Bent Hammer Handles

Hammer handles were constructed with 10, 15, 21, 26 and 32 degrees of bend; the heads were identical. The 82 subjects pounded in two nails with each experimental hammer as well as a standard hammer (0° bend) and then ranked the hammers 1 to 6. The top three hammers then were used with one more nail and the hammers were ranked again. The preferred hammer had a 10° bend. Personal descriptors such as gender, age, and hammer use experience were not significant predictors of experimental hammer preference.