Here at Gearflogger we have a complicated relationship with titanium. Aluminum is actually lighter but you have to use more of it to get the same strength, so Ti gear is usually lighter in the end. We love Ti for its unparalleled strength-to-weight, low weight-to-mass, flexibility and corrosion resistance. And don't forget: eye-popping cost, as evidenced by the exquisite Abbey Bike Tools Team Issue titanium hammer. Abbey's motto says it all: "Precision is our religion."
The hammer is twelve inches of beautifully burnished Ti, weighing in at a mere 265g or 9.35oz. It comes with a padded silicone handle and a two-faced hammer with hard and soft faces. The soft face is a standard one-inch screw-in face, and replacements are readily available online. The handle is hollow so it can be used as a cheater bar over other tool handles if necessary.
The Ti hammer is not a dead blow hammer, where the head would be filled with sand to make the blow less sharp, but since Ti doesn't transmit vibration like most metals – up to 10x less vibration than steel – it has a different, subjectively better feel to most people. You'll see carpenters concerned about saving their hands using Ti hammers on framing and finish jobs for good reason.
Do you need a Ti hammer? Of course not, unless you're a pro biker or mechanic who travels a lot, where every ounce counts on the road and on the track. But! And we don't say this lightly, if you'll forgive the pun: the Abbey Bike Tools titanium hammer is truly a work of art. It's a pleasure to hold and to behold, and we find ourselves reaching for it for even the most mundane of tasks. Bike work, finish carpentry or gunsmithing, this is an exceptional tool.