That demo at the Northwest forge meet changed my mind on power hammers

I used to say power hammers were cheating, like you weren't really working the steel. But last month at the Northwest forge meet in Portland, this guy let me try his 50 pounder for a few heats and I get it now. The control you get on the heavy hits is something you can't do by arm alone, and my shoulder didn't scream for two days after. Still won't buy one since I don't have the space or the cash, but I stopped judging folks who do. Has anyone else had a hands-on moment that flipped their opinion on a tool?

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wells.karen14d agoTop Commenter

Can't blame you for the change of heart, but calling a power hammer "cheating" is like saying a cross peen is cheating on a rivet job, it's just the right tool for the heavy work. That 50 pounder gives you the same hit every time, which is more control than my arm ever had after hour three.