People are getting stumped by the security devices on certain Dewalt hammers.
I saw a social media post the other day, where someone thought a retailer slapped an anti-theft tag onto their hammer. No, this was done by Dewalt. Don’t worry, I was confused at first too.
I accidentally purchased a duplicate Dewalt hammer and grabbed this one from my “spares” box to show you how to remove the security device.
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Flip the Dewalt hammer over and you should see the seam at the back of the plastic security tag.
Here’s a closeup. Take a utility knife and very carefully split the seam in half. This allows you to remove the security device and start enjoying the use of your new Dewalt hammer.
Aside from being confused by this, I remember being very surprised and please by how easily the tag is removed.
The plastic seam has such a thin layer of bridging material that it’s super easy to slice right through.
I wish that there was a graphic of scissors or similar to provide a clue on how to get started, like what I typically see on theft-deterrent tape measure packaging, but maybe that would defeat the purpose.
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Ray
Pro tip: To remove tag prior to purchase, simply locate another hammer and strike plastic repeatedly. You are welcome.
Champs
I was thinking similarly, namely “is this post bait?”
Stuart
Someone on Reddit took to Reddit to complain that the online retailer stuck this on, presumably thinking it’s one of those alarms that are impossible to remove yourself.
I was confused too. If there are some, there will be others.
I’ve had this in my spares pile. Been cleaning up. Places it aside for donation. Saw the post. Went back, took some pics, made a post.
KokoTheTalkingApe
I prefer the angle grinder. 😉
Stan_dupp
I generally throw two hammers out of the door and use your method after that, drop one and get one free I was known we the hammer hammerer at my local home d for a while almost one thousand hammers stolen, but it really half that because I dropped the other one
Kevin
Not being sarcastic, how is it a security device?
Blocky
Passive rf chips are so thin and cheap now they can be embedded in anything – I’ve found them in the laminated layers of stickers.
Recently had my first checkout experience where I plopped an armload of clothing onto a counter and everything rang up automatically without any physical scanning or assistance. No bulky magnetic tags.
Kevin
Right, but that assumes the exit gates can detect an RFID tag. And I don’t know if anyone confirmed there is an RFID tag in it. I thought it might contain a chunk of metal to ensure the magnetometer goes off, but it’s a hammer, so I’m assuming that’s not a problem. It’s not like a clamshell case; you can use the hammer with the piece of plastic there.
MattT
If it’s this easy to remove, I don’t think it really is.
Bonnie
Eh, there’s levels of security. A barrel latch is technically a security feature, but the screws supplied with a lot of them could be ripped out by a motivated toddler.
TomD
The point is to be visible, really. It may have nothing in it.
Jimmie
Since this was attached at the factory, it seems like it would be cheaper to just hide a permanent passive RF sticker under the handle grip or something. Of course, that has the disadvantage of there being no visual anti-theft deterrent.
Tyler Foster
It’s to track inventory movement between the factory, shipping service, and the ultimate destination, the retailer.
Dewalt knows that all of the retailers that support them have their own loss prevention practices, that typically work very well. Don’t believe me? Try and drive a lawn tractor right out of the store.
However, Dewalt signs a commitment contract with their retailers, (We will sell you x amount of hammers for this specified markup, so that we : Dewalt, will be guaranteed our profit margin)
And then….. Dewalt fabricated 500 hammers….ShmedNex claimed they picked up 333 hammers, and the retailers assure everyone they only received 287 hammers.
This scenario may have happened at most twice, before Shmome Kepot threatened to pull their support of Dewalt.
But…. I’d bet it only happened once and that it was a much larger order than 500.
I’m a carpenter and a sign installer, I own a $300 Stiletto hammer that is pretty and gets oohs and ahhs from apprentices.
However, Everyone of the houses I built was made with my Dewalt.
I’m a Milwaukee guy for life, but I will die on the hill for my Dewalt.
Mark M.
Wow. If you can’t figure out how to remove a plastic tag you probably have no business owning a hammer.
Stuart
It’s not very intuitive, and most “security devices” require special tools for removal. People struggle to open retail packaging all of the time. Let’s not judge.
Dave
Its plastic on a hammer. Like the guy above you said, if you can’t figure it out, you shouldn’t be trusted with tools.
Stuart
If you only saw the types of emails I receive. Lots of people have difficulty with all kinds of things they’ve never seen before. And that’s okay. We’re here to help people, not judge whether they should be trusted with tools or not.
Joe
U got that right Mark!!
ermine9
Me, having never seen this before, immediately thought of the clothing tags the explode with dye if improperly opened.
Maybe you have no imagination if you can’t foresee people being worried about messing with things they don’t understand.
Bill
Not surprised at all with the increase in “securing” devices. However, even if someone just picked it up and walked out of the store without paying for it, I honestly doubt anyone would go after the person. I have seen it happen at the Lowe’s I was shopping at, and they didn’t even bother to turn around to look.
Dave C
What’s that supposed to stop? I sell Dewalt framing hammers at a contractor focused supply house, and I don’t have those on my hammers.
Tyler Foster
You’re not buying from the best (cost wise) wholesalers. Someone bought a container ship full and put 50 points on it and sold it to you. Approximate amounts of course, but it’s why I can buy an item at a wholesaler, retailer (large or small) but buying it on amazon it 25% less, because they’re rolling fat weight…. 20 container ships at a time
Terry S
I ordered a set of Grearwrench ratcheting combination wrenches from Sears.com, of all places, about a dozen years ago. It looks like it was packed at a retail store, because it still had one of those steel cable security alarms wrapped around the box. Nobody thought to remove it before sending.
So, I cut the wires–and it was LOUD. I lived in a house on the side of a mountain in a rural area at the time, so I wasn’t concerned about unwanted attention. But I could have used one of those Dewalt hammers to smash the little thing to bits. Instead I attempted to tear it apart to remove the battery. I am pretty sure smashing it up ended the noise.
JG
After a day on the jobsite that tag will naturally be removed
MT_Noob
That security tag is certainly better than putting the whole thing in a clam-shell package. So if I had to choose between the two, I would take the security tag every time.
blocky
In the wild, a newborn hammer may have a vestigial security tag for a few days or weeks; it will shrivel and fall off in due time.
In modern times, most users find the security device to be unsightly and opt to have it surgically removed, but no harm will come to the baby hammer from allowing nature to take its course.
Joe E.
LMAOOO
ermine9
😂
Brian Berk
Why would certain demographics steal hammers it means someone is working doesn’t make sense
Stuart
ebay?
Tdot77
It’s like stealing work boots right? lmao
They’re probably stolen to commit another crime like a literal smash & grab somewhere.
EBT
Like that joke about the guy leaving the factory with a wheelbarrow of sawdust each week.
He was stealing wheelbarrows…not sawdust.
Likely poor management at the hammer plant or distribution that theft/loss was high.
I’ve found RFID tags in many a tool packaging. Some obvious. Some not so.
Joe E.
I ordered new work jeans from Kohl’s online back in the early summer. When the bag arrived to my house, one of the jeans still had the ink dye security tag attached. I drove to the store and a cashier removed it. She told me you’d be surprised how often this happens.
Tdot77
You can remove them with a strong rare earth magnet. That’s all the tool at the store is doing – it’s just a powerful magnet releasing the internal latch.
Chip
That dumber than a bag of hammers! 😂
Brent Williams
I walked into an autozone to exchange a truck battery I had paid for and they had a record of that, the alarm went off and I sat the battery on the battery return desk and said y’all were playing that same song in the store when I left with the battery a year ago what are the odds ? The guy in there laughed and said that was the first time somebody walked in the store setting the alarm off
Kilroy
There’s an old prank where you slip some of the (not yet deactivated) anti theft tags under the insoles of a friend’s shoes… And then go shopping with them at the mall, making sure to drag them through as many stores as possible.
(I never did that, but it would be interesting to see how long it would take for the friend to catch on.)
Tdot77
They’re probably doing this hard-to-remove security tag thing cause many criminals are sharp enough to just peel off that usually white, ~1¼” long rectangular ‘security tab’ with paper thin metal strips inside that sets off the sensors at the main doors sounding that annoying alarm tone that’s completely ignored more than half the time anyways! In clamshell packaging\cases and cardboard boxes it’s usually hidden inside the package so thieves can’t see it and may think the item doesn’t actually have one in it, so they set off alarm when walking out which is why they take often take tools out of the packages and you’ll see empty packages hidden in back corner aisles. So with hammers there’s not any spots to hide a security tab and sometimes are placed inside the paperboard advertising ‘tag’ on the handle and would just get ripped off by a thief and easily slid into pants bypassing alarm. These ‘hard to remove’ plastic cases prevent easily removing the security strips.
Dave P
I’ve been really busy for a while and haven’t checked in.
1) Anyone who can’t get a piece of plastic off of a hammer handle shouldn’t have a hammer.
2) If this is the nature of recent posts, I sure haven’t missed much
Oleg K
Are they also stumped by a poorly-understood yet well-documented phenomenon called “theft”?