What advice can you offer when your professional customers ask your recommendations for choosing a hammer for their day-to-day use?

Many tradesmen swear by a certain brand or model for many of the tools they use. The choice of any hand tool, especially one used as often as a hammer, is usually personal, and it's serious business to the user. These customers swing a hammer their way, and they do it all day long. It's probably the most personal item found on their tool belt.

So, what are the basics of hammers? How do you decide what to stock and what to recommend? What's the difference between a hammer the professionals can use comfortably and safely all day, every day, and one that a "weekend warrior" might use now and then?

Obviously, there are a lot of different hammer types. Who doesn't remember the scene from Forrest Gump when Forrest's friend recited a litany of ways to prepare shrimp? "Boiled shrimp, steamed shrimp, pickled shrimp, shrimp gumbo…."

A similar scenario could be built around hammers.

"There are nail hammers, ball peen hammers, hand-drilling hammers, sledge hammers, tack hammers, finishing hammers, big hammers, little hammers," and so on.

For these purposes, I'll deal mostly with standard nail hammers.

The most common types of nail hammers are the curved claw and straight claw (also called ripping claw) models. Curved claw hammers are general-use hammers, and their curved claws are good for pulling out nails. Straight claw hammers are more often used for framing or demolition, since the straight claws are very effective for prying and ripping boards apart. Most full-line manufacturers will offer an economy, a mid-price, and a premium selection. The selections will have handles made from different materials, heads of varying weights, and faces with varying surfaces.

Handles. Selection of handle material is a matter of personal choice. Some people like the natural feel of wood, and others prefer the light weight of fiberglass or the durability of solid steel. Handles are generally 13 to 18 inches in length. Your customers should choose hammers with the combination of characteristics that best fit the type of work they do.

• Wood. The traditional choice for wood handles is red hickory. The continuous fibers of this stock give resilience and strength, while minimizing impact shock.
• Fiberglass. Fiberglass doesn't rust, rot or corrode. It's lightweight, but has incredible strength, making it nearly unbreakable. Quality fiberglass handle hammers may offer a non-slip, contoured grip for increased comfort and reduced fatigue.
• Solid Steel. While this is the most durable material for a hammer handle, steel is an excellent transmitter of vibration, limiting the amount of time a person can use the hammer comfortably. Again, stress quality to your customer. A better solid steel hammer will feature a shock-absorbing design that greatly reduces vibration, so it can be used all day with less fatigue and a lower chance of joint discomfort.

Head weights. Head weight depends primarily on what the hammer will be used for. Lighter head weights (seven to 13 ounces) are used for fine finishing work, while the most popular general-use hammers have 16-ounce heads. Professional-duty hammers may be heavier—up to a 32-ounce head weight for a really serious framing hammer. When recommending head weight, it's probably best to err on the light side; it's a rare individual who can swing a 32-ounce hammer for very long.

Hammer face surfaces and shapes. Face design and head shape depend somewhat on the hammer's purpose, but in many cases they are chosen because of personal preference. Most hammer faces are smooth, and are slightly crowned with the edges beveled. Some professional framing hammers may have checkered faces designed to reduce glancing blows and flying nails. All are made of forged steel for strength and durability, and are heat-treated for strength, toughness and wear resistance.

As you deal with your professional customers, remind them of basic safety considerations when using striking or struck tools. It may even result in the sale of additional products. Here are some basic guidelines to consider:

Always wear approved eye protection. Safety-rated glasses or goggles are essential when using any type of striking or struck tool, presenting an opportunity for another sale.

Use hammers for their intended purpose only. Use a hammer of suitable type, size, and weight for the job at hand.

• Claw and ripping hammers should be used only for driving common unhardened nails or nail sets.
• The claws should be used only for pulling common unhardened nails or dismantling wooden structures.
• Ball peen hammers can be used to strike chisels and punches, to set rivets, and to shape unhardened metal.
• When striking a punch or chisel, the face of the hammer used should have a diameter at least 3/8 in. larger than the face of the struck tool.
• Bricklayers' hammers should be used only to split bricks and to chip mortar off masonry.
• Mauls, axes, and hatchets are designed for use with wood and other soft materials.
• Never strike the cutting edges of these tools against metal, stone, concrete, or other hard materials.
• Never use an axe or hatchet as a wedge.
• The striking surfaces of mauls, axes, and hatchets may be used to strike unhardened nails, spikes, and wedges; never use to strike hardened nails, chisels, concrete, or stone.

Strike the hammer face as squarely as possible. Ideally, the hammer should contact the struck tool in the exact center of the hammer face. Also, in the ideal situation, the hammer face should be completely parallel to the surface of the struck tool when contact is made. Never strike anything with the side of the hammerhead.

Never strike one hammer with or against another hammer. Striking two hammers of any type together may cause the faces to chip. The flying metal fragments are a hazard for the user and those in the immediate area.

Discard any hammer with a damaged face. Never re-dress a hammer face. Discard it immediately when you notice any mushrooming or chipping.

Never use a hammer with a damaged handle. If the handle is replaceable, do so with an approved handle, per the manufacturer's recommendations. If the hammer was not designed to accept replacement handles, discard it.

An in-depth knowledge of the products they sell will give any distributor the edge, because they will be able to educate their customers. This is especially true when it comes to recommending hammers.

Find out what the customer intends to do with the hammer. Is he going to assemble picture frames or is he planning to do some major demolition work? Determine his level of expertise. Is he a seasoned pro or not? How much is he going to use the hammer?

If you and your staff ask the right questions, and have the proper product knowledge, you'll be able to guide your customer to the perfect hammer choice. And that's the kind of customer service that builds trust, customer loyalty, and sales.