5 Best Welding & Chipping Hammers for 2023

The Estwing Big Blue Chipping Hammer is one of the most widely-used chipping hammers in the industry. Go to any place where they’re welding steel and you’re guaranteed to see at least one of these hammers in use. This hammer is forged from a single piece of hardened tool steel and is essentially unbreakable.

There’s a beautifully made nylon-vinyl handle grip that owners of the Estwing Big Blue Chipping Hammer rave about. The reason for their loyalty is the impact-reducing capability of this grip, reducing the shock of striking a surface by 70 percent. Between the comfortable grip and the perfect balance, this is a hammer you can use all day without fatigue.

Some owners say the hammer as delivered has some manufacturing burrs on the handle grip, but these quickly wear off in-shop use. Others prefer a textured striking face for slag removal, and this hammer comes with a smooth face. The fully-polished finish of the Estwing Big Blue Chipping Hammer reduces rusting and pitting. Because it’s made in the USA, this hammer qualifies for government work under the Buy American program.

The Hobart 770069 Welding Hammer is the standard welding hammer with a wire brush. It’s got a wound-spring handle that reduces shock and lessens heat, a drawback that comes with a solid one-piece hammer. Spring handles are naturally not the most comfortable type of grip, but chipping’s not usually a big part of the day. Some complain that the retaining clip for the wire brush was very strong and hard to operate.

This welding chipping hammer is often described as both long-lasting and well-balanced. The Hobart 770069 Welding Hammer has a straight chisel-type head. It’s about a foot long and weighs 12 ounces, both basically standard dimensions across the welding industry. This affordable tool is seen in nearly every toolbox and parts room, often issued by employers and job sites.

The most-liked feature of the Hobart 770069 Welding Hammer is the replaceable wire brush, which clips onto the backside of the handle. It’s easier to use this brush than a lightweight wooden brush because the hammer’s weight contributes to the brush’s efficiency and it’s one less motion to turn the hammer around instead of picking up a separate tool.

The Vaughan 185-10 WC12 Welder’s Chipping Hammer is a long-running classic tool having been hand-made in essentially the same form since the late 1800s when it was used by blacksmiths. The wooden handle reduces impact, stays cool, and is easily replaced. It’s made in a time-tested, comfortable shape and puts the weight where it belongs, in the head.

The head design of the Vaughan 185-10 WC12 Welder’s Chipping Hammer is unique, with a 14-inch blade shape on one side and a pointed chisel tip on the other. This gives you a choice of chipping methods to work on spatter removal and other irregularities in the slag deposits.

Some welders feel the handle on the Vaughan 185-10 WC12 Welder’s Chipping Hammer is a little too short. There are a few complaints that the head works loose or comes off over time, but that’s a given in a tough environment like a welding shop, and hickory handles are cheap to replace, found at any neighborhood hardware store or local welding shop. This welder’s hammer is a classic, thoughtful design that has withstood the long test of time in a tough industry.

The Deke Home Welding Chipping Hammer is exactly as it appears to be: an inexpensive hammer that includes a decent-quality wire brush at a great price. This slag hammer can fill in to get the job done until you pick up a nicer one. It’s a great choice for welding students and anyone just starting a career. It’s just heavy enough to get the job done for DIYers without causing a lot of fatigue in long use.

The wire brush has good reviews for its quality, sometimes a sore spot with cheap combo sets. The Deke Home Welding brush has a good-quality hardwood brush handle and solidly mounted high-carbon steel bristles that stay put and don’t end up warped out of shape before any real work is done.

With any cheap brush or hammer, you’re only going to get so much wear out of it. The Deke Home Welding Chipping Hammer walks that line well, with a dual-tip design that features a straight chisel on one side and a conical, pointed tip on the other to handle its slag removal duties in good shape.

Considering the price range and the respected Lincoln reputation, the Lincoln Electric K4022-1 Industrial Chipping Hammer delivers on its promise of an industrial-quality welder’s hammer at an affordable price. Users praise it for balance and heft. There are two different tips on this hammer, a chisel and a pointed end which let you reach into tight spots for effective spatter removal in those hard-to-reach places.

The Lincoln Electric K4022-1 Industrial Chipping Hammer is a typical spring-handled chipping hammer that reduces impact shock and keeps the heat down. It’s finished in a black powder coat for long-lasting rust protection. Lincoln puts sticks some large labels to the handle of this hammer and they’re difficult to remove without leaving a sticky residue. A few owners reported small manufacturing burrs on the hammer and recommended going over it with a file before working with it.

This chipping hammer is a great value at the price and the Lincoln Electric K4022-1 Industrial Chipping Hammer gets great marks from owners for its effectiveness in removing slag and spatter without a lot of effort because of small details like the tip angles.