WOW - I couldn't be more pleased with your great review of my hammer and dolly set! Thank you so much for all it took to do this very through review. For the record, I do plan to add a hammer with a curved face when we do the next production run. Thanks for all your support, and I see that you will have 10,000 subscribers VERY SOON!
4:18 maybe people need/want/like the octagonal for their ability to hold on. However, having dealt with elbow issues for thirty years, I think the primary benefits of octagon-shaped handles are more banal. Many others with muscle / nerve issues or like me: repetitive stress injuries and other occupational consequences value the octagon handled tools for other reasons. For one, the shape fits the bends of the joints of your hand as it folds around the tool, particularly if you have small hands like I do. (Buying good fitting TiG gloves is rough!) Or- again, like me - people have tendon issues at the ‘radius’ junction with the elbow, chronic “tennis elbow” injuries, or past muscle injuries in the forearm and wrists (all of which not only severely affect grip but more importantly affect stamina) the octagonal handle rests comfortably in the hand without needing nearly as energetic of a grip. Lastly, the thing I discovered immediately and by accident after buying an octagonal ash-handled 16oz Vaughn carpenter’s hammer about 1993: the shape and texture of the edges afforded a much higher interaction with what we now call ‘muscle memory.’ The tactile input after just a day of use not only was a comfort to my extensor carpi radials brevis particularly at the tendon area.
On your "Blunting the Pick hammer" - I have 3 medium length Snap-On pick hammers. I Blunted one, sharpened another, and left the 3rd original. I use them all.
Great video ! and I like that you are telling people it's ok to dress up a hammer to perform better. I have 2 Martin cross peen hammers that I bought from Covell a long time ago and they are identical part numbers but one came from Martin with a much higher crown. I also have 2 Proto cross peens that were flea market finds and they have different crowns. All the same hammer but all different. I did kill the sharper radius on the edge of the Martins soon after acquiring them. Nothing worse than some crescent shaped marks in the metal.
I did a video about a low budget handheld planishing hammer build last year. Sooner or later I will do some more serious content along those lines, but for now I have been trying to keep content more friendly for bother professionals and hobbyists alike. Once I have some more shop space and maybe time (yea right) I'll dive deeper into projects and tools.
If you are looking for an aluminium hammer set power-tec do one with and without ally dollies. I have the hammers and for the price £80ish i cant recommend them enough. They are still hard enough to strech ally and not damage when used on steel. They are designed for prepping for welding aluminium panels not to contaminate the material i would just say to remove the lacquer off the face
That is a really good set, and that's about what I paid for my 7 pc. Martin tools beginner set many years ago. Right now I am actually looking to add pieces to that set.
Great vid once again. The set is really really good. There does need to be crown faced hammer in the set. I would prefer the door knob dolly instead of the egg dolly and i find the pein side a little too flat so i usually take off the side corners so it has a little curve but still looks fairly flat. I have shaved flats on either side of my larger (3+ sizes) mallet handles to stop them twisting in my hand which i found better than the rubber that come on them but being a metal worker never needed to on a hammer as its something that i was trained to do but as you said for a beginner i agree that the octagonal shaped shaft would be ALOT easier to start off with lol (im still look back ashamed of all those half moons i put in panels haha) but getting rid of the point on that pecking hammer is a MUST!!!! Thanks
I have never seen either of the two dollies I am going to mention The Crown dolly or the Egg dolly. So in your opinion which would be better for a Volkswagen fender?
What do you think of Majestic or Keysco hammers? Another brand i've seen is picard they have some nice looking slap hammers beside regular body hammers. Thanks for explaining everything in such detail! It helps folks who don't have a in person expert of teacher to explain things.
Maybe I missed it, but these hammers ARE Martin tools with different handles. Matco used to sell the same hammer but they cheaped out several years ago along with Mac Tools, stopped selling Martin and went to Chinese made hammers. Anyways, great review from a fellow body hammer junky.
Yes they are made by Martin Tools. Matco ditched Martin almost 10 years ago now, sadly. I didn't say it in the video. I did but edited it out because I didn't like the way I worded it and it didn't add anything to the video.
@@mikeaze423 They are NOT Martin and most certainly not Snap on, which is made by Martin to Snap on specs. Both Mac and Matco are made in China/Taiwan. The older style of Matco, within the last year or so, you can buy the EXACT same hammer under the ProBody label for about 15-20 bucks rather then 50+ I have several of the ProBody and Matco Hammers, I'll take Martin everyday.
I watched your review. I think you could do some more research in order to better inform your viewers. are the hammers cast iron?, cast steel?, Forged? steel billet? Are they heat treated? How hard are they? (rockwell scale?)
Reasonable, I took for granted folks already know body hammers, which is not a given. The VAST majority of body hammers are cast steel that is machine & hand finished, then heat treated. Rockwell hardness scale is a poor test of a body hammer oddly enough though. I've only tested a few hammers as Rockwell testers are expensive and I had to contract someone else to test them for me. In that testing I actually found that Harbor Freight hammers were the "hardest" hammers I had, BUT in actual use they wore the worst and showed signs of damage much faster than others. So unless you are sacrificing multiple sets of hammers to test a larger sample size and/or cutting them up and testing how deep the heat treat goes, it really is only a vanity metric. And at that point you are talking about spending thousands just to test a set of body hammers. It is excellent information to have, but real world use is the only reasonable way to test in my opinion.
Wow! That is a great price for that set! If you keep it up you just might catch up to me. Last count was about 84. I am trying to downsize but deals like this are very tempting.
I was thinking of you as I surveyed my growing hammer collection. Haha. I have no idea exactly how many I have right now but I've got a long way to go to catch up to you. Thanks 👍
are you a hoarder or collector or something? I can't really see an actual need for maybe more than a few unless you're talking the specialized plastic mallets and wooden slappers?
I'm sure you are asking Bill, but I know for my sake it is just a case of the right tool for the job. Even two different companies versions of the same hammer style can have different characteristics. Sometimes I'll reach for one or another depending on what problem I'm approaching or how my mood strikes me. And then there are a lot of oddball shapes that used to be made and are no longer available that provide really unique ways to attack your project. I'd assume Bill has gotten deals on maybe sets through the years as well.
@@HotRodHippie Have you used the hammer/dolly set from dagger tools before? I really like mine after using them for around 5 or so years now. I haven't ever seen the covell hammers so I can't say on the quality to compare them, but if these are too expensive for someone the dagger set is about 135 for a 7 pc set (3 hammers even one with a higher crown like you were wanting, 4 dollys)
I am just getting back into Autobody, which for me is a hobby at this time, and I was looking at a 7 piece Martin set which is around $100 less... How much would you say the number of hammers and dolly you get factors into your changing from Martin to Corvell?
I mean you’re getting 2 more hammers and 2 more dollies. That 7Pc Martin kit comes with a slapper that I basically never use personally. (I love slappers, just not that one.) So that $100 is a pretty decent value for all that additional since Hammers and Dollys average $30-40 a piece. However I just really wish this set came with a radius faced hammer. They have a radius face hammer available now, but it doesn’t come with the kit. As a hobbyist? Id probably say just save the funds and get the Martin kit. Spend the money on any specific additional tools you find you need. I love this kit and would suggest it to someone looking to do auto body as a job for sure.
Hey Alan - i just got my hammers and dollies today - i noticed on my crown and rail road dollies that there seems to be an EDGE where you would think they would be smooth transitioning in to a radius - it appears they were,nt ground / finished properly - whats yours like - i didnt unwrap the others yet
I am not certain I can picture exactly what you mean but mine don't have anything I would describe like that. Could you email me a photo or two? Alan@HotRodHippie.com I'd be curious to see and answer your question.
Don't go out and pay those MAC , Snap On prices look in pawn shops used tool store's and make a offer if it's bought take it clean it up and start hammering you will never wear out that hammer just may be the wood Handel .🐤🐤🐤😁
I have a friend who started out with quality tools but he bought them all at Flea Markets, Pawn Shops, and eBay. If they are broken, just get them replaced and you've got quality tools at a discount price. 👍
WOW - I couldn't be more pleased with your great review of my hammer and dolly set! Thank you so much for all it took to do this very through review. For the record, I do plan to add a hammer with a curved face when we do the next production run. Thanks for all your support, and I see that you will have 10,000 subscribers VERY SOON!
It was easy to review this set positively Ron. I look forward to a expansion of the line. 👍
do you sell replacement handles?
4:18 maybe people need/want/like the octagonal for their ability to hold on.
However, having dealt with elbow issues for thirty years, I think the primary benefits of octagon-shaped handles are more banal. Many others with muscle / nerve issues or like me: repetitive stress injuries and other occupational consequences value the octagon handled tools for other reasons.
For one, the shape fits the bends of the joints of your hand as it folds around the tool, particularly if you have small hands like I do. (Buying good fitting TiG gloves is rough!)
Or- again, like me - people have tendon issues at the ‘radius’ junction with the elbow, chronic “tennis elbow” injuries, or past muscle injuries in the forearm and wrists (all of which not only severely affect grip but more importantly affect stamina) the octagonal handle rests comfortably in the hand without needing nearly as energetic of a grip.
Lastly, the thing I discovered immediately and by accident after buying an octagonal ash-handled 16oz Vaughn carpenter’s hammer about 1993: the shape and texture of the edges afforded a much higher interaction with what we now call ‘muscle memory.’ The tactile input after just a day of use not only was a comfort to my extensor carpi radials brevis particularly at the tendon area.
Ron Covell never disappoints. I really enjoy his videos also. Would love to someday attend one of his seminars. And another great video by you!
I've taken his classes before, it's a good time and Ron is just a salt of the earth nice guy.
On your "Blunting the Pick hammer" - I have 3 medium length Snap-On pick hammers. I Blunted one, sharpened another, and left the 3rd original. I use them all.
Great video ! and I like that you are telling people it's ok to dress up a hammer to perform better. I have 2 Martin cross peen hammers that I bought from Covell a long time ago and they are identical part numbers but one came from Martin with a much higher crown. I also have 2 Proto cross peens that were flea market finds and they have different crowns. All the same hammer but all different. I did kill the sharper radius on the edge of the Martins soon after acquiring them. Nothing worse than some crescent shaped marks in the metal.
Awesome video! I love how informative they are and I always learn something new. Thanks for the high quality production!
Thank you very much. It is appreciated
Excellent vid I could not agree more putting that set on my shopping list. How about doing something about plannishing hammer if you haven't already.
I did a video about a low budget handheld planishing hammer build last year. Sooner or later I will do some more serious content along those lines, but for now I have been trying to keep content more friendly for bother professionals and hobbyists alike. Once I have some more shop space and maybe time (yea right) I'll dive deeper into projects and tools.
Thank you for your professional opinion of the set. I do love that railroad dolly as you mentioned.
Thank you. That dolly is just so versatile. I keep meaning to get a few more and grind them into custom shapes.
If you are looking for an aluminium hammer set power-tec do one with and without ally dollies. I have the hammers and for the price £80ish i cant recommend them enough. They are still hard enough to strech ally and not damage when used on steel. They are designed for prepping for welding aluminium panels not to contaminate the material i would just say to remove the lacquer off the face
Any chance that you can review the fairmount hammer and dolley set?
That is a really good set, and that's about what I paid for my 7 pc. Martin tools beginner set many years ago. Right now I am actually looking to add pieces to that set.
I'm certain I paid quite a bit more to get all the same options. I wish I'd picked one of these up a while ago.
Great vid once again. The set is really really good. There does need to be crown faced hammer in the set. I would prefer the door knob dolly instead of the egg dolly and i find the pein side a little too flat so i usually take off the side corners so it has a little curve but still looks fairly flat. I have shaved flats on either side of my larger (3+ sizes) mallet handles to stop them twisting in my hand which i found better than the rubber that come on them but being a metal worker never needed to on a hammer as its something that i was trained to do but as you said for a beginner i agree that the octagonal shaped shaft would be ALOT easier to start off with lol (im still look back ashamed of all those half moons i put in panels haha) but getting rid of the point on that pecking hammer is a MUST!!!! Thanks
Great review, sold me on this Covell set!!!
Thank you and I'm glad to hear it, I doubt you will be disappointed. 👍👍👍
@@HotRodHippie Thanks Brother!!!
kind of wish i had known about theese back when i was looking for a set.
They have been out for a fair amount of time. I did this video specifically because I felt that they aren't as known as they should be.
I have never seen either of the two dollies I am going to mention The Crown dolly or the Egg dolly. So in your opinion which would be better for a Volkswagen fender?
What do you think of Majestic or Keysco hammers? Another brand i've seen is picard they have some nice looking slap hammers beside regular body hammers. Thanks for explaining everything in such detail! It helps folks who don't have a in person expert of teacher to explain things.
Maybe I missed it, but these hammers ARE Martin tools with different handles. Matco used to sell the same hammer but they cheaped out several years ago along with Mac Tools, stopped selling Martin and went to Chinese made hammers.
Anyways, great review from a fellow body hammer junky.
Yes they are made by Martin Tools. Matco ditched Martin almost 10 years ago now, sadly.
I didn't say it in the video. I did but edited it out because I didn't like the way I worded it and it didn't add anything to the video.
Who makes Matco hammers now ? I was just checking Matco out they kinda look like Martin/snap on set
@@mikeaze423 They are NOT Martin and most certainly not Snap on, which is made by Martin to Snap on specs. Both Mac and Matco are made in China/Taiwan. The older style of Matco, within the last year or so, you can buy the EXACT same hammer under the ProBody label for about 15-20 bucks rather then 50+ I have several of the ProBody and Matco Hammers, I'll take Martin everyday.
Thanks for the good video
I watched your review. I think you could do some more research in order to better inform your viewers. are the hammers cast iron?,
cast steel?, Forged? steel billet? Are they heat treated? How hard are they? (rockwell scale?)
Reasonable, I took for granted folks already know body hammers, which is not a given. The VAST majority of body hammers are cast steel that is machine & hand finished, then heat treated. Rockwell hardness scale is a poor test of a body hammer oddly enough though. I've only tested a few hammers as Rockwell testers are expensive and I had to contract someone else to test them for me. In that testing I actually found that Harbor Freight hammers were the "hardest" hammers I had, BUT in actual use they wore the worst and showed signs of damage much faster than others. So unless you are sacrificing multiple sets of hammers to test a larger sample size and/or cutting them up and testing how deep the heat treat goes, it really is only a vanity metric. And at that point you are talking about spending thousands just to test a set of body hammers. It is excellent information to have, but real world use is the only reasonable way to test in my opinion.
Wow! That is a great price for that set! If you keep it up you just might catch up to me. Last count was about 84. I am trying to downsize but deals like this are very tempting.
I was thinking of you as I surveyed my growing hammer collection. Haha. I have no idea exactly how many I have right now but I've got a long way to go to catch up to you. Thanks 👍
are you a hoarder or collector or something? I can't really see an actual need for maybe more than a few unless you're talking the specialized plastic mallets and wooden slappers?
I'm sure you are asking Bill, but I know for my sake it is just a case of the right tool for the job. Even two different companies versions of the same hammer style can have different characteristics. Sometimes I'll reach for one or another depending on what problem I'm approaching or how my mood strikes me. And then there are a lot of oddball shapes that used to be made and are no longer available that provide really unique ways to attack your project. I'd assume Bill has gotten deals on maybe sets through the years as well.
@@HotRodHippie Have you used the hammer/dolly set from dagger tools before? I really like mine after using them for around 5 or so years now. I haven't ever seen the covell hammers so I can't say on the quality to compare them, but if these are too expensive for someone the dagger set is about 135 for a 7 pc set (3 hammers even one with a higher crown like you were wanting, 4 dollys)
CP07-K is the part number
WOW,GREAT DEAL - I was expecting double that
If it were Snap On it would have been. Ha. It really is a fair price for all that you get in the set.
I am just getting back into Autobody, which for me is a hobby at this time, and I was looking at a 7 piece Martin set which is around $100 less... How much would you say the number of hammers and dolly you get factors into your changing from Martin to Corvell?
I mean you’re getting 2 more hammers and 2 more dollies. That 7Pc Martin kit comes with a slapper that I basically never use personally. (I love slappers, just not that one.) So that $100 is a pretty decent value for all that additional since Hammers and Dollys average $30-40 a piece.
However I just really wish this set came with a radius faced hammer. They have a radius face hammer available now, but it doesn’t come with the kit.
As a hobbyist? Id probably say just save the funds and get the Martin kit. Spend the money on any specific additional tools you find you need. I love this kit and would suggest it to someone looking to do auto body as a job for sure.
I have to wonder who makes these for Covell?
They look like the exact same hammers from Snap-On, only with a different paint job.
Martin tools. Who also makes Snap-On hammers. They aren’t identical to SO hammers but very similar for sure.
Hey Alan - i just got my hammers and dollies today - i noticed on my crown and rail road dollies that there seems to be an EDGE where you would think they would be smooth transitioning in to a radius - it appears they were,nt ground / finished properly - whats yours like - i didnt unwrap the others yet
I am not certain I can picture exactly what you mean but mine don't have anything I would describe like that. Could you email me a photo or two? Alan@HotRodHippie.com I'd be curious to see and answer your question.
Thanks - just sent you an email.@@HotRodHippie
I haven't received any email. Don't want you to think I'm ignoring you. So check to make sure it went through. The address is "Alan@HotRodHippie.com"
Don't go out and pay those MAC , Snap On prices look in pawn shops used tool store's and make a offer if it's bought take it clean it up and start hammering you will never wear out that hammer just may be the wood Handel .🐤🐤🐤😁
I have a friend who started out with quality tools but he bought them all at Flea Markets, Pawn Shops, and eBay. If they are broken, just get them replaced and you've got quality tools at a discount price. 👍
good price...from a master metal shapper
For what you get I think so.
You're wearing a "Hail Satan" shirt? Thumbs down
It says “Hail SEITAN”. It’s a vegetarian food product.