Can we talk about how my $12 flea market ball peen outdraws my $90 Swedish hammer?

Aaron Harris · 2026-09-15T12:20:03.716991+00:00

Picked up a beat up ball peen at the Canton flea market for $12, mostly because the handle felt good in my hand and I figured worst case I'd reuse the head. Six months later it's the hammer I grab for 90% of my work at the anvil, and my fancy $90 Swedish cross peen just sits in the rack looking pretty. The old head is softer, so it forgives a sloppy strike instead of bouncing off the steel like the hard one does. Anybody else got a cheap tool that quietly beat out the expensive one, or am I just bad at using nice things?

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Can we talk about how my $12 flea market ball peen outdraws my $90 Swedish hammer? | Blacksmiths - The Community Guide