ESTWING Rock Pick - 13 oz Geology Hammer with Milled Face & Genuine Leather Grip - E13PM, Brown

This is perhaps the best quality geologist's pick available the only thing I wish would have been made clear from the start is what a milled face was and what a non-milled face was when buying the tool. TO be clear for all, a milled face is the hammer striking surface or "face that has been milled to have a "toothed" or grip type striking surface as opposed to the non-milled face that is completely smooth. Now the smooth face is more likely to slip of the face of the chisel you are striking, if you manage to not hit it wholly on the chisel but are somewhat off with your aim whereas the milled surface has grip and is less likely to slip off, so for this purpose I guess I have an added bonus to my tool that it will not or be less likely to slip off the striking surface if my aim is a bit off, but for aesthetic purposes the tool isn't as "pretty" and I also have to wonder why the milled face was cheaper than the non-milled face hammer/pick, as the milled face would have required more man hours to produce but hey, who am I to complain? Also the leather handle is always a great look and lasts a long time as I have had previous Estwing products with this leather handle. Everything about this tool is great, it's over all design, the handle, the hammer surface the pick end and even the bottom of the handle which has a steel end plate that is steel rivets holding the handle on, this is a tool that you can hand down to your son for him to use and cherish as is with so many American made tools! I whole heartedly endorse Estwing tools and do not have anything bad to say about this item, if you are in the market for a new geologists hammer/pick i recommend this tool! you will not be disappointed with it's quality or it's performance!

I suffered using cheaper picks/rock hammers for almost a decade before deciding to upgrade. This tool is well made, well balanced, light to carry and comfortable to use. I've used it for heavy work excavating tough rocky matrix around mammoth bones and for fine work excavating trilobites in exfoliating limestone. Compared to less expensive options it's night and day, I wish I had purchased this years ago.

I waited so many years to buy this hammer. Would put it in my cart, take it out of my cart. Try to forget it. I thought it would be so nice for car trips, to stop and investigate rocks along the way and satisfy my amateur geologist soul. I finally ordered it and it's so beautiful. Strong and well made and with such a nice leather grip and textured face. I'm going out to break up some of the local rocks and look for fossils. And now I feel like a real archeologist with the same hammer my professional geologist friends have!

This is a great and tough little hammer. It feels good in the hand, very comfortable, nice grip, great balance. It's tough and the perfect size for most general rock hounding. One end is pointed for prying, though I've also used it to lightly crack a rock either for sizing or just to see what's inside. The other end is either serrated or "cross hatched" depending on what you order. The metal is hard, resist deformation, keeps it's shape, and has a great finish. The hammer does cost a little more, but provides much more value than the light weight Chinese made hammers with the tube handle that always seems to bend and where the rubber handle causes blisters and will come loose when using it. So there's a lot of extra value in this tool that makes it worth more than just the additional cost.

It's a well made geological tool perfectly balanced very well made!

I didn't even know that my hatchet had a sibling until I saw a YouTube video with a guy using this sweet looking rock hammer. Not sure what I'll use it for but I had to have one to go with my axe. I'll probably add it to my metal-detecting kit or use it to dig fossils out of the creekbed behind my house. At any rate these tools are beautiful to look at and super well made! *Take note of the American Bench Craft leather sheath and D-ring holster. American Made and well worth the money! Highly recommended!

Did not come with cover.

Great name for a Rock Pick. I was very happy to see the armored butt. This this a very sharp p[ick. You can do surgical splitting with it. Care when handling. This is for my Wife, but I really like it. I have the 28 oz.