Picard Blacksmith Hammer, Swedish Pattern, Cross Peen Hammer, Forged Alloyed Steel Head, Chamfered Edges, Black Powder Coated, Dual Curved Ash Handle, 1000g

Only thing I can complain about is the handle being painted and varnished. Heads on tight, face doesn't need dressed. Will work for what I intend to use it for

Awesome thanks

I'm not a blacksmith, but I wanted a good heavy hammer for beating on stuff, and this thing is great.The head is hung well, I've absolutely wailed on metal and brick and everything with it, hasn't come loose or chipped, the head is a perfect hardness to not ding or dent but not shatter a piece off.My only complaint is the handle has lacquer on it. Which is a TERRIBLE THING. I hate that this is so common, it is just a worthless added expense for the manufacturer and hassle for me to remove. It's not a big issue, an orbital sander, a spokeshave, or even just hand sanding with 60 and then 120 grit paper will get it off in a matter of minutes, but why do you put it on these things? It makes sense at a hardware store, where 500 people will pick a tool up before it's bought and the lacquer keeps hands from dirtying it up, but this tool is meant to get dirty, and part of what makes a tool great is the patina from your hands. Also, when used in slippery, wet, or oily environments, the lacquer makes it unsafely slippery. You have to sand this stuff off.But that little rant aside, this thing is just a SCREAMING deal. The handle is also clearly built to a price, and I prefer a little meatier palm swell, but once the lacquer was off, it felt fine. A must have if you ever find yourself needing to pretty much smash something but a real sledgehammer would be an idiotic idea (beating on rusted on brake drums is this thing's forte)Or if you ran out of nails and need to hammer a concrete screw into a two by four with a single swing. This'll do that.

I was about to purchase a Peddinghaus hammer when I came across this Picard at an attractive price. Nice hammer, but as a few reviewers commented, the faces needed some work. The working areas are ground with a very coarse stone, which leaves slight, but noticeable grooves on each face and on the bevels. Not having a belt sander, I spent some time cleaning up the faces and bevels with 80, 120,240, and finally 2000 grit sandpaper. Took some time, and still needs more, but it's coming together and I enjoy the process during the first session, but it got old the next day. I got on a linseed oil binge today, so sanded off the factory clear coat and oiled it up. The sticker on the hammer claimed it is a Picard, and the ring wedge in the handle looks like a Picard, but after looking online at several other sites with Picards, makes me wonder if this is authentic or a manufacturer's reject sold to a re-seller as a 'blem'. Somehow the final polishing of the faces was skipped. All in all, after quite a bit of elbow grease, a really nice hammer with a very comfortable handle.Update: 9/6/17 This will be my last Picard purchase from Amazon. Initially working out the very course grind marks was interesting, but after another session with the hammer yesterday, no more Picards unless I can see it in person. I'd planned to buy a lighter weight hammer, but will go with another brand. "Made in Germany" fell short on this one. A caveat; If you're looking for a metal working, blacksmithing type hammer, this would be fine, but I'm using it to peen blades, so smoothness is important for my purposes.

To be honest, I was put off by a number of negative reviews, to the point where I almost didn't bother with Picard at all. Bad bevels! Mis-grinds! Loose handles! Finish issues! Were it not for the ability to return the hammer, I wouldn't have purchased it here.But am I happy I did. The quality is amazing. Perfect forging. Perfect grind and shaping. Incredibly well-secured handle. In addition to the handle stickers identifying the hammer, the head is stamped with the Picard logo and "Made in Germany." Nicely balanced.Like all forging hammers, this will need final dressing & polishing of the working faces. I will also strip the handle. The handle, by the way, is ASH, not hickory (as given in the description). Picard makes the hammer with both under slightly different stock numbers. While I knew the given number was for the ash handle hammer, you never know! (The hickory model is more expensive.)My first Swedish pattern hammer and I'm liking it a lot.Big thumbs up.

This has become my go-to hammer, spending more time at the anvil than all others available to me. Balance is great and after I adjusted the grip to fit my chosen hold point it seldom leaves my hand. Swinging this hammer is a pure joy.Those that have not experienced Swedish pattern hammers don't know what they are missing. This is my first one and I doubt I will purchase additional German pattern hammers unless I require another straight peen.At some point in the not-to-distant future, I contemplate pairing it with the lighter version. For those new to blacksmithing, I'd recommend the lighter hammer.

This is a good medium/light hammer if you want to start forging and you're not bench-pressing 250lb on a daily basis. *insert laughture*I got this for my 12 year old son, but found that I used it more than he does. He prefers a 500 gram hammer that is very similar.Quality is great. I'd also like to get a little heavier 1500 gram hammer just like it.

As good a quality as anything I would buy at the hardware store