Now this is one expensive hammer!

[amirm]

The finest screwdrivers in my toolbox are from the German company, Wiha. I was going through Amazon store looking for a second set to buy and ran into this:

What do you think this costs? Go ahead and guess!

Let me help you with the description:

Wiha 80299 Dead Blow Sledge Hammer, Medium Hard Face, Recoilless, Polyurethane Face, Hickory Handle, 3.9" Face, 43.2" Overall Length

This is how much it costs: http://www.amazon.com/Wiha-Recoille...9?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1407648852&sr=1-39

Price: $308.26

I guess if we can by little cables for thousands of dollars, why not a hammer that costs $300?

 

[garylkoh]

Those Wiha Phillips screwdrivers and hex-drives are certainly worth paying for - we use them for building Genesis loudspeakers. As a manufacturer, we have to be sure that the tools we use don't strip the heads of the screws and bolts. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find equivalent quality in SAE-size hex drives.

Anyone have suggestions?

 

[Mosin]

Anyone have suggestions?

I prefer Bondhus ball drivers, but the largest one I use is 1/8". Have you considered Torx drive as an alternative?

 

[GaryProtein]

I prefer Bondhus ball drivers, but the largest one I use is 1/8". Have you considered Torx drive as an alternative?

Torx is the best for head engagement and prevention of stripping the head.

It is the preferred driver for many car parts, construction fasteners and dental implants.

The six points of engagement that actually accentuate the corners is a real guard against stripping which is why Torx excels and betters the hex Allen key. The Bondhus ball drivers (I like them) should only be used where the angle of insertion into the screw head isn't 90 degrees, otherwise the straight Allen hex driver is better for engagement and prevention of wear.

The Bondhus hex drivers are first class.

 

[JackD201]

Why don't folks use box heads more often?

 

[GaryProtein]

The square box drivers are also very good for engagement. After all, that is what is used for connecting sockets to their wrench handles.

One other reason the torx may be preferred over the box, is the box driver, male and female must be deeper to have the same strength to prevent head stripping when the screw is turned. The torx has the advantage where there are space constraints, so the Torx allows a shallower head design in the screw.

 

[Garth]

The finest screwdrivers in my toolbox are from the German company, Wiha. I was going through Amazon store looking for a second set to buy and ran into this:

What do you think this costs? Go ahead and guess!

Let me help you with the description:

Wiha 80299 Dead Blow Sledge Hammer, Medium Hard Face, Recoilless, Polyurethane Face, Hickory Handle, 3.9" Face, 43.2" Overall Length

This is how much it costs: http://www.amazon.com/Wiha-Recoille...9?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1407648852&sr=1-39

Price: $308.26

I guess if we can by little cables for thousands of dollars, why not a hammer that costs $300?

Troy and Holden has a couple of hammers over 300 without handles made in the USA. One is 318 no polyurethane no handle just heavy 12 lbs I have never wore one out but I have had a few stolen. German tools are for persuasion not for real heavy work if you can swing it troy and Holden is the better tool. IMO

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I like Snap-on hex drivers myself for precision. and their truck is at the dealership once a week.

 

[garylkoh]

Thanks for the Bondhus suggestion.

I agree - torx is better drive, but hex more versatile and easily available (just in case dealers need to get into the speakers). The ball-hex is dangerous because production staff may not properly insert the head into the socket and mash the socket.

 

[GaryProtein]

I have not seen a hex screw strip when the proper size was used.

Problems arise when the user doesn't know of it is SAE or Metric and a "close," but not exactly right size driver was used.

It's about time EVERYTHING went metric.

 

[JackD201]

The square box drivers are also very good for engagement. After all, that is what is used for connecting sockets to their wrench handles.

One other reason the torx may be preferred over the box, is the box driver, male and female must be deeper to have the same strength to prevent head stripping when the screw is turned. The torx has the advantage where there are space constraints, so the Torx allows a shallower head design in the screw.

Thanks GP

 

[hifikontoen]

Price: $308.26

I guess if we can by little cables for thousands of dollars, why not a hammer that costs $300?

For the serious high-enders, there are many problems with this hammer.
Some of them are listed here:
* $300 is not expensive enough.
* The hammer does not come in shiny metal.
* A big and heavy remote control is not included.
* They do not know where to buy hammer-lifters.
* They of course need two and not one hammer: bi-hammering.
* The hammer has no hammer-meter.
* They want the hammer to have "boxes" matching their Transparent cables' boxes.
* The hammer has not been reviewed by M. Fremer or R. Harley (probably because it is not expensive enough).
* The hammer has not been cryogenically treated.

The shops selling these hammers can assure the customers that its performance will improve after some times use. This eases the mind of the high-enders, since they see the similiarity in this with that for cables, cd-players and amplifiers. The time it must used before operating optimally is just one week longer than its warranty.

 

[Don Hills]

... the box driver, male and female must be deeper to have the same strength to prevent head stripping when the screw is turned. ...

The increased engagement depth is popular with electricians - it means the screw stays on the bit better when working on overhead light fittings...

 

[GaryProtein]

^^^^ That makes sense.

It's a bummer to have screws falling off the driver when you're standing on the top of a ladder!

 

[Mosin]

For the serious high-enders, there are many problems with this hammer.
Some of them are listed here:
* $300 is not expensive enough.
* The hammer does not come in shiny metal.
* A big and heavy remote control is not included.
* They do not know where to buy hammer-lifters.
* They of course need two and not one hammer: bi-hammering.
* The hammer has no hammer-meter.
* They want the hammer to have "boxes" matching their Transparent cables' boxes.
* The hammer has not been reviewed by M. Fremer or R. Harley (probably because it is not expensive enough).
* The hammer has not been cryogenically treated.

The shops selling these hammers can assure the customers that its performance will improve after some times use. This eases the mind of the high-enders, since they see the similiarity in this with that for cables, cd-players and amplifiers. The time it must used before operating optimally is just one week longer than its warranty.

Some of us make anti-bling products, so your scenario doesn't necessarily apply to everyone.

I would nitride the little metal wedge in the handle, though. Also, I don't have a problem with the handle being made from ebony. That would be an understated, but elegant hammer!

 

[Ronm1]

* $300 is not expensive enough.
* A big and heavy remote control is not included.
* The hammer has not been reviewed by M. Fremer or R. Harley (probably because it is not expensive enough)

A non-impact one for a few K more is in R&D, those boys will jump right on it I suspect.

 

[Mosin]

A non-impact one for a few K more is in R&D, those boys will jump right on it I suspect.

I thought you guys were into global feedback!

 

[Charles E Flynn]

Those Wiha Phillips screwdrivers and hex-drives are certainly worth paying for - we use them for building Genesis loudspeakers. As a manufacturer, we have to be sure that the tools we use don't strip the heads of the screws and bolts. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find equivalent quality in SAE-size hex drives.

Anyone have suggestions?

No, because you already have the right tools. The last time I checked, Apple used Wiha screwdrivers in their stores. I was told that they buy Wiha tools in such quantity that they cost Apple less than the junk at a big box store. Of course, that could be just a story invented for the entertainment of tool fans. Wihatools.com should have SAE sizes by now.

 

[GaryProtein]

The finest screwdrivers in my toolbox are from the German company, Wiha. I was going through Amazon store looking for a second set to buy and ran into this:

What do you think this costs? Go ahead and guess!

Let me help you with the description:

Wiha 80299 Dead Blow Sledge Hammer, Medium Hard Face, Recoilless, Polyurethane Face, Hickory Handle, 3.9" Face, 43.2" Overall Length

This is how much it costs: http://www.amazon.com/Wiha-Recoille...9?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1407648852&sr=1-39

Price: $308.26

I guess if we can by little cables for thousands of dollars, why not a hammer that costs $300?

I bet the Pentagon would pay 100 times that amount for a hammer like this!

 

[Charles E Flynn]

The finest screwdrivers in my toolbox are from the German company, Wiha. I was going through Amazon store looking for a second set to buy and ran into this:

What do you think this costs? Go ahead and guess!

Let me help you with the description:

Wiha 80299 Dead Blow Sledge Hammer, Medium Hard Face, Recoilless, Polyurethane Face, Hickory Handle, 3.9" Face, 43.2" Overall Length

This is how much it costs: http://www.amazon.com/Wiha-Recoille...9?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1407648852&sr=1-39

Price: $308.26

I guess if we can by little cables for thousands of dollars, why not a hammer that costs $300?

The tool mentioned in the original posting weighs 15.1 lbs., and while a fine tool is not a representative example of the Wiha dead blow mallet line.

The Wiha dead blow mallets are not hammers intended to drive nails. They are essentially demolition or disassembly tools, capable of precisely delivering kinetic energy with minimal recoil to a well-defined target. The interiors of the heads are filled with oil and with steel (not lead) shot. I do not own many tools, but oddly enough, I have three different sizes of these outstanding dead blow mallets.

I found out about the Wiha dead blow mallets when an American-made dead blow mallet had the coating on its handle turn to goo, then dry out, crack, and fall off. The resulting grip was not acceptable.

Early in the summer of 2005, I found myself having to move under trying circumstances. The landlord for the apartment in which I had lived for more than a decade was very gracious, and let me out of my lease. We had an agreement that I would be out of my apartment by a particular date in July. The move was going quite well, but on the last day on which I could get help from a friend, I found myself unable to disassemble the MetroWire shelving I had bought for my closet. It had been in the closet for years, with heavy loads on the shelves. Dozens of blows from a beechwood cabinetmaker’s mallet had no effect on the shelves. They would not budge. The wooden mallet bounced off the corners of the shelves.

Quite frustrated, I finally recalled that I had bought a Wiha 802/40 dead blow mallet (overall length 12 inches, 1.2 lbs), to replace the failed American tool, “just in case I need it some day” (not a recommended criterion for the purchase of tools). It took nearly a hundred blows, but the Wiha dead blow mallet finally succeeded in loosening one corner of the shelves, and then the rest were freed quickly and easily. An 802/50 (overall length 14 inches, 3.0 lbs, $63.74 in December 2013 from wihatools.com) would have succeeded with fewer blows.