Carin,
Most important is that they are both very different from each other
so you might want one of each!
The Garland is a good hammer for the applications that it was
designed for, I have had one for many years. It's good for knocking
parts into position where you need to minimize marring. It's also
good for assembling parts. It's heavier than the BD Hammer.
The Bonny Doon Hammer is quite different in many regards. It was
designed for the unique sets of skills and needs for studio
metalsmithing. It utilizes urethane that is also designed for
metalsmithing applications. Know that there are 1000's of urethane
formulations. I work directly with the engineers that produce the
urethane to our needs and specifications. I am 100% confident that
there is no better quality nor longer lasting urethane for our
metalsmithing needs. The urethane on the BD Hammer should last you a
lifetime if it's not misused or abused.
The BD Hammer is also a bit lighter and balanced to make it easy to
use properly, thereby yielding consistent and accurate results. It's
been designed by a metalsmith specifically for jewelry sized pieces.
With the Bonny Doon Hammer you also get the best support in the
industry. You get direct access to Rio Grande's tech support team
that know the BD Hammer intimately.
I hope this helps!
Sincerely,
Phil
G. Phil Poirier
www.bonnydoonengineering.com
