kaih36•2mo ago

Hot take: I used to think a good hammer was all about weight, but a talk with a farrier changed my mind

I was at a meet in Boise last month and got chatting with a farrier who's been at it for 30 years. He picked up my 3 pound cross peen, swung it once, and said, 'You're fighting the tool. The balance point is two inches off.' He let me try his own hammer, which was the same weight but felt completely different. The handle shape and weight spread made each hit land with way less effort on my arm. I've been forging for 8 years and never really thought about balance, just brute force. What's the one piece of gear you thought you understood but had to totally rethink?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_faith2mo ago

Balance is everything, man.

rileym962mo ago

Forgets the beauty of a good, hard fall sometimes.

hannah_perry2mo ago

My worst wipeout was on a blue run at Breckenridge.