I think it's a regular hammer. I've been using it almost every day since I bought it for the last 2 years. My biggest issue is that the parts unscrew fairly easily. After a while this can be very disappointing. As you can see from my photos I put rubber washers on it and it only helped a little. I have to come up with a new solution. maybe some strong glue. If you buy it for light tools you will love this hammer. If you plan to use it with a punch or latch installer, you may run into issues, so be aware. Update: I've given up trying to fix the problem. The parts hardly stick together. It's too dangerous to use. When I used it, the sledgehammer fell apart completely and the fragments scattered everywhere. My suggestion would be to invest in a higher quality hammer.