Milwaukee sent over test samples of their new dead blow hammers, and I think they’re definitely worth a look. Their smaller size 28oz dead blow hammer has quickly become one of my favorite striking tools.
There are 6 hammers in the lineup – 2 sizes of dead blow hammers, 2 sizes of dead blow ball peen hammers, and 2 sizes of standard ball peen hammers.
- Dead Blow Hammers
- 28oz (48-22-9150)
- 48oz (48-22-9151)
- Dead Blow Ball Peen Hammers
- 16oz (48-22-9140)
- 32oz (48-22-9141)
- Steel Ball Peen Hammers
- 16oz (48-22-9130)
- 24oz (48-22-9131)
Compared to my other dead blow hammers and mallets, I like the Milwaukee hammer’s handle shape and grip material a bit better, and the flat spot on top of the head allows me to set them down with the handle positioned upwards for quick retrieval.
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The new dead blow hammers also feature reinforced overstrike protection, a “precision balanced design,” and a lanyard loop in the handle.
They’re comfortable to use, and the face seems impact and abrasion resistant. Milwaukee also says these hammers have “the most durable handle.”
So far, I’ve not had any issues with it – or the other models I’ve been testing. As mentioned, I have taken a strong liking to the 28oz especially.
These hammers are part of Milwaukee’s automotive hand tools line, which could explain why they only launched 2 of the most popular sizes in each style so far.
I’d like to see more sizes in the future.
The dead blow hammers are not huge upgrades, but they swing and strike well, feel especially durable so far (or at least are resisting face wear), and are reasonably priced. Saying “they’re worth a look” seems to sum this up.
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To be clear, the steel ball peen hammers do not have dead blow-style heads. I have not tested those yet, only the dead blow hammers.
Pricing and Availability
Here’s another chart of the 6 hammers, with pricing accurate as of the time of this posting.
- Dead Blow Hammers
- 28oz (48-22-9150) – $30
- 48oz (48-22-9151) – $36
- Dead Blow Ball Peen Hammers
- 16oz (48-22-9140) – $51
- 32oz (48-22-9141) – $70
- Steel Ball Peen Hammers
- 16oz (48-22-9130) – $30
- 24oz (48-22-9131) – $35
You can find these hammers at Home Depot and other Milwaukee hand tool dealers.
All of these hammers are backed by Milwaukee’s lifetime guarantee.
mattd
For me personally I find it hard to get excited about these. I mean a made in USA Vaughn 16 oz ball peen hammer is half the price of this Milwaukee at $15. As far as the deadblows go, these Milwauklees are basically the same price as made in USA trusty cook hammers. I don’t really see the need to change up my current stuff for these.
Stuart
Should you upgrade existing still-functional hammers? I wouldn’t.
Better than Trusty Cook? I still don’t know. I own a couple of TC, and the Milwaukee is different.
Bruce
Is it an upgrade? I find the move to fiberglass and steel handles to be generally bad. More vibration to the user. The TPU overmold breaks down with exposure to grease and oil. These are hammers designed to look good in the tool drawer for people that don’t use hammers. I’ll take my hammer head that I found at an estate sale that I had to rehandle. An afternoon’s work that has served me well for two decades that I’ll probably teach my kid how to rehandle when I’m 70.
Ct451
When they say things like “the most durable handle.” Milwaukee is clearly targeting “people that don’t use hammers”. If you have any amount of self worth, why would you trust some marketing person’s fluff instead of your own perception?
Stuart
While a little fluffy, I’m sure there’s some truth to it. I’ve seen a lot of photos of broken dead-blow hammers online, usually with the casing around the handle cracked.
@Bruce – I like the Milwaukee better than my Husky of the same size and urethane dead blows of similar size.
I’m not sure what you’re talking about regarding fiberglass and steel handles. Almost every dead blow hammer on the market has plastic encasing a steel core.
Some European style smaller-sized hammers have wood handles. Some dead blows (e.g. by Nupla) have fiberglass handles.
I have never seen or heard of anyone re-handling a dead blow hammer. When they fail, you replace the entire hammer.
With respect to regular ball peen hammers, I prefer wood handles due to the value (Vaughan), but have had decent experiences with steel-handled hammers (Estwing).
Al
At those prices, Trusty Cook or Tekton are within reach. The fake robot skin or whatever that stuff is is distracting. Problem with ‘trendy’ design is that it starts looking old faster. Think ‘Fiero’ vs Suburban.
Although, I do like my Engineer PH-55 scissors. Got them specifically for the design. So, I’m a hypocrite.
CA
I picked up a smaller dead blow hammer at an estate sale once I believe but haven’t really had the need for more. A rubber mallet and every size of Craftsman ball peen seem to fit the bill for me.
CA
If I need more than that I go to sister sledge.
fred
For me – not likely to buy any new hammers.
I have some Stanley ball-peen deadblow hammers – that I seldom use.
I tried an Estwing deadblow claw hammer that I found interesting but did not like enough to keep it:
https://www.amazon.com/ESTWING-CO-ALBKM-Aluminum-Milled/dp/B06XQN5P6K
I have some deadblow plastic faced hammers from Thor and Halder (series 3366) – that I use once in a while for assembly tasks – but for furniture I mostly rely on Sorbothane mallets. I do find that Halder (series 3408) handle-less deadblow drop hammers can come in handy – as much for disassembly as assembly.
Around the garden – I often reach for a Stanley deadblow sledge hammer unless I need a 20-pounder to persuade things into place.
https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-57-554-2-Pound-Compo-Cast-Sledge/dp/B00004UDN1?th=1
MoogleMan3
I love those sorbothane mallets. I didn’t think I would until I used one.
fred
I’ve had mine since 2014 – when the small one was $29.95 and the large $39.95 – Now inflation has taken its toll:
https://www.amazon.com/Isolate-Sorbothane-Soft-blow-Automotive-Cabinetry/dp/B00F9847GG
fred
Halder Deadblow:
https://www.kctool.com/search.php?query=halder%203366
Halder Drop mallets:
https://www.kctool.com/search.php?query=halder%20drop%20mallet
Franco
I have a Halder DB, but different than what you show…different series I think. I have used it for about 5-6 years and find it works very nice.
https://www.amazon.com/Halder-3380-040-Secural-Hammer-Rectangular/dp/B000VD4XRC/
Stuart
I have that one two. Surprisingly, I bought mine 22 months ago, and it’s the same price today, to the penny.
fred
The two that I have were bought 2 years ago – one the #3366.070 weighs in at 2.3kg and the other #3366.080 weighs 3.3kg so they are more like hand sledges with nylon faces. The larger one is now listed at $257 at KC Tools. but $195 at Tiger Supplies. I paid about $182 for it back in 2021.
https://www.tigersupplies.com/Products/Supercraft-Mallet-with-Wood-Handle__HAL3366-020-.aspx
IronWood
The soft face hammers look interesting, I like the stand up flat head like on a dead blow sledge. But the ball peen ones look way too bulky and weird. Love my Trusty-Cook ball peen dead blows, and have several Nupla and TC soft face that have served well for years. I’d like to see the new Milwaukees in person though.
Steve
I got the small ball peen and large dead blow hammers to replace a couple wood handled Craftsman with loose handles. The Milwaukee’s seem to be fine – nothing special really…
eddie sky
Hmm, if they had an engineering 4lb… oh snap (as in Stanley/Dewalt/craftsman handles)…
Come on Milwaukee… a small, reliable handled sledge would sell nicely now.
MM
I have several Euro style deadblows with replaceable faces so I don’t have any need for the soft hammers. I prefer those to the all-cast design anyway. But the ball peen deadblows look interesting. I’m actually in the market for a 32oz and I don’t want to pay tool truck money. These prices seem pretty competitive and for lifetime warranty made in the USA? Not bad. I’ll check them out the next time I’m at HD.
Stuart
These are not made in USA; the Milwaukee dead blow ball peens are made in Taiwan.
MM
Thank you for the clarification.
frobo
I had a couple of Compothane dead blow hammers at one time. Both of them eventually started leaching a white sticky substance all over, probably a sign that the plastic was dying of old age. No amount of cleaning would restore them for long. Since then, I’ve treated dead blow hammers as a kind of consumable with a finite life. So, my current dead blows were sourced at Sears and Harbor Freight. When they give out (assuming it’s before I do), I’ll replace them with whatever bargain I can find.
PETE
I bought the milwaukee deadblow. It was a choice between the milwaukee or the husky. I didn’t WANT to get the milwaukee because it was more expensive. BUT the milwaukee has a bell flared handle end that i liked.
Tim D.
Agreed. For similar money, I’ll take a trusty cook. Might even be cheaper for a blem?
There’s something to be said for convenience though, being available off the shelf at Home Depot.
Tim D.
Strange, my reply went in the wrong spot?
Stuart
Maybe hit the wrong button or cancelled the reply? If that happens, put a new comment where you intend it to go, along with a “I meant for it to go here” or similar and I can remove the duplicate in the backend.
Franco
These Milwaukee, the DB’s in particular, look nice but until I feel one in my hand, really can’t say. They are not overly expensive, but not cheap either. There are many companies that specialize in DB’s in this price range.
I like DB hammers and have bought many over the years. The Halder I mentioned in a post above, a set of 4 Trusty Cook; the ball pein with metal caps. I have a couple of ABC, which are also made in the US. A couple of Nuplo’s, the ones I have are very lightweight, like less than a pound. A bunch of no-name. They all work pretty good, even the no-name. The drawback on the no-name is if used hard or rough, they won’t hold up as well as the better quality ones, but for occasional light use, they do the job.
My favorite overall or these…
http://impactpolyhammers.com/?p=136
Made in Canada, I have a 14oz, a 52oz, 6lb mini sledge (awesome) and the grey 34oz wood worker. All work great, but above all, the 52oz and 6lb mini sledge I have beat them pretty good and they hold up great.
Again, these are all DB hammers; they are not advanced tech, but do the job quite nicely.