Choosing fretz hammers

I am about to invest in some Fretz Hammers. I can’t decide which I
should start. Anyone have any opinions on their favorites? Also what
is the best vendor?

Thanks

Note From Ganoksin Staff:
Looking for a hammer for your jewelry projects? We recommend:

What hammer you choose depends on what hammer you use. If you are
replacing a hammer, get the same kind. If it’s a new hammer, get the
kind that does the job you need a hammer to do. I have several Fretz
hammers just because I liked their looks and could afford them. I’ve
discovered that their utility depends more on the operators skill
than the hammer’s design aesthetic.

Smile. Jay

It all depends on what you plan on doing with them. I just took a
class with Bill Fretz. Are you planning on buying any of his stakes?
Many of the hammers are made to work with the different
circumferences of his stakes. And he makes 3 different sizes of
hammers depending on the scale of your work. One of my favorite of
his hammers is the double ended insert hammer. There are 9 plastic
tips that are interchangeable, and the plastic won’t mar your metal.

Elaine

Well I’m deciding between the mini-hammer set and the precision.

Does anyone have any opinions or reviews?

Well I'm deciding between the mini-hammer set and the precision. 

It occurs to me to wonder why you’re buying them. You don’t
apparently know which ones you want, which suggests you’re not sure
what you’d use them for. So then, are you buying them just because
they look cool? They certainly do, and are well made useful tools,
and this old tool junkie has been known to buy tools only because
they look sooo cool I had to have one (or several). So nothing wrong
there. But if, as it seems, you’re not sure what you need it/them
for, or what they’ll do for you, are you then certain that they will
indeed earn their keep for you? Are you hoping that once you have
them, you’ll then fall in love with them and find an array of uses
you didn’t previously know about? It’s not as though you cannot do
anything with any other hammers except the Fretz ones. They’re
refined hammers, adapted from larger designs, and it seems to me that
unless you’ve found existing standard hammers to not do what you
want, you may find you then own wonderful looking decorations, but
not tools that actually add to your repertoire. If in fact you do
already know exactly what you’ll use them for and why you need
these, then it seems to me you’d already know exactly which hammers
you need and why… For the money you spend on the Fretz hammers, you
can get two or three times as many standard hammers, especially if
you shop carefully. Even premium German Peddinghous hammers are a
good deal cheaper. Of course, if you’re rolling in cash, I’m sure
Bill Fretz will appreciate the business, and the Vietnamese (I think)
factory producing them for him will also be very happy, as will
whichever dealer you buy them from. So I’m all in favor of you
stimulating our economy and helping keep our tools suppliers in
business and all. I’d also, however, think it best if you make sure
you’re spending your hard earned cash wisely and intelligently on
things you need and can use and which will have a useful place on
your workbench. (This comment from a guy who loves the look of that
set of Fretz stakes he bought, which are cool as hell and look great
on the bench, but which don’t actually get used all that much. If I
had it to do over, I’m pretty sure I could have spent that several
hundred dollars more wisely. On the other hand, I’ve got one of his
texturing hammers, and THAT is not duplicated in function by other
tools I have, was bought for a specific set of projects, and has more
than several times over earned it’s keep)

Peter Rowe

Note From Ganoksin Staff:
Looking for a hammer for your jewelry projects? We recommend: