Dead Blow Mallets

What are you guys using for Dead Blow Mallets? I had a Craftsman that I used for numerous years however during last use the hitting surface started falling apart as if the plastic had been effected by the atmosphere or a chemical. I suppose Harbor Freight is probably the answer but looking for other options.

You've already answered your own question.  It ain't a delicate or complicated instrument.  And at HF prices you can have one for each side of the car so you don't have to get back up every time you leave it on the wrong side.

The MAC ones now are the closest you can get to the old solid molded Snap Ons that last forever.  

Unless you use them every single day, just grab the first one at the closest store you come across.

I have whatever the 15$ red one is from Home D, and it still remains in one piece and doing hammery things despite my abuse.

The casing on the orange HF ones suck. Too soft. 

I use a harbor freight rubber mallet. Holds up reasonably well, cheap to replace.

Trusty-cook makes most of the tool truck branded hammers. They're way cheaper too.

The0retical said:

Trusty-cook makes most of the tool truck branded hammers. They're way cheaper too.

 

He knoweth the truth. SnapOn hammers at private label prices. Made in USA too. I bought directly from their website.

Estate sales. Buy them for $0.50. 

Otherwise, the joke about Harbor Freight is that everything eventually turns into a hammer. May as well get something that is meant to be a hammer from them too.

Another vote for Trusty-cook

In reply to bluej :

Hf user here. Have not yet, but going to glue a thick piece of cow hide on the face. Hopefully before I bust it open. 

Wiha replaceable face.

lrrs said:

In reply to bluej :

Hf user here. Have not yet, but going to glue a thick piece of cow hide on the face. Hopefully before I bust it open. 

I just recently got their small(est) one for tighter work. I like the idea of modding it. Thanks for the tip!

One time i think i found a use for a dead blow. We were hitting a piece of glass for some reason. 

mtn said:

Estate sales. Buy them for $0.50. 

Otherwise, the joke about Harbor Freight is that everything eventually turns into a hammer. May as well get something that is meant to be a hammer from them too.

if a HF hammer breaks.. what does it turn into?

mad_machine said:

mtn said:

Estate sales. Buy them for $0.50. 

Otherwise, the joke about Harbor Freight is that everything eventually turns into a hammer. May as well get something that is meant to be a hammer from them too.

if a HF hammer breaks.. what does it turn into?

A different kind of hammer. It's a sort of Buddhist reincarnation for tools.

mad_machine said:

mtn said:

Estate sales. Buy them for $0.50. 

Otherwise, the joke about Harbor Freight is that everything eventually turns into a hammer. May as well get something that is meant to be a hammer from them too.

if a HF hammer breaks.. what does it turn into?

Back when I was younger, I was witness to a pretty messy situation with a dead blow that fractured. A dude's dead blow broke open and scattered the shot into a jet engine (on a stand in the hangar). That required the engine to be completely taken apart. The shop owner had a meeting with us at lunch that day and made us take every single dead blow hammer out of the shop and put them in our vehicles and take them home, never to be brought back. In full disclosure, I don't know what brand of hammer it was. No one wanted to even walk over there when it happened. Heads down, eyes averted.

mad_machine said:

mtn said:

Estate sales. Buy them for $0.50. 

Otherwise, the joke about Harbor Freight is that everything eventually turns into a hammer. May as well get something that is meant to be a hammer from them too.

if a HF hammer breaks.. what does it turn into?

A hat? A brooch?

mad_machine said:

mtn said:

Estate sales. Buy them for $0.50. 

Otherwise, the joke about Harbor Freight is that everything eventually turns into a hammer. May as well get something that is meant to be a hammer from them too.

if a HF hammer breaks.. what does it turn into?

Easy, two hammers 

I can't pick up my HF dead-blow without shaking it and yelling "Maracas!" at whoever happens to be near me. It's a disease. 

Band name? 

Dead Blow Hammer!

impulsive said:

 

Wiha replaceable face.

Wow! Great idea. Not priced for causal users.  I can go through a lifetime of cheap HF types for half of what one of those costs...

I think I paid $28 or so for mine.

It's been in near daily use in a machine shop for ~8 years with the original faces and they are still  in good condition. The steel body will last forever. More importantly is how much better controlled your strikes are - not possible with a bouncy rubber coated POS.

In reply to impulsive :

I get it if you use it regularly, but it was $64 when I looked online...My semiannual use isn't enough to justify that.

Another vote for Trusty-Cook. They just came out with a flat faced steel on one side/soft face dead blow on the other that rocks. Also, if you look, they sell "blems" at nearly half off.  They make a great product, and I'm happy to support them.