Is a Stiletto Hammer Worth it? 

I love story’s like yours man that’s the kinda shit i live for just busting it up with a buddy getting something done that needs to be done that’s what being a man is all about

All true I work in lake arrowhead ca mountains love hearing the nature

Hell YES! I built a tiny house with my dad. One month, then he went home to hang out with mommy. Then another month. We were working slowly, and hauling ass at the same time. And it was so FUN! Zero stress!

Awesome 40 year framer here I use a lot of your tricks just by working all these years You learn from great teachers. Maybe if you're lucky you run into 3 in your lifetime. Then , you learn your own tricks . But your evolution of the hammer is basically exactly the road I lived. Great videos. All your string tying tricks I've done on my own and lots of stuff you show. I go awe Yeah

What made you want to go back to school? And the best advice can you give a young guy in the trades

@@mustafabashir8127 I stopped drinking and using drugs and got bored of what I was doing. As far as advice I would give... Live sober, be curious, raise your hand and ask questions. Finding the answer to something is often easy with digital copies of solutions manuals and Chegg, but sometimes they are wrong. As yourself how they got to that answer instead of just what is the correct answer.

@@mustafabashir8127 realizing you can make the same amount of money working 40hrs a week. less fights with your wife, more time to do what you want, less pain.

​@@mustafabashir8127head down work hard earn your pay and you'll be the boss one day.

He could talk about making Jell-O and make it sound interesting.

"Unless I'm intent on getting hurt." That's just a part of the job. There isn't a single week that goes by that I make it without leaking a little "vital fluid" for my living.

​@heman5954 As my wife tells me I put a little piece of me into everything I make

Every thing we enjoy in our day to day life that most don’t think about; is the guys with hammers either building or maintaining everything.

I'm a carpenter you do hurt yourself but you get used to it and it stops hurting as my h when you do

Including the word light, you saved one letter there, ha ha. :-D

No vibration is good too.

Same

We call that shape a California framing handle.

You said it much better than I could. Thumbs up to your comment.

I was thinking the exact same thing.

Yes That tono of voice and personality A gentleman A person you want a conversation

Not sure what use a hammer is for hosting meetings and submitting for hot work permits.

For the last 20 years of my commercial construction career, the hammer did not get much use. But, it was in the truck, with the nail bags. One of the carpenters helping me was getting s tool out of the truck box and noticed my nail bags in the box. He expressed surprise that they. were there, and asked me why I still had them with me. I told him that I might need to jump in and give a hand some time. And I on occasion, when the situation allowed.

I just noticed that Homedepot has a few models of Stilleto on sale. $90 each for both smooth and milled face 14oz models, and a little smooth face 10oz model. Lowes does not carry Stilleto.

I was gifted my T15II by my nephew, best hammer ever! *see my comment above

Agreed--if your star young employee or handy hubby doesn't own one of these, nothing makes a better gift for any carpenter with enough experience to have seen these things but never dared to splurge. Certainly for any pro carpenter the benefits more than make up for the cost. Buy the all-titaium Ti-bone if you can afford it. The hickory handle, titanium head described in this video is super light and great for nailing, but it sucks for everything else (pulling nails and demo and using the hammer like an ice pick handle to pick up and transport window headers, etc.). About half of carpenters who purchase the hickory handle because it's much less expensive end up sinking another $300 later on what they really want.

The all-titanium Ti-bone (or other brand of your choice) are pretty, work greate for nailing in normal grip positions and obviously are better at pulling nails/demo BUT try using it when you're up in the trusses, setting hips/perlings-when you're swing your hammer sideways and super choked up on the handle (about the only way you'll see framers setting perlings on flat top trusses before sheathing is on. The all metal handles are terrible for out of posiition nailing, particularly when you have to choke up on the handle. At least that's my oppinion and experience with wood (or wood shaped) handles versus all metal handles. The all metal estwing, 28 oz, waffle or smooth face, is an AWESOME hammer, just absolutely terrible to choke up on the handle. Plus the skinny metal handle almost acts like an axe if it ever accidentally hits a finger (think out of position nailing, like putting on joist hangers on an elevated deck when standing on the joist/rim-joist) @@zacharyroyce

@@Ifishmo Interesting. I am trying to understand exactly what you mean by out of position hammering. I suppose you mean when you have to swing up or sideways or maybe at an oblique angle like for tight in work with hangers or whatever, but then I don't follow how that is different with a wood handle. I do see how my dad's old small (or normal sized, not framing) metal handle (with leather ring grips) and my 28oz Estwing (my first framing hammer) with their blade-like shafts between grip and head would be unpleasant for choked up grip and an edge hazard if you get either your grip or support hand in the way, but my Tibone (and I suppose the same applies to Martinez) is not nearly that narrow and sharp and I have not noticed issues with awkward hammering or hitting choked up. You might use your hammer more than I do and thus run into situations I don't. I don't use my hammer much setting trusses except for metal hangers. I do hit choked up all the time when no one is looking who might think less of my manliness. I am trying to understand what you mean about flat-top truss purlins--I wonder if you mean cross bracing on the underside in which you would be nailing up, or like barn trusses spaced too far apart to span with your stance so you have to maybe hammer down while standing underneath?? Forgive me, I've been doing this less than ten years and there's still lots of things I haven't done.

Fala cara, onde você comprou seu martelo Stiletto? Estou de olho em um na Amazon Brasil, mas está o olho da cara. Mas vou encarar ele assim mesmo!

Haha. I do the exact same thing. I always carry both. Estwing is demo and overall beating on 😄

I too similarly mimic Nicholas' comment. Bought the 14 oz Stilletto based on watching your video, and use a 20oz Bostitch Ripping Hammer for everything "dirty". I also recently purchased something new, that you will know- a 5lb. Formsetter. It's not a tool that I need, but will still get fair amount of use, and it's purchase is primarily due to my intrigue and desire to support the work you do and share with us, and the inspirational work ethic that Andrew Larson possesses. You guys are awesome. Keep up the good work.

Get an all-titanium hammer and use only one hammer for everything. My full explanation in separate comment above.

if you bought a Ferrari would you park it in the garage or drive it like you stole it ? don't baby that stilleto treat it like a two dollar whore ! that's what it's made/designed for or don't then you have an expensive paperweight just sayin'

I use that technique, it gives one much more control and I find it less stressful on my wrist.

Another trick is to extend one's trigger finger down the handle, it works well when driving small nails and pins.

@@TheToolnut thanks!! I’m gonna try this!

@@TheToolnut I'm a Chippy in New Zealand, 35 years in the trade, as we call it here, & I've owned a fibreglas handled Vaughn 20oz for a very very long time & I worked out by observation many many moons ago that the hard rubber type handle grip has grooves in it for the side of your palm & for your trigger finger & Thumb for grip! Not many people like it as a Hammer, BUT I do & I'm the one using it!!! Personally, I don't like Eastwing hammers, I don't see or understand why people love them so much..... When I was a kid my Dad had a "Plumb" fiberglass handled 20oz Hammer (my Dad is 87 still has it 47 years later... he lost it for years!!!) & I grew up using that so perhaps that influenced me a lot.... I have bought 3 Eastwings over my 35 year time span in the construction though - I think a 25 & 28? oz 14" Framing hammers but don't like the long handles on them - too hard on my elbows ( I've had Tennis elbow in both arms probably 10 times or more ( & had 4 Quaterzone steriod injections in ea. forearm muscle to help heal it.... ) I really bought them for building/constructing timber/lumber retaining walls. The other Eastwing I bought is a 21oz Fiberglass handle are they ??? "Weight Forward" hammer, I bought it in excellent 2nd hand condition because it looked eye appealing, I liked the "weight forward" concept as that's what my Vaughn is exactly like I.e. all the weight is in the head of the hammer... & personally, I like a hammer in that style/format.... plus it has very flat Claws & also they're very tapered to quite a thin end & it's the same on my Vaughn & I also like that as a feature on a Hammer too. In New Zealand, 95% of Chippy's use Eastwings..... Very very predominantly we use 20oz in N.Z. rare to see higher weighted hammers in use.... I still use a 16oz, I have a "Bollox" a Japaneese made steel handled one for lighter duties..... bought it 2nd hand for $5.00!!! & My 22 year old 325 model Paslode framer gun is still going strong!!! I've still got my pneumatic "Senco" SFN70 Framing gun & SFN 40 Trim guns that I bought when I was 22 years old now I'm past a 1/2 century in age!!!

Like AvE said (quoting someone else) "Quality isn't expensive, it's priceless"

Forgot one that edges out laser, cordless track saw,

I’m with you my friend but I use a 19 oz. California framer

The 23 California framer was my hammer of choice for almost twenty years. I still have my last one from before I changed professions. Every morning at the site I found some sap oozing out of a board and rubbed it on the handle, Florida heat and humidity keeps you pouring sweat. Having it slip out of hand at full swing can be devastating.

@ @casterman2, I'm a Chippy in N.Z. & use a 20oz curved claw fiberglass handled Vaughn!!! Had it for many many years, I'm 35 years in trade!!!

Martinez sold Martinez in 2022.

Yea and he's a very rich man due to people like you spending the price of a nail gun on a hammer . Meanwhile my 55 yr old Estwing keeps banging .

@@hillbert0861 who the hell to? That's news to me!

@@Squat5000 "In October 2022, the Hultafors Group acquired Martinez Tool Co, a USA brand best known for their customizable titanium hammers. Hultafors has a number of tool brands in their corporate portfolio, such as Johnson Level and CLC. The Hultafors Group is owned by an investment company, Investment AB Latour, that is based in Sweden."

to Sanchez@@Squat5000