OX Pro 3 lb Mini Sledge Hammer with American Hickory Handle

This 3-pound OX hammer has become my go-to for heavier hammering on the job site and in the shop. It feels good in the hand, the grip is secure and provides a lot of traction, and the handle is sturdy and smooth. It's a wood weight for a variety of tasks without being too unwieldy, as well. After a few months now, the steel hammerhead has put up very well with the tasks of striking rebar and steel stakes in the ground, as this has become its main job. There's minimal wear-and-tear on the hammer faces, and definitely no more than I'd expect from any other hammer. It's tough work, after all... The handle is surprisingly light for being a solid wood, though it's proven to be nice and durable and hasn't splintered or - frankly - shown much of any wear yet. The grip is molded tightly around the handle too, and isn't showing any signs of wanting to slip off. I also appreciate that the steel expansion wedges holding the head to the handle are encapsulated with a clean, clear epoxy on top. This is a nice feature, as - in some cases - I've had older hammers and axes that have begun to fail due to moisture getting into the top of the handle and either rusting the wedges, rotting the wood, or both...regardless, when these wedges begin to fail, the hammer becomes a liability. Therefore, the added protection on top of this is a great thing to have. Altogether, this is a great hammer, and looks up to the task for many years to come. I'm also pretty sure it's a US-made product, which is awesome. Nicely done, OX Tools.

Very nicely crafted hammer, so finely finished and good looking I almost hate to use it. I was surprised of the quality, the hammer head is classically shaped small sledge form with slightly convex faces and beveled corners....I particularly liked that the transition of the hickory handle into the hammer head had a 3/4 inch metal protective sleeve that would prevent the handle from breaking at that point if you miss-strike and accidentally hit the wood handle instead of the hammer face, on my other hammers I usually wrap a dense rubber sleeve at that point to protect the wood, also the grain of the hickory is properly aligned parallel to the hammer head for maximum strength (if the grain is aligned 90 degrees to the hammer head the wooden handle is much more likely to break so I always check the grain alignment of any tool or shovel I buy). The handle is attached with a double T style wedge that is designed to exert force in multiple directions insuring the handle is firmly held in the hammer head and with an attention to detail most other tools lack the wedge is capped off by a clear epoxy protective coating. The 'contoured for grip' TPR polymer coating feels comfortable and gives a modicum of vibration protection to the hand. All in all a very nice compact sledge that appears to be designed by old school craftsman who have taken all their years of experience and added details to elevate and perfect this hammer from a mere tool to a work of art.....better than any others I have owned.

This 3lb is a good hammer and has some extra fancy features that really aren't needed but you'll look so super awesome cool using this that it's worth it (sarcasm) The head has a nice coating to it to help reduce the speed of rust/corrosion becoming present. The handle has some rubber to it in areas and there's the painted coating to it too. The handle is indeed hickory and is set into the head with two wedges and then sealed in clear epoxy. I tend to use this in multiple ways by choking up on the handle and getting my hand close to the head and also using the handle from it's typical location for maximum force. Choking up on the handle feels a bit off for me with this hammer because of the different materials and locations for them on the handle itself but that's because I'm just used to my old "go-to" favorite hammer. Overall, this is a good hammer that'll get the job done and has a unique look to it too. Not sure the looks help get the job done though.

I needed something to break up some.old.cement steps. I figured the 3pound weight would be perfect without wrecking my.back. it worked but in hind sight a.little more weight would have helped get the job done. The hammer though lived up to my expectations and barely a mark on it. I expect I'll be using it for years to come

This is my first Ox tool. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this is impressive. Of course its well balanced and well proportioned. The hickory handle is excellent. What surprised me is how nice the rubber inlay on the hickory is. You get the vibration dampening of hickory and the amazing comfortable grip of a rubber inlay that's usually on the fiberglass handles. BTW, my other top choice hammer is a 10lb sledge with a short handle in it. Its great for putting a lot a lot of low speed push on something. Think shifting faming and similar things. Any time you find yourself swinging a 3lb fast enough to damage what you're hitting, stop and consider a slow swing from a 10lb would work better. And a short handle makes it so convenient. Ox, are you listening?

The look and feel of this mini sledge is quite nice. I did notice that it had some nicks taken out of the side in shipping. It's a hammer, I don't particularly care if it's going to be perfect. The problem isn't the fact that it was a bit damaged, the problem is that the metal is soft enough that bouncing around in a cardboard box was enough to take little chunks out of it. I decided to test it out by whacking some things. Sure enough, it is pretty soft. I did some things that definitely wouldn't do much anything to other demo sledges that I own, but definitely did some damage to this. I didn't break it or anything, but I definitely noticed that it was a bit softer than what I'm used to using. Outside of the soft head, the rest of the hammer is quite nice. It definitely is in there well. There's always something to whack somewhere on the farm, and I found an old stump that needed some whacking. I whacked it as hard as I could, quite a few times, and then a couple of my cousins came over to see if I had lost my mind. Then they decided that hammering the stump looked fun, so they whacked the stump. The head didn't budge at all. The handle is comfortable for what it is. It's certainly more comfortable than a straight wood handle.

Full disclosure. I haven't yet used this hammer to any extent so evaluation is based on first impressions. This is a well-made hammer. The wood quality is excellent with no defects in the wood noted. The handle has a cushion bonded to it, making the grip comfortable and non-slip. I've lost grip on my old hammer and not comforting. The hammer is well-balanced in the hand. The head is well made and good quality. The top hole where the handle terminates has what appears to be epoxy filling it, which should keep moisture out and help preserve that ends the wood. Overall, a very good product that should give many years of use.

I'm not sure what they mean by 'club hammer', but this will get the job done as long as you can swing it. I like this for it's weight, and the handle has a nice rubber grip all the way to the head, including the always vulnerable section just below the head, where I've seen a lot of people break it off. The head itself has no pits or rough spots. It's finish is pretty nice. I'll use this for some forging and other heavy hammering on stakes demo.

Good quality

Quality product!!