[TheForge] Striker air hammers

[RIES NIEMI]

I purchased a striker hammer about a year ago, and have been using it
heavily ever since.
Mine is kind of an orphan, as it clearly says on it that it was made by
Anyang, and striker on their website tell how much superior their hammers
are to the crummy Anyang hammers. I think they bought a few, and then
switched to another factory.
So, I would expect that current striker hammers are better quality than
mine.
Mine has been a very usable tool-

Pluses:
Good bones- it has a nice heavy cast frame, somebody else machined the
cylinders and worked out the valving. 1500lb anvil (it's a two piece). It"s
pretty compact, didnt require a special foundation- its just sitting on my
6" slab, and nary a crack to be seen after a year. A decent copy of a
chambersburg, but cheaper, and new. Mine is an 88lb'er. I dont know if there
were chambersburgs of that size, but if there are any still around, they are
going to cost as much or more than the striker, and be 50 years old to boot.
You turn it on, it works.

Minuses: the peripherals, such as mag starter, oiler, foot pedal, are pretty
crummy. I forsee having to replace them as time goes on. An overabundance of
bondo was used on the casting. Bondo burns, when in contact with hot metal.
Stinks, too. 

I know a bunch of smiths around here have Wolf selfcontained airhammers,
also chinese. From what I understand, they also have the bondo problem, but
they look a lot slicker- better paint anyway. They seem noisier though- My
striker is pretty quiet. You can run it without ear protection, for quick
jobs, without being deaf for 5 minutes. Its actually quieter than my shop
compressor.

Some of these things are probably improved in the current generation.
For the money (around 5 grand) I think its a good deal. Sure, depending on
where you live, you can find a cheaper mechanical hammer. Probably not a
cheaper self-contained, unless you stumble on the little old lady with her
husbands unused nazel 2b in the back shed- hey, it could happen- people
still find V16 Cadillacs in farm sheds in Kentucky for 500 bucks, right?