Fiber Glass (Where's the Love?)

betover

betover

Joined
Dec 1, 2015
Messages
159
I was in the hardware store and is my wont to do began examining the hand tools. Now it wasn't what I came to the hardware store for but no trip for me is complete without looking for some new perfect tool that I've always needed. Anyway I picked up this hammer with a fiberglass handle (much like the one I have at home) & I had this Satori about why I rarely used my hatchet. My hatch has a wooden handle, with the metal axe held in only by this tiny wooded wedge pounded into the top of my hatchet. Somehow I've never felt quite safe using it because in the back of my mind the axe portion isn't 100% secure. There always seemed a tiny chance the axe portion could dislodge & smash my head in. I've never experienced this feeling with a fiberglass handled hammer. I use the hammer without a care in the world.

OK to those of you still reading I bring my question, why aren't hatchets made using fiberglass handles? To me this makes perfect sense. I could get an East Wing (something I've wanted since watching Sin City) If I get the one with the leather handle, I almost have to buy the Randall @12 Bear Bowie. They are such perfect match, it would be somehow wrong to have one without the other. Even though I have a solution to the problem posed by my Satori, the question remains, why no fiberglass handles?:)
 
There are plenty, but fiberglass has no soul.

To me fiberglass / synthetic handles feel like crap and I won't touch them, but this is just me and plenty of people are perfectly welcome to like them as much as they want.

A well hung tool head on a good properly oiled haft will actually stay put for decades depending on the circumstances.

Btw it doesn't mean much, but last month we were reshingling the roof and a fibreglass handled hammer my cousin was using had large chips of epoxy pop out of the eye, flying right past my face.
Any tool handle can come off it it's not one continuous piece of steel.

The fiskars hatchets are popular and they have synthetic handles.
 
well, wood is customizable, you can custom fit it to any hand, the surface is much friendlier to bare handed work. Some people like being about to tune the amount of flex in a handle to get the optimal "flick". these "tiny wooden wedges" can exert many hundreds of pounds of force on each side of the eye. your fear is somewhat misplaced because there will be various warning signs before your head flies off. either your wedge will explode out and get your attention, or it will slowly back out. either way you know very easily not to swing it anymore.

Another factor, if you do actually manage to break a fiberglass handle, i have seen it done, they are an absolute B!T@H to remove. Pretty much the only advantage they have is they're very tough. fiberglass handles are good for inexperienced users who dont quite have their aim down or just dont care.

carving a handle is an art and hanging an axe is a labor of love. people pay hundreds of dollars for custom made knives, this is the same thing
 
The bit about the epoxy chips flying off, convinced me it's not as good an idea as it first seemed. Going all steel on my hammers and hatchet. As for the balance if it isn't quite right, I can always weld a couple of ounces to either end to make it work. Thanks guys
 
Plumb used to make them in their half and car builders hatchets. Viable option in a hatchet. Not as comfortable in use as a wooden haft but better then steel and probable never break it.
 
I've actually got my grandfather's fibreglass handled plumb framer that I keep around because it was his but that handle just plain sucks.
It's fat in hand and the balance is not good.

Btw That day on the roof everyone had fiberglass handled hammers except me ,and I had to be careful not to set mine down or it would get picked up the second I blinked.
I brought my 60 year old Craftsman hammertooth 20oz then the Vaughan 999 20oz as a loaner but that wasn't enough I guess.
 
Last edited:
Belknap made a blue fiberglass handled hatchet, and claw hammers at one time. You just don't see any floating around these days. I don't know if the handles deteriorated, or there just wasn't many produced.
 
quinton said:
Belknap made a blue fiberglass handled hatchet, and claw hammers at one time. You just don't see any floating around these days. I don't know if the handles deteriorated, or there just wasn't many produced.
Click to expand...

I've seen these and am pretty sure they were produced by plumb.
They definitely are nice looking hammers, but their octagonal hickory handled counterparts are even nicer looking.
 
Fiberglass is right in between steel and wood in my opinion. While I do own a fiberglass hammer I own none of the steel ones and never will, though I think they are OK as finish hammers. The Estwing hammers have almost a cult following and even Vaughan is getting into the act claiming their 17oz head weight steel hammer has the driving force of a 32oz hammer.

RS17 has a 17 oz. head weight with the largest striking face on the planet. Driving power of a 32 oz. framer. Magnetic nail starter capable of holding both standard and duplex nails. Side nail puller. 100% Made in USA.
http://www.vaughanmfg.com/shopping/...lid-Steel--Smooth-Face-Rip-Hammer__13210.aspx
 
As you can see my grandfather preferred fiberglass handles, probably because he didn't have to take care of them.

The red plumb is poorly balanced with a weighty handle that imo is shorter than it should be for a 21oz or so head.
The blue Stanley is the worst hammer handle I've ever felt and will absolutely never ever use it.
The rubber grip has this thin flat profile that just plain feels awful in hand.

I keep them around because they were my grandfather's, but that's the only reason.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top