, it even looks slightly misshapen with the large head and small claw.
Don’t let that fool you, this can really pack a wallop.
I've been used to a 20oz vinyl handle Estwing for years and happy with it. In moment of madness I bought one of these Japanese jobs. Its 24oz and feels lighter than my 16oz prentice hammer the bumf explains it like this "Off-centre gravity during rotation alters weight distribution to make this heavy duty hammer feel light and less fatiguing". I know from experience that stepping up 4ozs should have had my arm aching but it doesn’t. It is about 3" longer than my old Estwing with a fibre glass shaft and a comfortable rubber grip so no vibration to speak of. The claw the manufacturers say is hand sharpened, I don’t know about that but it gets a good clean grip of anything from a pin to a 4" nail and the extra 3" on the shaft length give it extra leverage to pull them out if required. The face isn't finished of like any hammer I've come across either, its milled with concentric circles on it.
Whether this will help prevent slippage on nail strike I don't know but I'm using it while building my workshop and so far no halfcrowns. The other difference from conventional hammers is it has a striking plate on either side of the hammerhead, yes, I know its bad practice but at some time everybody does it. The Japanese have taken this into account and provided for it.
I have nothing to do with the manufacture, import or selling of this tool. I'm just reporting what I consider to be something good.
Drew
