You’ve heard the name, but what are benefits of STILETTO® tools? The answer boils down to three simple words: power, comfort and weight. These three features are some of the most important benefits of Stiletto tools, and you’ll recognize them as soon as you use them. Whether you need a heavy-duty hammer for rough carpentry or a lather’s hatchet that doesn’t hurt your shoulder, elbow and wrist during everyday jobs, there are plenty of options to choose from. In this Stiletto tools buying guide, you’ll learn what to look for as you shop for hammers, pry bars and other common hand tools.
Stiletto Hammers for Power and Comfort
Some of the brand’s most well-known products are Stiletto hammers, and they provide all three of the benefits listed above. They’re powerful, pain-free and lightweight tools, made to reduce fatigue while you work. They also reduce pain from impact shocks, and there are several things to consider as you make your selection. Four of the most important aspects are body construction, claw style, face and handle.
Weight distribution also plays a role in the performance of a hammer. A balanced tool helps you maximize the force of impact, so you get more power with every blow. The best Stiletto hammer for your shop depends on what types of jobs you want to tackle.
Steel or Titanium Construction?
If you’re already comfortable with a steel hammer, you don’t have to try anything new. Stiletto offers steel hammers with classic styles that produce significant impact strength with every swing. Solid steel resists damage, so these tools retain their strength for years. The best Stiletto hammers (with steel heads) feature solid hickory handles that help absorb vibrations while you work. They are available with flat and milled faces and straight and curved handles.
Of course, the best Stiletto hammers may not feature any steel at all. Many have full titanium heads and poly fiber or hickory handles. These tools provide the most obvious benefits of Stiletto tools because they deliver as much strength as their steel counterparts with only a fraction of the weight. Titanium absorbs shock vibrations much more efficiently than steel, so you don’t lose power when the head hits its target, and these tools also minimize stress on your joints. While many other hammers recoil upon impact, titanium hammers reduce discomfort, so you don’t feel the blow with as much force.
Curved and Straight-Claw Hammers?
There are plenty of reasons why you might need a claw at the end of your hammer. Whether you need to remove nails in tight spaces or pry light materials to repair a subsurface, Stiletto claw hammers give you the leverage you need for the job. These versatile edges serve different purposes. Here’s how to determine which Stiletto titanium tools to buy for your job.
Straight-claw hammers provide extra strength when pulling nails and usually have enough strength to pry light materials out of place. (These aren’t the only Stiletto titanium tools to buy for this purpose. We’ll talk about demolition tools in more detail below.) Curved-claw hammers remove fasteners and protect surfaces while they work. That’s why they make such common and effective choices for general purpose work. If you need to remove a nail during a simple repair job, a curved-claw hammer provides leverage with minimal effort. Curved-jaw hammers also help remove bent nails during construction, but they aren’t intended for demolition or prying work.
If you aren’t sure which of these Stiletto titanium tools to buy, consider whether you plan to use your hammer for prying. Straight-claw hammers better suit demolition jobs and those where you need to pry one piece of material away from another, and curved-claw hammers help remove nails during general construction jobs.
The Benefits of Specialty Hammers
Lather’s hatchets have striking heads on one side, but they don’t have claws. Unlike most Stiletto hammers, these tools have hatchet edges that allow you to mark cut lines and pry edges on your jobs. In addition to their bladed edges, some lather’s hatchets have open-centered blades that reduce the weight of the tool for additional control.
Smooth or Milled-Face Hammers?
Different styles of hammer come with different types of faces. A general purpose hammer looks different than a finishing hammer, and the surface of the face makes a huge impact on the finished product. The type of face you choose plays a part in which Stiletto titanium tools to buy, and it’s not hard to find one that suits your needs.
In general, a hammer with a milled face gives you extra traction on your hits. This surface produces indentations on some impacted materials, and they’re an excellent choice for rough carpentry and framing work. Smooth-face hammers are also ideal for framing, and they don’t leave dimpled indentations on the surface of your materials.
You can use Stiletto drywall hammers with milled-face heads to quickly hang drywall. Their bumpy surfaces give you a better grip on your nails, so you generate more force with every blow. This traction also increases your work speed. Because you need to tape, mud, sand and paint drywall, it doesn’t matter whether the face of the hammer leaves small imprints while you work. The best Stiletto hammers help you work quickly without damage to the surrounding surface.
How to Select the Right Hammer Handle
While the style of claw and the type of face are the most important details to consider when deciding which Stiletto titanium tools to buy, you also need to think about the handle. Short-handled hammers may provide more control than those with longer handles, but they can’t provide the same amount of force. Long-handled hammers give your swings more power without much more effort and handle some of your toughest jobs. In general, choose short-handled hammers for precision work such as molding or trim and long-handled hammers for larger carpentry and framing tasks.
Magnetic Nail Starters: A Stiletto Staple
Magnetic nail starters come as standard features on many of these hammers. They provide one valuable benefit to Stiletto tools and are unique to this company. This feature prevents accidental finger strikes during the first few strikes of your job. In order to hold your nails during these positioning blows, the best Stiletto hammers have small slots on their faces that keep nails in place with magnetic force. This lets you position nails without putting your fingers in harm’s way. They also save time. When you use one of these magnetic starters, a single blow positions your nails and frees your hands for other tasks.
Stiletto Demolition and Prying Tools with Strength and Durability
The main benefits of Stiletto tools apply to more than just hammers; they also apply to Stiletto wrecking and pry bars. These versatile tools give you a bunch of extra leverage for professional demolition work, and they won’t overload your toolbox with extra weight. Like the best Stiletto hammers, these tools rely on steel or titanium construction for strength.
Which Stiletto Titanium Tools to Buy for Demolition
Stiletto produces a variety of different pry bars, and each one serves a different purpose. When you’re considering which Stiletto titanium tools to buy for demolition, you will choose between multipurpose tools and those that specialize in a particular task. For example, nail-puller pry bars work in much the same way as the claw on a hammer. They slide under the head of a nail, snare the shaft and rely on leverage to pull the metal out of position. Nail-puller bars are one example of a specialized pry tool.
Multi-functional pry bars have several functions. These sturdy bars resist impacts, and their edges slide between materials when you need to add pressure for leverage. Like the best Stiletto hammers, some of these flat bars have specialized nail pullers as well. Stiletto provides multiple fulcrum points on these pry bars, so you can find a strong grip just about anywhere.
This Stiletto tools buying guide shows you some of the most important aspects to consider when shopping for hammers and prying tools, but the most important information comes from your own shop. You’re the best judge of your work, and you will determine which types of tools will most effectively address your needs. Determine what you want to accomplish, and you’ll find powerful, lightweight Stiletto tools to help with the job.
