VAUGHAN DALLUGE 16oz Titanium Hammer, Magnetic Nail Holder, Smooth Face, VN07182

I grew up in construction on a 24 ounce Vaughan steel framing hammer. I still have the original 24 ounce head, though I've been through a few handles. Been out of the business for decades, but in preparation for building my own house start to finish, I looked into titanium because I knew my elbow wouldn't take almost a year of the old Vaughan. I picked up this 16 ounce Dalluge based upon great reviews. I also picked up a 12 ounce Stilleto and a 14 ounce Stilleto for my sons. Wish I could return the Stilleto's as there is no comparison. In fact my son broke his handle right off (his fault) and the magnet also fell out. Stilleto was kind enough to send him a replacement magnet. I dont' think he would have broken this Dalluge handle though, in fact I'm certain.Having handled two Stilettos, the old Vaughan, and various old fiberglass types, I can't say enough about this Dalluge.-There is no comparison whatsoever to a steel hammer: I'll never go back.-When swinging, it 'feels' lighter than the 14 ounce Stiletto. Probably the balance, which is exquisite.-The head design is impressive. Straight/swept and strong claw, magnetic nail holder, and side nail puller. The top of the head and the face are flat, and after a while you sort of realize it, because you're making the nails flush up easily in corners and tight spots that would have been a pain with the rounded face. The nailing face is large and just the right size.-The hickory handle has nice grain quality. The straight handled version is the way to go and helps swing with deadly accuracy. The grip shape is just right, at least for my hand. No grip or tension issues.-The Douglas handle to head mounting system is unique and strong. I believe the shock absorbing claim of this method... at least my elbow sure does. I had to tighten the two allen screws a few weeks into using it. Haven't had to touch them again in a year. Appears to be just a breaking-in procedure between the head and handle.-Break the handle in with good old fashioned sweat before considering wrapping it with racket tape. I never have found the need. The handle is so tuned with use/age now, I can't tell what sort of original finish it was compared to the Stiletto. What I can say is that it now feels like it is closer to natural wood and grips very well, whereas both Stilettos still have a shiny finish and don't grip as well. I have always lightly sanded down my new handles in the past, but the Dalluge didn't need this.-As for durability, a year later and there is not a single ding on the handle, due to its design, though I know for a fact I chunked the handle a few times pretty hard... it happens. The titanium has held up well, no chips to speak of and still has a decent waffle pattern for talking to nails, though after so much mistreatment the waffle is pretty worn. This includes having shown no mercy whatsoever on hitting steel tools with this hammer... catspaw and flatbar. Tried not to, but did so in the interest of expediency on many occasions.-The Dalluge swings fast, accurate, and hard. I've never swung a hammer that immediately felt so perfect to me. There was no 'getting used to it'. It was just right from day one.I've picked up my old 24 ounce steel Vaughan a few times and just cringe at the weight and balance. I absolutely can't believe I used to swing that hammer 50 hours a week. Insane. Even my 20 ounce smooth-faced decking hammer feels terribly heavy and unbalanced. If I wasn't planning a blind-fastener system for my deck, I guarantee I'd be buying the Dalluge DDT16P smooth faced version too - may just buy it anyway on principle.To top it off, it's got an original look that oozes 'I mean business'. The price just compounds the beating-down of the competition. If I was once again a full time framer - I'd only be using the Dalluge for sure. Look no further and give this framer a try.Dalluge 7180 16 Ounce Titanium Hammer

I had a hard time finding the total weights for different hammers to help decide if it's worth the extra bucks to go with this Dalluge 7180 16 Ounce Titanium Hammer so here's what I measured on my scale. Here are the weights of some hammers. And no, I don't have weight info on a particular hammer if it's not in the below list.Milwaukee 19oz milled face steel head, 16" hickory handle, Framer, Total weight 29.2ozVaughan 19oz smooth Face steel head, 17" curved axe style wood handle, California Framer Model CF2-HCP, Total weight 31.1ozDalluge 16oz milled face titanium head, 17" curved axe style wood handle, California Framer Model 7180 Total weight 22.5ozEstwing 15oz milled face steel head, 16" steel shaft into rubber handle, Model Ultra, Total weight 30.2ozEstwing 16oz Milled face steel head, 13" steel shaft into rubber handle, unknown older model, Total weight 26.1 oz (mid curved claw, my recent daily carry)Estwing 19oz milled face steel head, 16" steel shaft into rubber handle, unknown older model, Total weight 34.2oz (mid curved claw, my recent daily carry)Estwing 19oz milled face steel head, 16" steel shaft into rubber handle, Ultra, Total weight 35.1ozEstwing 22oz milled face steel head, 16" steel shaft into rubber handle, Model E3-22SM, Total weight 33.2 ozEstwing 28oz milled face steel head, 16" steel shaft into rubber handle, Model E3-28sm, Total weight 38.0ozEstwing 25oz milled face steel head, 18" curved axle style wood handle, Sure Strike California Framer Model MRW25LMStanley 16oz smooth face steel head, 13" hickory straight handle hammer model #51-616 weighs 22.1oz (cheap model for reference)For what it's worth I backed out the handle screws to put blue threadlock on and discovered that there was some factory threadlock on them. I still think it's better to add your own threadlock since there was such a small amount on the threads from the factory and then hand tighten/torque the screws because one of the screws on mine was definitely too loose. In my experience I didn't find much if any difference in striking power between similarly weighted steel and titanium hammers. The longer handle on the Dalluge 7180 is definitely a plus over one with a shorter handle when it comes to pulling stubborn nails. So for me it really came down to preferring to carry a lighter and less robust hammer and figuring that if I break the handle then I'll just have to climb down and grab my nearly indestructible Estwing.

Great framing hammer. I have used many different brands and I prefer this one the best. It provides tremendous power without the weight of a steel hammer, so ther is less fatigue in my are and elbow.

Well, I got a good one comparatively to the reviews. It’s real unfortunate there are a lot people getting botched products. But by receiving a good one, it’s nowhere near what it should be, tolerances are off and the back shank that goes down the handle on the claw side is not recessed like front soooo not really sure how well both the head and handle are fastened to each other. All I was concerned about upon ordering ( & I had read every review on this and was prepared for bad news on the product) was the simple fact that the head had good geometry and was straight, and this seems the case for the most part. The face however has a belly- IN or concave inward, Which kinda bugs me considering it’s already going to mushroom easy anyway but. Overall I’m happy cause now I can make a real handle for the head in the future. I’m not going to bother framing with this most days. This will be trim.If you’re looking for a badass, new, in style titanium hammer - I’d tell most folks stay far away from this hammer. The titanium isnt sourced trustingly and the workmanship is poor. Go any other brand for a nice hammer lol. My case though, I was prepared and received; fortunately the best case scenario for myself. Got what was expected.Buy a stiletto.

Great hammer! Glad they are available again!