Estwing has been touting a new titanium hammer on social media, positioning the company to take on Stiletto and Martinez.
Estwing, as you might know, specializes in steel nail and framing hammers.
According to their posting, the new titanium hammers will be launching later this year.
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A reader (thank you ITCD!) wrote in with the tip:
I’m sure it might be on your radar already, but Estwing has been showing off a new titanium hammer.
In the wake of their posting, a couple folks who actually received one to trial and give feedback on cropped up on Reddit to talk about them, though at least one of the posts had since been deleted (I’m assuming it wasn’t prime time for them to go public with their commentary yet), and they seemed to like it.
This is the first I’ve heard of Estwing coming out with a titanium hammer.
Estwing came out with a titanium competitor in 2016, the AL-PRO, which “is made from forged aircraft aluminum alloy, which is lighter than titanium.” The AL-PRO is more akin to a dead blow hammer, with “vibration dampening shot built into the head giving every blow maximum force.”
Before that, Estwing launched “high velocity” hammers with thin handles and carved-out heads to save weight.
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We know nothing about the new Estwing titanium hammers, other than what we can see in the sole product image.
It has Estwing’s iconic blue handle grip, a contoured upper handle with bold branding, and what looks to be a replaceable strike face.
With just this single social media teaser image, we can’t tell if the new hammer has a side nail puller or magnetic nail starter, features that are standard on both Martinez and Stiletto Ti hammers.
Although there’s a very small number of tool brands offering titanium-handled hammers, competition is fierce and mature.
Martinez has built a fully customizable solution, with interchangeable handle grips, shafts, and different hammer heads, giving users the ability to tailor a hammer to their needs and tastes.
Stiletto’s latest TiBone offerings allow much of the same, with replaceable handle grips, strike faces, and mallet caps.
Stiletto’s new line has 3 sizes of Ti-handled hammers with multiple strike face options.
Martinez has 2 handle sizes, multiple handle grip colors and styles, different handle color finishes, and 4 head weights with different styles (e.g. milled and smooth), claw shapes, and finishes.
Shown here is a Martinez M4 short handle hammer with a polished sledge head, pink-finished shaft, and translucent handle grip with light blue insert.
Estwing’s first titanium hammers are going to face fierce and well-developed competition.
Estwing hasn’t innovated much in recent years; when’s the last time Estwing launched a new product that wasn’t developed or marketed by OEM partners?
The company launched products under licensing agreements, such as screwdrivers, utility knives, tape measures, and air compressors.
It’s interesting and even exciting to see Estwing enter the Ti hammer market. They’re going to need a good hammer and a great plan to compete with Hultafors-owned Martinez Tools and Milwaukee-owned Stiletto.
Jared
Cool! I like Estwing hammers generally. I have several. I think of them as good value and robust – though not necessarily premium, market-leading and innovative. I doubt many “pro” framers are using their steel hammers, but I’m not one and I do.
It will be interesting to see how they enter the market – E.g. is this a more budget-friendly option or are they going all-in to compete with their custom competitors?
I didn’t realize Martinez and Stiletto were customizable like that – but I’m not shopping for a $300+ framing hammer either. I kind of like how the Estwing Ti hammer looks like what I’d expect from Estwing.
Miguel Juarez
Estwing are the best hammer, 25 years and I don’t know the better hammer.
Gigiandgogo
I’ve had a Stiletto 14oz/ 18” curved handle for 18 years and bought my son a used one 3/4 years ago. They are better than my Estwing.
Tammy Tarver
Exactly. Ive had mine like 32 yrs. Got 6 of them. There great.
Papi chulo
In not only the titanium..the side puller is the best future on the expensive hammer.. but. You have to own one to appreciate a real hammer..
Brian
You’d probably be surprised how many use them. They are good hammers for the money and most framers don’t drive lots of nails by hand but use a gun. Their hammer is used to sink a proud nail or tapping a wall into place.
Sam
The 22oz. Estwing framing hammer was my every day hammer for years. Still one of the best hammers I’ve ever owned. Honestly with nail guns it stayed in the holster most of the time.
Droid
Getting that claw under anything looks like a nightmare.
Leo B.
Agreed- looks a little too thick and too short. Stiletto has nice sharp claws, but Martinez are nice and thin as well, and replaceable, which is a nice bonus.
Saulac
I hope this means there is finally a replaceable head hammer, with steel head, at reasonable price. It has been curiously difficult to find a replacable hammer/mallet with a real metal/steel head.
Brian
I haven’t bought one but DeWalt makes one called MIG or something like that. It’s supposed to give Ti like results but it’s not Ti. They are lighter weight like the Ti are too. Again I haven’t used them and I think they’re around $60. I’d be interested to hear someone’s opinion who’s used them.
Ed Holloway
I have the DeWalt 15oz and the Stanley 14oz and I absolutely love them. They hit super hard! I think the 15 hits like a 32 and the 14 like a 28. And they absolutely do!
Zach
I have the Dewalt 12oz MiG and it’s amazing. My favorite hammer by far.
Sikes
Yes I have one of the DeWalts and it’s hands down the best hammer I’ve ever owned, I used to swear by eastwing used to be a framer and used my 22 oz eastwing daily.
Now that I’m older and a handy man that doesn’t hammer all the time I picked the DeWalt up because they claimed to have 20 oz worth of swing with a12 oz head and I thought yeah right, how could this work. Well it does it is the smoothest swing, high impact, and most natural hammer I’ve ever swung, with much less fatigue at the end of the day, wish they had these years ago. Paid 75 bucks for mine which is twice what the normal DeWalt cost. But worth every penny.
eddiesky
Priced at? If atleast half, well, that might make Martinez compete.
Did you read that a hammer and ax maker, of 150 years, Vaughan & Bushnell is closing its plant?
blocky
That’s upsetting, I have several Vaughan hammers. They’re good steel, good handles, good finish and reasonably priced for the quality.
Pablo
This makes me upset too. I have some of their Pry bars and the are great. I noticed a little while ago that Lowes was replacing the American made Vaughn ones with Chinese Kobalt pry bars for a buck cheaper. This is the problem with these mega corporations. They have too much market and will make decisions to squeeze out a little extra profit at the expense of quality suppliers. We the consumer lose and the poor workers who actually took pride in their work and brand are out of work. I’m so tired of this practice in the tool business and other industries.
Brad
I fault consumers at least as much as I fault Lowe’s, HD, etc. Consumers are the ones squeezing out an extra buck by going with the slave labor imports.
Kyle
Whoa! That’s terrible. Vaughan has always made great products at very reasonable prices. I noticed that my local Lowe’s stopped carrying their products on the shelf in maybe the last year or so. Lesser quality products mainly bearing the Kobalt brand at similar price points have taken their place. I have been totally satisfied with every hammer or pry bar of their manufacture that I’ve bought. Really disappointing to hear that they may be folding up. They also purchased Dasco not all that long ago, another brand I’m very fond of.
Local article with more info: https://www.wgem.com/2024/04/12/i-dont-know-what-answer-is-bushnell-mayor-confirms-serious-uncertainty-future-century-old-business/
George
Been in the trade for 26 years an had a estwing from then until lately. I changed to a martinez m1 hammer it’s the best thing I have ever done ..
Dan
Wow, this is awful. Vaughan is always my go-to for hammers and pry bars. I appreciated their fairly priced product with no gimmicky features.
JR Ramos
Man that’s a bummer to hear!! I wasn’t real impressed with the grind and finish work on most of what I saw in recent years but I can say the same for Estwing too. Vaughan did a lot of things right and has for a long time. I think I’ll try to pick up some spare handles before they disappear. I wonder if this will affect some other companies…not sure who makes them for Snap-On, Williams, Klein, etc. but I suspected it might be Vaughan. Not sure who all is left here anymore but Warwood wouldn’t be it and I don’t know if Council does anything domestic anymore.
Nathan
I loved the idea of the al pro but as I said then the al of it might not last well. Al doesn’t have infinite fatigue life
Whish this has the replaceable claw. And better have a nail starter. If under the 200 barrier it would be a great option.
I wonder if their handle is hollow
LGonToolGuy'd
Hart had a sub-$75 Ti hammer at Walmart a few years back, haven’t checked to see whether it is still out there.
Stuart
It was wood-handled.
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/hart-titanium-hammer/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I’m of the opinion that wood-handled Ti hammers are like having a craving for a steak and settling for a Big Mac.
Arthur
I use both Stiletto and a wood handle, but I prefer the wood handle framing. It comes down to preference, the wood handle fits in my hand better and I can I can strike better.
The last steak I had was pretty gross. Not all steaks are worth the money. At least I know what I get with my big mac.
In the end, paslode wins
Stuart
I still use wood-handled hammers too, and was referring to wood-handled with Ti heads.
Leo B.
I’m curious how the face is held on, or if it’s even replaceable. I don’t see a bolt anywhere. I guess Estwing was tired of getting bashed relentlessly in Ti hammer discussions, and wanted in on the action. Good to have competition!
Jason
Will be interesting to see if they’re made in Illinois. Last I heard that plant was a mess still
Marco
I hope they come out with a leather wrapped handle like on my ESTWING Ultra Series Hammer. That would be awesome.
Jared
I endorse this idea.
James Lunstrum
Fifty-some years ago, I used a 22 oz Estwing for everything.Now it’s a 16 oz Esty, the one with the leather washers for a handle.Both are kick-ass hammers.
David
Looks fine, but the price has to be right for it to sell. If it’s $300, or $250, I’m just getting a Stiletto or Martinez. It needs to be a good value not just a good product, sub $200.
Ct451
Are they looking for foreign investors? You make titanium hammers some one will buy you out. That’s what happened to the other two.
It’s a good way to spend a lot of money to get a small share of a small market. I hope they did their math.
ITCD
Pretty sure Martinez is owned by Mark Martinez still. Then there’s Boss Hammer which is family-owned, but they’re fresh to the game getting started in 2020.
Stuart
He still appears to be heavily involved, at least on social media, but the company was bought out in 2022.
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/martinez-tools-acquired-johnson-level-company/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
JoeM
Yes. I’ve talked to Mark a few times on IG in DMs about it since the buyout. Nothing about his role in his company has changed, aside from having to sign documents, or talk to suppliers. He now gets to set his own hours, invent and machine prototypes, and interact with the customers more than he could before. Also, he didn’t have the luxury of “Sandbox Style” freedom with material use, design, or the tools he wanted to invent other than Hammers. All those limitations are lifted for him, and if he wants something made, limited run or permanently, Hultafors handles everything for him, except when he wants to make the first prototype as proof of concept. He’s not stopping any time soon, and now he gets more time to do what he loves.
And it doesn’t hurt that, when he’s expected to be the face of Martinez at a trade show of any sort, anywhere in the world, the plane ticket is no longer on him, it’s on Hultafors. If I hadn’t locked down my Social Networking, I’d screenshot the messages he sent as we talked. He’s really a great human being, and far more humble than he shows in his social media posts. The happiest stuff he gets to do now have to do with seeing his family more than he did, and he’s really living a great life since the buyout. He has all the perks, with nearly none of the demands. And although he couldn’t detail all the perks he gets from Hultafors, he did say that he’s able to do everything he ever wanted to do when he founded Martinez Tools, and there’s absolutely no threat of him being replaced or removed. The major part of his “Head of the Company” role is that he’s literally the head of operations and design, without the added roles that come with managing the business end, unless you count the literal business end of a hammer.
Mark Martinez is actually someone I would genuinely love to meet, and shake his hand one day. His innovation in the space he’s in is directly the same after my own heart. Making the best possible solution, to the most inefficient of problems, and making sure to keep the tools worthy of being Heirloom Quality. They’re priced so high, because he intentionally wanted them to be handed down through generations, as framers and builders retire from active employment, and their children or family members, take up their trade. Nothing stopping them from buying their own Martinez one day, but it won’t be because Grandpa/Uncle/Cousin owned a bad one that no longer did the job when given to the new tradesperson.
I admit bias here. I genuinely like Mark Martinez, and Martinez Tools. Like I said, they do things, and think about what they do, the way I do with whatever I do.
Jed
I have a 16oz Ti Boss hammer and it is awesome. Great product
Tom
All of my hammers are estwing. I have like 10 different estwing hammers ranging from like 12oz all the up to 4lbs. I have never broken one. But I have bent a 3lbs one cleaning scrap. I will only buy estwing. It sucks the home depot no longer carries them. Now I have to go to Lowe’s or Mananards. Grrrrrr !!! I can’t see spending over 50 dollars for a hammer.
Mike
I would love to hear an explanation of the benefit of titanium hammers. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a lot of “post purchase rationalization” with these hammers. I can also accept that experienced users found them superior without being able to pinpoint exactly why.
Even though framing hammers are still a vital tool on every tool belt, they’re actually hammering nails a fractional amount compared to decades ago. Always carrying a lighter weight tool that’s no longer being used constantly makes sense.
Comparing this to a 19 oz California framing hammer I imagine actual nail striking preferences would be more variable and subjective than carrying preferences.
My main question is, when comparing ~16 oz hammers of different materials – steel, titanium, aluminum, what are the differences other than cost and durability?
I could believe that a soft titanium face that’s constantly getting dented and beat up feels softer when striking.
Some of these hammers have a titanium “chassis” with steel heads to counteract this. Is weight the only advantage vs a wooden or steel handled model?
Adam Charles
I’ve had a Vaughan hammer for last 10yrs , Estwing with leather handle before that for 15yrs . Both 20oz and both do the same job . Estwing has good balance.
JoeM
Personally, I have trouble believing Estwing is, at all, in direct competition with the premium lineups of Stiletto and Martinez, simply by making a Titanium Hammer. In this situation, I think they are more in direct competition with themselves, Estwing, and other Welding and Woodworking Trades Hammers from other companies like DeWALT/Stanley and Milwaukee. With so little visible of the Estwing Ti, there’s no evidence it’s anything more special than their answer to DeWALT’s MiG hammer, for welders, Stanley’s AntiVibe Hammers for Construction, or Milwaukee’s lineup of metal-bodied hammers for all of the above.
Martinez and Stiletto are both Premium, Titanium-Based, and Modular Hammers, in direct competition with Eachother on the best of days, and equals on the worst of days. The extreme price range is because they’re both brands aiming at Heirloom-Quality levels, not seasonal throwaway consumables. A Martinez is openly marketed as being designed to outlive you. So wear and tear on the hammer, even over a 40-year working life, won’t be sufficient to render the hammer unusable if some new apprentice enters the field, and your hammer is handed to them, through whatever means. And considering Stiletto is also known for their Jeweller’s Hammers, and knowing just how obsessive Jewellers and Watchmakers can be over their tools, I can only imagine that Stiletto, despite being owned by Milwaukee, is still driven by the, likely generations, of obsessive demands of precision obsessives like Jewellers. They’re not joking around or playing the short-term-gain marketing model there. They’re playing the multi-generational investment game. Where the only thing that will wear out, is the shelf space they’re sold on.
Now… What this genuinely brings to mind for me, is when Leatherman made the Charge Ti and TTi tools. Making the scales Titanium didn’t suddenly make them a different class of Multitool, it was just an alternative to their Charge AL tools. Lighter, different texture on the scales, designed to have the grip be more of a premium, and make use of the unique properties of Titanium. Such as its poor conduction of heat, electricity, and magnetic flux. If Gerber had come along with an all-titanium tool of their own design, they still wouldn’t be in direct competition with the Charge Ti or TTi, they’d just generally be in competition with the Leatherman brand itself, as they always were. Just because a specific material is used in any given tool, doesn’t make the tool a brand new class of tools. Sometimes that material is there for its own properties to the existing lineup. After all, even if you compare the other Charge models to the Charge Titanium models, they’re the same tool bodies on the inside, with the same knives and other tools, plus the same pliers. The Titanium variation to this inherits the properties of the material to the identical uses of those non-Titanium versions. Better grip, and being able to go without conducting heat or magnetism, has some premium benefits to the Charge family. But it’s still a Charge, nonetheless.
I believe, honestly, that this Estwing is doing to the Eswting hammer lineup, what the Charge Ti and TTi did for the Leatherman Charge lineup. It’s a material benefit added to their usual designs that are already successful. Perhaps it’ll be them testing the waters for a full on attack of the Premium companies like Martinez and Stiletto, with the next version of the Estwing Ti being an entire system of interchangeable features, sure. But this one is certainly not that. It’s an Estwing, head to grip, with all the quality and design that comes with that name. But it’s not up against Martinez or Stiletto, simply because the material is Titanium.
Stuart
With the Leatherman Charge tools with titanium accents, there were also premium upgrades to part of the feature set, such as the knife blades.
It’s similar to how a spicey crispy chicken sandwich at McDonalds has a regular chicken patty with “spicy pepper sauce.” It’s dressed up a bit.
This hammer is not a dressed-up Estwing hammer, it’s a completely new and separate development that’s unlike anything Estwing currently offers.
There are very few titanium hammer makers, and Estwing is joining their ranks. This, from an objective standpoint, means that Estwing will be competing with Martinez and Stiletto.
JoeM
Make no mistake, I certainly Hope that is the result of this. I see the design changes, and the structural similarities to Stiletto and Martinez Systems of Hammer varieties. And, let’s face it, Estwing is a very good Hammer producer already. If they did the full systems like Martinez and Stiletto, especially at a lower price-point, then I would certainly be on-board 100% with calling them a worthy competitor! Estwing hammers were on my list of desired hammers due to a previous ToolGuyd article from several years ago… Something about an “Ultra Hammer” of some sort? You personally vouched for its comfort and reliability. At the relatively reasonable price point, they were quickly put on my radar.
For right now though… I’m not seeing enough modularity indicated in This Model to move it outside an Estwing model of the DeWALT MiG line, and the fellow other quck-strike/anti-vibe/strong repetition hammers in the market right now. Much like with the Charge line with Leatherman, all those advancements didn’t pull the Charge outside the outside-open family of tools, like the Wave and Surge. If anything, it is considered one of its premium siblings. Even the Charge Ti versus the Charge TTi had premium differences from Eachother, with a slight difference in tools included, and the originals had a flawed (mostly hated) crimping tool embedded in the needlenose pliers that made them easily weaken there, at a break point. But, at no point, did these models deviate from the Wave or Surge designs. They, as a whole family, deviated from the original PST premium family, of all-inside opening tools.
Now, since then, Leatherman has deviated to completely different tools, led by the success of Leatherman users buying the Charge Ti/TTi. Easy to state that we wouldn’t have the Raptor, or its predecessor the ZRex, if they hadn’t taken the chance to design the Charge Titanium models. Its current version is the Charge+ TTi, which means they never gave up on that. And for that example, I certainly Hope that this first Estwing Ti is their dipping of a toe into the Titanium market, to gauge whether their Name and their Quality Standards are enough to expand this first one into a full system.
In an ideal world, I would be happy, overjoyed really, if Estwing took all their years of Hammer production, and put that into a budget-level edition of the systems from Stiletto and Martinez. I just am not seeing enough features in the Estwing Ti to see how it can, even remotely, be held up as a competitor to these two Premium Systems we’re pointing to as competition. I don’t see enough from this one image to be certain that this hammer is going directly, forgive the pun, head to head with Stiletto and Martinez.
If and When we see more of this Hammer? I’m very happy to be proved wrong. Especially if it has siblings in the Ti format. It can only get better, really. For now though… I only see a kind of hybrid-answer to the MiG and the Ti Systems. It’s somewhere in between them from this particular image. I look forward to more images to clarify!
Stuart
There’s no such thing as a budget edition of full Ti hammer with Ti head and handle.
It’s not a hybrid, and it’s not akin to Dewalt’s welded hammer.
If it has a titanium shaft and a titanium head, it’s a titanium hammer that’s poised to compete with other titanium hammers.
The Leatherman Charge series were upscale versions of the Wave. The Charge TTi was a more premium flavor of the Charge. This is akin to being a Leatherman FREE or ARC.
This is clearly a titanium hammer.
What does Estwing say? “Estwing titanium hammers will be available later this year.”
John S
I love my AL-PRO. I’ve had Martinez and stiletto. The ALPRO is my favorite hands down. Great swing. Hits like a scorned woman. But gentle on the arm and shoulder. Can’t recommend it enough. Not sure I’ll need to try this one but I’ve said that before…