So pleased with my hammer I bought one for a friend as a gift. For that, I considered the cheaper versions from the two big stores, but decided to spend the extra money on these. You need a tool heavy enough to hold comfortably in your hand. You also want it to STAY in your hand. The handle does both - both it and the handle absorb quite a bit of energy when we're splitting logs, so our hands don't hurt after about an hour of this fun party.