Craftsman Hammerhead: Great for Pounding in Tight Spots

Andrew Tarantola —

I'm not what you'd call "coordinated," so the prospect of hammering nails without worrying about how many fingernails I'll lose in the process is, um, appealing. The Craftsman HammerHead G2 Auto-Hammer does that—just not terribly well.

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Handy in specific situations—namely, cramped and poorly lit areas where a full hammer swing isn't possible. The articulating head can drive nails at right angles, 45 degrees or head on, and sinks them at 3600 strikes a minute. Sheet rock, softwood, drywall, and particle board were all easy to move through. The Auto-Hammer vibrates much like an orbital sander—a boon to older DIYers who no longer have the grip or joints to swing a traditional hammer. QuickBoost charger dumps a 25 percent charge into an empty battery in three minutes.

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You've driven a finishing nail about 3/4 of the way in, when it suddenly goes squirrely on you and bends. Normally, you just flip the hammer over and pull it out with the claw. Not so with the HammerHead—you need to carry a separate pry bar with this guy. And that pry bar will be getting a fair amount of use, at least initially. The Auto-Hammer requires a certain amount of finesse to use effectively. The Auto-Hammer's not deafening but your neighbors will certainly know when you're using it.

$100 from Craftsman.com

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via gizmodo.com