The best claw hammers, compared.
Top pick: WORKPRO 16 oz and 8 oz set Best value: Arcjunys small claw hammer – Lowest shelf price among the other listings with at least 200 reviews, at about £5.99. UK reviews include a snapped claw and a head that came off. Updated 22 October 2026.
A claw hammer drives nails with its face and pulls them with a forked claw. In the UK it is the ordinary carpentry hammer for timber fixings and picture hooks. A club hammer for a bolster, and a sledgehammer for demolition, are different tools. You tell a claw hammer from a poor one by the stated head weight, whether the item-weight row agrees with that claim, the claw shape, and whether UK reviews describe a head, claw, or shaft that failed on a normal pull. Retailer guides treat 16 oz, about 454 g, as the controllable carpenter’s weight and 20 oz, about 567 g, as the weight for larger softwood nails. An 8 oz or 11 oz hammer is for panel pins and a light bag. A curved claw rolls nails out. A rip or straight claw is the better pry between boards. If the title and a bullet disagree, keep both. Fibreglass, hickory, steel, and plastic all appear as handles, and a rubber grip is not electrical insulation. The stable checks are in the [claw hammer buying guide](/hub/hand-tools/claw-hammer/sub/claw-hammer-buying-guide).
A claw hammer drives nails with its face and pulls them with a forked claw. In the UK it is the ordinary carpentry hammer for timber fixings and picture hooks.
42 products checked · 58 hrs invested · +21,400 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you fastening?
The WORKPRO W001606 is a two-hammer set at about £16.99, titled 16 oz/720 g and 8 oz/340 g, with 4.7 from 59 reviews and rank 15 in Claw Hammers. The item weight is 720 g. Bullets say carbon structural steel and a rip claw, while the head-material row says Fiberglass. A bullet calls the grip non-conductive and gives no voltage. The six UK reviews in the file praise the pair and the small hammer. One reviewer used a shaft hole for a lanyard, and that hole is not in the bullets. There is no BS 876 line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a 16 oz-class hammer plus an 8 oz hammer and you will read 720 g as the figure the listing printed.
Less suitable: You need a single 20 oz framing hammer with a stated length.
Specifications
Common questions
Does 16 oz mean a 454 g head?
Not on this listing. The title prints 16 oz/720 g and 8 oz/340 g. The item-weight row says 720 g. Keep those figures. Do not replace them with a converted 16 oz head.
What is the head made of?
The bullets say carbon structural steel. The head-material row says Fiberglass, which is the handle material in the same listing. Both lines are kept.
Is the grip insulated for live work?
A bullet says the grip is non-conductive. The listing gives no voltage and no insulated-tool standard. Six UK reviews in the file are positive and do not describe a broken head.
The ASelected set is 0.25 kg and 0.75 kg at about £8.99, with 4.6 from 505 reviews and rank 21 in Claw Hammers. The item-weight row is 250 g. Head style is Curve. Bullets say forged high carbon steel and a joint that is not easy to fall off. Two UK reviews describe the larger hammer failing while pulling a nail: a shaft failure, and the rubber end of the handle breaking off. Many other pasted reviews are short praise. There is no BS 876 line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a cheap two-weight pair and you will not use the 0.75 kg claw as a pry bar.
Less suitable: You are choosing a hammer mainly to pull stubborn nails.
Specifications
Common questions
Which weight is the 250 g row?
The item-weight row says 250 g, the same figure as the 0.25 kg hammer. The other hammer is listed as 0.75 kg. Bullet lengths are 34 cm and 27.5 cm.
What do reviewers say happened when they pulled a nail?
One UK review says the shaft of the 750 g hammer failed while removing a nail. Another says the rubber end of the larger handle broke off under leverage. The star line is still 4.6 from 505. The file is a sample, not a rate.
Does the listing say the head cannot come off?
A bullet says the handle is embedded and not easy to fall off. That is a claim. It sits next to the two failure reviews. No BS 876 line is printed.
The HOUSERAN SS06 is titled 500 g (16 oz) with a straight rip claw, at about £13.99, with 4.6 from 99 reviews and rank 54 in Claw Hammers. The item weight is 500 g. One bullet says 8 oz and another says a curved claw. The head row says alloy steel and a bullet says 45# carbon steel. A bullet claims a hanging hole and a shock-absorbing rubber grip. The eight UK reviews in the file are positive and do not describe a failure. There is no BS 876 line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a single hammer whose title and item weight both say 500 g, and you will ignore the 8 oz bullet or confirm it on the live page.
Less suitable: You need the claw shape to be unambiguous, or you need a 20 oz framing hammer.
Specifications
Common questions
Is it 16 oz or 8 oz?
The title and the item-weight row both say 500 g (16 oz). One bullet says this claw hammer is 8 oz. Keep both. The pasted UK reviews do not settle the clash.
Is the claw straight or curved?
The title and the head-style row say straight rip. One bullet says a curved claw. A separate bullet says there is a hanging hole.
What do the UK reviews say?
Eight UK reviews in the file are short and positive: weight, clout, and a light handle. None of them describe a broken head. The star line is 4.6 from 99. No BS 876 line is printed.
The Bargain Hound CH001 is a 16 oz and 8 oz pair at about £8.47, with 4.6 from 81 reviews and rank 11 in Claw Hammers. The item-weight row says 910 g and the unit-count row says 1 gram. A bullet claims a magnetic nail holder and forged carbon steel heads. Pasted UK reviews mostly say the two sizes are useful. One reviewer received only the larger hammer. No pasted review describes a broken head. There is no BS 876 line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a cheap two-size pair and you will check that both hammers are in the box.
Less suitable: You need a single titled 20 oz framing hammer, or a listing with a published length.
Specifications
Common questions
What sizes are in the set?
The title and bullets say a 16 oz hammer and an 8 oz hammer. The item-weight row says 910 g. The unit-count row says 1 gram, which does not describe two hammers.
Does the listing claim a magnetic nail holder?
Yes. A bullet says an integrated magnetic nail holder. No review in the pasted UK sample describes the magnet failing. One reviewer says only the larger hammer arrived.
Is a British Standard named?
No BS 876 line is on this listing. The handle row says fibreglass.
The MAXPOWER M24233 is an 8 oz claw hammer at about £9.78 in this snapshot, with 4.4 from 1,876 reviews and rank 32 in Claw Hammers. The item weight of 226 g matches the 8 oz title. UK reviews use it for panel pins, carpet gripper nails, and light DIY, and several say it is too light for site joinery. The title says curved rip and one bullet says straight claw. A bullet claims one-piece forging. Reviewers also describe visible glue at the head. There is no BS 876 line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the light 8 oz hammer with the largest review count in this snapshot, for pins and a tool bag.
Less suitable: You need a stated 16 oz or 20 oz head for studwork or long nails.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this the 16 oz carpenter's hammer?
No. The title says 8 oz and the item-weight row says 226 g, which matches 8 oz. UK reviews in the file call it light and handy for small nails, and not the hammer for site joinery.
Is the claw curved or straight?
The title says curved rip framing. One bullet says straight claw. Both lines are on the listing. There is no BS 876 claim.
Do the reviews mention the head joint?
More than one UK review mentions visible glue at the head. The pasted reviews that mention glue do not say the head came off. The star line is 4.4 from 1,876, and the file does not contain every review.
The Uadme hammer is about £14.99, with 4.4 from 81 reviews and rank 33 in Claw Hammers. The title says a magnetic nail holder and a square-head framing hammer. A bullet says 13 oz. The item weight is 670 g and the length is 40 cm. The handle is rubber. One reviewer calls the magnet strong and another wanted it for second fix. One review says it broke in under 20 minutes. There is no BS 876 line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a long-handled hammer with a magnet in the title, and you will not treat 13 oz and 670 g as the same weight.
Less suitable: You need a weight you can trust before you buy, or a hammer with no break report in the file.
Specifications
Common questions
How heavy is it?
One bullet says 13 oz. The item-weight row says 670 g. The dimension row says 40 cm long. Those weight figures do not describe the same mass.
Does it have a magnetic nail holder?
The title says it does. One UK review calls the magnet strong. The head-style row says Flat and a bullet says square head.
Did a review say it broke?
One UK review says it broke in under 20 minutes. That report is not repeated in the other pasted reviews. The star line is 4.4 from 81. No BS 876 line is printed.
The ZOFUN set is three rip claw hammers at about £16.99, with 4.4 from 12 reviews and rank 215 in Claw Hammers. The title says 17 oz and 33 cm. A bullet says up to 20 oz and another says stainless steel, while the material line is carbon steel and the item weight is 600 g. Included components says nothing, and a hanging hole is claimed. Three UK reviews in the file include one that calls them smaller than a normal claw hammer. No pasted review describes a break, and the sample is thin.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want three small rip claw hammers and you will treat 33 cm as the size, not the 20 oz bullet.
Less suitable: You need one unambiguous 16 oz or 20 oz hammer with a large review sample.
Specifications
Common questions
How many hammers, and how heavy?
The title says 3 pieces, 33 cm, and 17 oz. A bullet says the head is up to 20 oz. The item weight is 600 g. Included components says nothing.
Are they full-size claw hammers?
One UK review says they are a little smaller than a normal claw hammer and not the tool for 5 or 6 inch nails. The same review calls them well made for the price. The star line is 4.4 from 12.
Is there a hanging hole?
A bullet says there is a hole on the bottom so the hammer can hang. Head style is Flat. No BS 876 line is printed.
The Amtech hammer is titled 8 oz / 225 g at about £6.81, with 4.2 from 295 reviews and rank 23 in Claw Hammers, and the item weight is 225 g. The manufacturer line is DK Tools, and model AM-A0250 and part A0120 both appear. Bullets say drop-forged, hardened and tempered steel, and a 1 year warranty is stated. The title says a straight claw and one bullet says curved claw leverage. UK reviews that pulled fence nails or old nails describe a bent claw, a head that came off, or a break on first use. Reviews limited to tacks are milder. There is no BS 876 line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a light 8 oz hammer for tacks and you will not lever old nails with the claw.
Less suitable: You intend to pull fence nails or use it as a framing hammer.
Specifications
Common questions
Do the 8 oz and the item weight agree?
Yes. The title says 8 oz / 225 g and the item-weight row says 225 g. The part line is A0120 and the model row is AM-A0250.
What failed in the reviews?
Several UK reviews say the claw bent while pulling nails, the head came off on a pull, or the hammer broke on first use. Other reviews used it only for tacks and picture hooks. The star line is 4.2 from 295.
Is the claw straight?
The title says straight claw. One bullet says curved claw leverage. The included-components line says a steel shaft and a rubber grip is on the handle row. A 1 year manufacturer warranty is stated. No BS 876 line.
The OX Pro OX-P088920 is the only hammer in this set titled 20 oz, at about £24.59, with 4.2 from 20 reviews and rank 18 in Claw Hammers. Length is 44.5 cm and item weight is 950 g. Bullets say a smooth face, a straight claw, a magnetic nail starter, a TPR grip on American hickory, and a forged one-piece steel head. The style row says curved framing hammer. Three of six UK reviews describe a cracked or snapped shaft. The forged-head claim does not cover that shaft. There is no BS 876 line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a long 20 oz framing hammer and you will inspect the hickory shaft before you rely on it.
Less suitable: You need a hammer whose pasted reviews do not already describe a snapped handle.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this the 20 oz hammer?
The title says 20 oz. The item weight is 950 g, which is the catalogue weight of the whole tool, not a 567 g head. The length is 44.5 cm.
Is the claw straight or curved?
The bullets say a straight claw. The style row and the item-type name say curved framing hammer. A bullet claims a magnetic nail starter and a one-piece forged steel head.
What happened to the handle in reviews?
Three of the six UK reviews describe a cracked or snapped hickory shaft, including formwork and a week of trade use. Two reviews praise the weight and the magnet. The star line is 4.2 from 20. No BS 876 line.
The Arcjunys hammer is about £5.99, rank 5 in Claw Hammers, with 4.1 from 263 reviews. The title does not state ounces. Item weight is 360 g and length is about 27 cm. The handle row says Wood and the bullets say a soft grip and a straight claw. UK reviews that only drove small nails are mild, while others say a claw tooth snapped on a 4 inch nail, the hammer snapped in half, or the head came off on the first joist nail. The best value badge is the lowest shelf price among listings in this set with at least 200 reviews, and it is not a verdict that the claw survived. There is no BS 876 line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the cheapest shelf price in this snapshot for light tacks, and you have read the break reviews.
Less suitable: You need to pull nails or drive joist nails.
Specifications
Common questions
Why is this rank 5 if reviews mention breakage?
Rank 5 in Claw Hammers is the browse position in this snapshot, at about £5.99, with 4.1 from 263 reviews. Separate UK reviews say a claw tooth snapped, the hammer snapped in half, or the head came off. Rank is not a strength test.
How big is it?
The title does not state ounces. The item weight is 360 g. A bullet says about 10.63 inches, and the dimension row is 27 cm long. Reviewers call it tiny.
Is the handle wood?
The handle-material row says Wood. The bullets describe a non-slip soft handle. The title says electricians and gives no insulation standard. No BS 876 line is printed.
The Fadayunn listing is an 11 oz straight claw hammer at about £5.99, with 4.1 from 54 reviews and rank 17 in Claw Hammers. Item weight is 330 g and the length bullet is 27 cm. The title also says framing, camping, and electricians. The handle is plastic. A bullet says one-piece moulding. UK reviews call it light and good for tacks, and some say the pictures overstate the size. Two reviews describe poor condition on arrival. There is no BS 876 line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a small straight-claw hammer for tacks and you have checked the 27 cm length.
Less suitable: You want a full-size 16 oz or 20 oz hammer, or a tool rated for live electrical work.
Specifications
Common questions
How big is this hammer?
The title says 11 oz. The item weight is 330 g. A bullet says 27 cm, or 10.6 inches. UK reviews say it is smaller than the pictures and light.
Is it an electrician's insulated hammer?
The title includes the word electricians. The handle row says plastic. No voltage and no insulated-tool standard are printed. One reviewer used it for clipping cables. That is a review, not a rating.
What arrived in poor condition?
One UK review says the handle was chewed. Another says it seemed briefly used. No pasted UK review says the head came off. The star line is 4.1 from 54.
The GBACHOOSE set is three hammers at about £15.79, titled 17 oz, with 3.9 from 12 reviews and rank 71 in Claw Hammers. A bullet says 0.5 kg / 17.6 oz and the item weight is 481 g. Length is 33 cm. The handle is plastic. The title says one-piece. Two UK reviews describe structural failure: a head that came off, and a neck that shattered. Other short reviews say the hammers drive nails. There is no BS 876 line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are comparing this three-pack on price only after reading the two failure reviews.
Less suitable: You need a hammer whose pasted reviews do not describe the head leaving the handle.
Specifications
Common questions
What failed in the reviews?
One UK review says the head came off the first hammer, the second was loose, and the third was discarded, while pulling a pin. Another says the orange neck shattered on first use. The star line is 3.9 from 12.
Is it one-piece steel?
The title says a one-piece rip claw hammer. The handle-material row says plastic. A bullet says high carbon steel and a plastic handle. Length is 33 cm.
How many are in the pack?
The listing says 3. One short review says the buyer really needed three, which reads as a comment on quantity rather than a missing piece. No BS 876 line is printed.
Scores read the amazon.co.uk snapshot captured on 19 October 2026 and scored on 22 October 2026. There is no lab striking test. Review evidence is worth up to 40 points, a usable listing up to 30, and fit and faults start at 30 with one deduction. A Claw Hammers rank in the top five adds 8 points, and ranks 6 to 20 add 3. The weights below scale those four blocks so they total 100 on this page. The top pick is the highest score. The best value is the lowest shelf price among the other kept listings with at least 200 reviews. A same-day price can move. Neither badge is a safety result.
Review evidence
40%Stars above 4.0 contribute up to 20 points, at (rating − 4.0) × 20, floored at 0. Review volume adds up to 20: 2,000 or more is 20, 1,000–1,999 is 16, 400–999 is 12, 100–399 is 8, 50–99 is 4, 20–49 is 2, and under 20 is 0.
Listing you can use
30%Weight agreement is worth up to 12 points, a named handle that is not a copy of the head-material row up to 8, a published length 5, and an extra such as a magnet, a hanging hole, a one-piece claim, or a warranty 5. The block is capped at 30.
Fit and faults
22%The sheet starts this block at 30 and applies one deduction, the largest that fits: 12 for repeated structural failure, 8 for a single failure, 6 for a set that arrived incomplete, and 3 for cosmetic damage or a claw-shape clash. It is weighted at 22 here so the four weights total 100.
List position
8%Rank 1 to 5 in Claw Hammers adds 8 points on the sheet. Ranks 6 to 20 add 3. Below that adds nothing. The weight on this page is 8.
Start with the head weight and the item-weight row, not the browse rank. A claw hammer is for nails and for pulling them. A curved claw rolls nails out. A rip claw is the pry between boards. Read both lines if the title and a bullet disagree. Star lines here are the amazon.co.uk figures captured on 19 October 2026. A handful of pasted reviews is a sample, not a failure rate.
A claw hammer drives nails with its face and pulls them with a forked claw. In the UK you buy one for timber fixings, picture hooks, flat-pack, and ordinary joinery. General curved-claw hammers are the household and joinery tool. Rip-claw and framing hammers are the straighter, often longer tools for driving and for opening boards. Small 8 oz hammers are still claw hammers. A two-pack or a three-pack counts when every piece is a hammer.
A high place in Claw Hammers is the browse position in the snapshot. It is not a pull-apart test and it is not BS 876. Read the pasted reviews for a head, claw, or shaft that failed on a normal pull.
About 454 g is a rule of thumb for 16 oz, and about 567 g for 20 oz. If the title pairs 16 oz with 720 g, or a bullet says 8 oz beside a 500 g row, keep both numbers. Do not replace the listing’s figure with the conversion.
A claw that is fine for a panel pin can bend, snap, or let the head go when it is used as a pry on a long nail. The pasted reviews that describe that failure matter more than a forged-head bullet.
No listing in this set states a voltage, an insulated-tool standard, or a vibration figure in m/s². A rubber grip is not electrical insulation. The word electrician in a title is not a rating. HSE’s vibration leaflet is about powered tools, not a hand claw hammer.
Head weight is the first buying check. UK retailer guides treat 16 oz, about 454 g, as the controllable carpenter’s weight and 20 oz, about 567 g, as the weight for larger softwood nails. An 8 oz or 11 oz hammer is for panel pins and a light bag. The gram conversion is a rule of thumb, not a weighed head. Read the title beside the item-weight row and keep both numbers when they clash. HOUSERAN’s title and item weight say 500 g / 16 oz, and one bullet says 8 oz.
A curved claw rolls nails out. A rip or straight claw is the better pry between boards. If the title and a bullet disagree, keep both. HOUSERAN says straight rip in the title and curved in a bullet. The MAXPOWER title says curved rip and one bullet says straight claw. The OX bullets say a straight claw and the style row says curved framing hammer. What fails in the pasted reviews matters more than grip adjectives.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You are hanging picture hooks, building flat-pack, or driving the odd panel pin, and a framing hammer is clumsy. An 8 oz head is enough if the title and the item-weight row agree. This is the light hammer with the largest review sample in the snapshot.
You are driving ordinary softwood nails and you want a 16 oz-class hammer plus a smaller one. The title prints 16 oz/720 g and 8 oz/340 g. Read 720 g as the figure on the listing, not as a converted 454 g head. UK reviews in the file do not describe a broken head.
You need a single hammer whose title and item-weight row both say 500 g, and whose pasted UK reviews do not describe a break. One bullet still says 8 oz, and another says a curved claw, so confirm both on the live page. This is not a BS 876 claim.
The top pick is the MAXPOWER 8 oz claw hammer, score 81, at about £9.78, with 4.4 from 1,876 reviews. It wins on review volume. It is an 8 oz hammer, not a 20 oz framing hammer. The best value is the Arcjunys hammer at about £5.99, 4.1 from 263 reviews, rank 5 in Claw Hammers, score 49. It is the lowest shelf price among the other kept listings with at least 200 reviews. UK reviews in that file include a snapped claw and a head that came off, so the badge is the price-and-volume rule, not a verdict that the claw survived. WORKPRO and ASelected both score 63, and neither has a badge. None of these listings claims BS 876.
Arcjunys small claw hammer
Lowest shelf price among the other listings with at least 200 reviews, at about £5.99. UK reviews include a snapped claw and a head that came off.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
The standard identifier is BS 876:1995, with HSE guidance on work equipment and eye protection, plus a UK retailer hammer guide. Prices, stars, and review counts are amazon.co.uk captures from 19 October 2026, scored on 22 October 2026. They are not a lab test.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Scores read the amazon.co.uk snapshot captured on 19 October 2026. They are not a lab test, and they are not a promise of the cheapest price.
