My father-in-law asked for a hammer, preferably one that could pull nails out of the wall.
Alight, one curved claw hammer, coming up. I went with the Dewalt DWHT51001, and what I didn’t realize was that this appears to be a brand new design.
I am a fan of Dewalt’s steel hammers. They have a great balance and they work well. While not fancy or flashy, they’re good hammers.
I own a Dewalt 12oz hammer (DWHT51438), and so far I’ve had zero regrets. I wanted to buy another to give as a gift to someone, but have had a hard time tracking it down. After several months, it’s still unavailable locally or online, and so it seems that the new design is replacing this model.
The older 12oz hammer was released in 2018. There haven’t been any announcements about the new design, and I haven’t seen it at my local stores yet. My FIL’s local Home Depot delivered the Dewalt 12oz hammer I ordered to him, and so it seems to be out now. Home Depot’s website is reporting that it’s in stock locally to me, but I didn’t see it last week when I once again checked for any Dewalt 12oz steel hammer.
Maybe it’s in a box on the top shelf? I’ll have to go back and look for it.
The new hammers look very similar, but there are enough differences to suggest that the hammers have been completely redesigned.
It has a new head shape, what looks to be an I-beam-style handle, a new handle grip design, a new curved claw, and a different striking face geometry.
Looking at Dewalt’s other hammer sizes, it seems the tool brand updated many heavier hammer models in a similar fashion. In other words, it’s not just the 12oz hammer that’s been updated to look like this.
Dewalt says that their new hammers feature ergonomic balancing and weight distribution for ease of use. The previous hammers are described as featuring a balanced design [for a] smooth, accurate swing.
I’m going to keep an eye out for the new designs. I really like my Dewalt hammers, and it’s hard to imagine that they could have gotten any better at comparable price points.
If anything, maybe Dewalt shaved some weight off the handle, which usually works out great.
Or maybe not, and the changes were just made to keep the 12oz hammer visually aligned with their larger sizes.
I’ll see what I can find out. In the meantime, if you’ve tried this new hammer, or the others in its lineup, what are your thoughts?
Price: $19.97
