I have several different types and styles of hammers, but when it comes to hammering or pulling nails I want my 40 year old 16 ounce plumb bob. It's perfectly balanced and I can drive nails straight or at an angle all day without bending them. The steel head seems to be better than all the others because it hardly scratches compared to my much newer and less used heads. The same is true when it comes to pulling nails. The claws bite and pull them out even when the nail heads are broken. This hammer is my most prized possession in my toolbox and swinging it makes me feel a part of me.