Body hammers - Snap On vs. Martin
 

Which would you prefer? I can get a snap-on set through school for $335 that comes with 3 hammers, 2 dollies and some misc. other stuff, which I already have. All I'm really after are the hammers and dollies. I found a Martin hammer set that comes with 7 hammers, 3 dollies, 3 spoons, a vixen file and tool box for $440. Are the Martin hammers as good in quality as snap-on?

Personally snap on body hammers and dollies are WAY overpriced!!!

All my body hammers are Martin, by the way Mac tools are relabeled martin.

You dont need 7 hammers. I use 2 hammers and thats IT.
Those 5 other hammers will collect dust IMO. The three spoons might be useful depending on shape.

Having a good selection of dollies is best route. You can go to www.daggertools.com and get dollies for 35 bucks that are far superior to anything that snap on sells for 80 bucks.

Theres a alittle link about hand tools.
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187484

Your paying for the name brand there thats it. like sevtchevelle said You dont need 7 hammers. I use 2 hammers and thats IT.

all i have used are flat slapper and heavy spoon , shrinker hammer that has a shretcher face on the other side, retangle dolly with a slit dip on one side and a crown on the flip side, hammer with a pick to. oh a dolly that fits in conturves to(its that standard one you see outh there at autoone.)

these can be purchased for much less than 300+

what i used most on my on my 32 chevy was the slapper, both dollys, stretcher shrinker, and a small propane torch and water sprayer (for expanding metal and quickly cooling it so it shrinks molecules more that it expands then)

before you buy a set visit metalmeet.com and learn about the tools and what specific situation they are need for. then you can eliminate the tools from those sets that you don't really need

Thanks alot for the input guys. I'm in school for collision right now and am just trying to get an idea of what tool sets might be best for when I graduate. Trying to get the most bang for my buck. Thanks again.

I got a decent set from cummins tool sale for 15 bucks 3 hammers and 4 dollies in a blow molded plastic case. Probabally not as good as snapon but they aint bad
Shane

Eastwood #31198 (3 hammers & 4 dollies in a case) - $90 as-is, but if you know anyone who lives near their store, they can pickup the same set at the "scratch-and-dent" table at a significant discount (my Dad got this set for $30, I scored the same set for $20, and the only problem was the interior of the case was cracked) :thumbup:

- Mike

I bought the snap on set when I was in school. Years later I wish I would have used the money elsewere. The Martin hammers are better quality, but really you use the cross peen and chisel will be the hammers you use 9.5 times out of 10. You can spend a lot of money on hammers and dollies but really there is only a couple you'll use everyday in the body shop now and again the others will come in handy but unless your going into a metal shaping shop I'd get the nessities and save money for other things. Al long as your hammers are fored you can always clean up shape and polish the surface and an atd 40$$ set would do great. The better hammers are just more comfy in your hand. I like snap-on but won't spend another dime on it.

Kris

I wasn't real happy with the quality of the Eastwood hammers, Harbor Freight is about the same quality wise and a lot cheaper. Dan

MartinSr had this a while back in the paint and body section, this guy knows body tools.

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/hamm...t=body+hammers

Thanks alot for the input guys!

Several of the big tool companies (Mac, Snap-on) use Martin relabeled. There is a reason. I love my Martin stuff. I use three hammers and four dollies. I have never been one to buy the specialty items. I am probably not smart enough to use them anyway. I love my strawberry pick/flat face Martin along with my favorite heel dolly. Simple tools for a simpleton!My 2 cents

I think a lot of it depends on how far you want to go in collision repair. But as with any tool and any job, your tools are an investment. If you end up working on nothing but new stuff, you won't need any hammers at all other than a small sledge to straighten around some heavy metal. Everything else is "remove and replace". With older cars a couple of hammers and a set of dollies is a must. And one of those hammers will most definately be a "pick hammer". Then you will need a dollie set, and a set of spoons. But you will find is that you end up making different dollies and such out of different pieces of metal that you may have laying around. One tool that my dad and I use quite often was a piece of leaf spring about a foot long. Great for getting down in tight areas. Hopefully in school, you have an older teacher showing you the ropes, as quite a bit of metal finishing is a lost art anymore. I always got quite a bit of satisfaction of taking a fender that was wrecked and moving the metall back to it's original shape. And then being able to finish it off using no bondo at all. Ask most younger guys that do body work what a vixen file is, and they won't have a clue. BTW...good luck with school :thumbup:

I've never used Martin tools, from the pictures they look to be of good quality.

Mostly I think Snap-On tools are overpriced, but it's hard to argue the quality and warranty. It's also a big plus when you work for a living to have the Snap-On truck roll through to warranty tools etc - rather than taking time off that you don't get paid for.

I only have a few Snap-On tools and their Body Hammers are top line IMHO...I've handled lot's of cheap hammers over the years, but when I was 18 years old I bought 3 Snap-On body hammers and 2 dollies. I used them full time for 8 years until I was 26. I still used them afterwards - just not to make a living...

Time - Warp :P

I'm 45 now and 2 of the 3 hammers and both dollies "grew legs" and walked away over the years.

The Snap-On BF604 hammer I have left has made me a lot of money, still has the original handle and I use it more today than I did 10 years ago :thumbup:

I am so sold on the quality of the Snap-On body hammers that 2 years ago I bought 6 more to fill my set out.

I hope to use these hammers another 20 years and I'd bet the old BF604 is still hammering away!

Pictured at left is the BF604 I bought when I was 18, the one on the right when I was 43

http://www.49c8.com/images/fp/bf604.jpg

This is the Body Hammer drawer in my toolbox - nothing but Snap-On!

http://www.49c8.com/images/fp/snh2.jpg

Yea man, my instructors are old school. They constantly preach about metal finishing. They also taught us about using a leaf spring as a spoon. One of our comps in the shop was metal finishing. They would come buy with a hammer and beat the crap out of a panel, and we had to straighten it with hammers/dollies/bullseyes and vixen files.

Just think though...if anything happens to one of the hammers as in breaking of any type, it is replaced with no questions asked :thumbup: