A reader brought up Hart’s 14oz titanium hammer (HHHST1), which is now on sale for $79 thanks to a Walmart “rollback.”
I’ve got mixed feelings about this. On one hand – ooh, a more affordable titanium hammer. On the other hand, it looks cheap.
But, maybe I’m wrong – you be the judge.
The Hart 14oz titanium hammer has a titanium head and wood handle.
Maybe it’s just the product photos, but it looks to me that the wood handle doesn’t fit the hammer head very well.
Hart doesn’t mention this in their Walmart product description, but I assume the overhang is overstrike protection.
Stiletto’s wood-handled titanium hammer looks to have a better-fitting handle.
Vaughan also has a Dalluge wood-handled titanium hammer, with interesting head geometry and longer handle connection.
The Hart hammer has a side nail puller, magnetic nail starter, and straight rip claw. There’s only one model I could find, and it has a smooth face with beveled edge.
Hart says:
The head of the HART 14oz Titanium hammer has the strength of steel while being lighter and easier on the user.
I have tried a couple of titanium hammers over the years, and now consider them to be cheaper feel-good alternatives to better and pricier designs.
A hammer like this offers one benefit, in my opinion – a larger strike face without as much added weight as steel.
So, compared to say a 12oz or 16oz steel hammer, this 14oz titanium has a longer handle and looks to have a larger strike face.
Titanium is nearly as strong as steel, but it is nowhere near as hard. Titanium is also faster wearing than steel. This is why premium titanium hammers usually have steel strike faces.
Martinez titanium hammers have steel heads entirely, which offers a more resilient claw.
The Hart hammer has a solid titanium head.
In my understanding, titanium provides two main benefits when incorporated into hammer designs. First, titanium has excellent vibration damping properties. Second, its lower density and high strength make it a great material for lightweight handles.
In more premium designs, titanium handles lower the moment of inertia, reducing the effort it takes to swing such hammers. They also reduce the vibrations that reach the user’s hands.
Titanium-handled hammers also tend to be longer, and so you get a faster and more powerful swing.
In a wood-handled titanium hammer, you’re mostly dealing with the weight and vibration damping properties of the wood handle.
I’m sure that a titanium head is going to offer some vibration damping. And, as mentioned, it allows you to have a larger strike face and claw than a steel hammer head of comparable weight.
However, the net benefits aren’t going to come close to that of titanium-handled hammers.
All this gives me the impression of the hammer being cheap. It’s more affordable, but at $79 on sale it’s not quite inexpensive.
In my opinion, most of the benefits from wood-handled titanium hammers come from their longer handles than the titanium aspect. I’d take a similarly long-handled “high velocity” steel hammer over this one.
The Hart hammer – does it have a hickory handle? They don’t say. What’s the length of the hammer? They don’t say.
Hart doesn’t provide further details on their website or on their Walmart listings.
Hart says:
The HART 14 oz. Titanium Hammer is a welcome and excellent addition to any DIYer tool belt.
Hart used to be known for the pro-grade hammers, and is now a Walmart-exclusive value brand. With this hammer, it seems Hart’s just following the titanium trend with an uninspired design.
The Hart seems to have positive reviews, but nearly all of them as labeled as “incentivized reviews.”
I’m very skeptical about the design. Yes, it has a titanium head, but is that enough to justify its $79 sale price? Personally, I’d be much more inclined to buy a different high performance hammer for less money.
If you want the full benefits of a titanium hammer, this won’t deliver it. Based on the design, it can’t. Maybe a DIYer won’t be at risk of wearing out the strike face, but they also won’t see the same benefits as with a titanium-handled hammer.
I really don’t think the Hart Ti hammer is worth it. But I could be wrong. What’s your take on it?
Price: $79
Stiletto (a Milwaukee Tool brand) and Hart are both owned by TTI, but to my knowledge Stiletto is not at all involved in Hart tool development.
Thank you Leo for the tip!
