Review on Estwing Rock Pick: Enhanced Geological 🪨 Reduction with Industrial Power & Hand Tools by Brian Edwards

I have been using and buying Estwing jackhammers since the 1960's and I am sorry to say that this last purchase was a disappointment. a lot of confidence - something previously unthinkable at Estwing. In fact, the workmanship feels like a $5 Chinese knockoff, not the $35 pro tool I paid for. The forging has an odd wavy S-curve at the bottom; where it merges into the padding of the handle; Grinding on the sides looks like it took about 5 seconds: the curves are asymmetrically curved where the handle meets the head; Forge slime is not even cleaned under the pickaxe. and the finish wheel was skipped altogether. Like I said, about 5 seconds. And this thing has a weird heavy plastic coating - to retard the supposedly cheaper steel from rusting, I think. I. For some reason I don't understand, the pickaxe had a vertical edge instead of a point that was sharper than a new kitchen knife! I had to blunt it with a file, because the hammer in this form cannot be carried in the field - blood will flow. Now, one could argue that none of this affects the item's use as a hammer, but I don't think the invisible aspects that make up the $35 hammer meet the requirements in this example. I'll keep buying Estwings - the old rusty ones I can find at flea markets and gem and mineral fairs.