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Slate hammer buying guide: three heads, then the weight

Updated: 24 October 2026

You are looking at a slate hammer because a shed, a porch, or a spare slate needs nail holes, and the amazon.co.uk results mix a fibreglass site hammer with a handed cutter and a roofer's pick. This slate hammer buying guide stops at the criteria: which head matches the job, and which gram lines you must not average. The [slate hammer comparison](/hub/hand-tools/slate-hammer) holds the five kept listings, from £12.98 to £76.97. Peter F. used those saved amazon.co.uk listings and public UK roofing notes, not a lab strike. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are looking at a slate hammer because a shed, a porch, or a spare slate needs nail holes, and the amazon.co.uk results mix a fibreglass site hammer with a handed cutter and a roofer's pick.

Our top picks

Estwing Estwing E239MS roofer's pick

Best overall

Estwing Estwing E239MS roofer's pick
8.5/10about £62.02
View offer
Roughneck Roughneck ROU61800 slater's hammer

Best value

Roughneck Roughneck ROU61800 slater's hammer
8.7/10about £16.99
View offer
Stubai Stubai 275501 right-hand slater's hammer

Alternative

Stubai Stubai 275501 right-hand slater's hammer
8.6/10about £76.97
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Three hammers, one search
  2. 2.What you are buying the head for
  3. 3.Weight and price without averaging the figures
  4. 4.What this choice does not decide

Three hammers, one search

A site slater's hammer has a pointed pick, a claw in the centre of the head, and a rectangular face. That layout is on the AB Tools listing, the Roughneck ROU61800, and the Roughneck Gorilla. A traditional slater's hammer adds a cutting edge and is sold as a hand. Only the Stubai 275501 is sold that way here, and the title says right. The Estwing E239MS is a one-piece roofer's pick. Its bullets say German pattern and the roofing trade. They do not say slate. Thornhill separates a slater's hammer from a roofing claw hammer with no pick. Toolstation's one-sentence blend of point, claw, and cutting edge is not a single tool in this set. If you dress the edge, you need the blade and the hand on the right or left handed slater's hammer page.

What you are buying the head for

Holing needs a spike through the slate from the bed. UK reviews on the ROU61800 say the point arrived blunt and had to be sharpened first. Drawing nails needs a claw that fits them, and those reviews call the central claw short or thick. Dressing needs a blade. The site-hammer bullets do not describe a cutting edge. One UK review on the Stubai says the blade bent after three cuts. Thornhill's 20–22 oz head and £25–£60 band are that site's rule of thumb, and they name hammers that are not in this set. Sixteen ounces is about 454 g. The Gorilla's own wording for 600 g is 21 oz. The strike itself is on the how to hole a slate page.
Estwing Estwing E239MS roofer's pick

Testsieger

Estwing Estwing E239MS roofer's pick
8.5/10about £62.02
View offer

Weight and price without averaging the figures

Read every weight twice. The AB Tools hammer is £12.98, with 600 g in the title and 874 g on the item weight. Six ratings at 5.0 and two one-line reviews are not a slate test. The Roughneck ROU61800 is £16.99, at 4.5 from 228 ratings. Its included line says 454 g and its item weight says 750 g. Kellaway lists a Roughneck of that layout at £22.50, which is not this Amazon price. The Gorilla is £23.99, and title and item weight both say 600 g, the only pair here that agrees. The Estwing is £62.02, at 4.6 from 116, with an item weight of 1.02 kg. UK shops print about 620 g. Do not average them. The Stubai is £76.97 in the saved file, item weight 743 g, title 350 mm, dimension line 27 cm. A live look on 22 October 2026 showed about £73.93. Who should buy which listing is the best slater's hammer page.

What this choice does not decide

The hammer does not set the nail or the right to be on the roof. SSQ specifies copper nails to BS 1202-2: shank at least 3.3 mm, head at least 10 mm, length about 20–25 mm longer than two thicknesses of slate. CUPA wants two holes, 20–25 mm in from the long edges, punched from the bed. BS 5534:2014+A2:2018 and BS 8000-6:2013 cover the roof, and none of these listings claims them. A lanyard hole on the Gorilla tethers the tool. It does not hold you. If the course above covers the nail line, the next tool is often a ripper and a tingle.

Common questions

Is a slater's hammer the same as a claw hammer?
A claw hammer drives and draws nails. It does not punch a hole in slate. A site slater's hammer adds a pointed pick and a central claw. If the listing has no spike, it is the wrong row for holing.
What does 16 oz versus 600 g mean when the listing prints two weights?
Sixteen ounces is about 454 g, the included line on the Roughneck ROU61800, whose item weight is 750 g. The AB Tools title says 600 g and the item weight says 874 g. The Gorilla is where 21 oz and 600 g agree. Do not average a clash.
Does hand matter if I only want to punch holes?
Hand is the side the cutting edge sits on. It matters when you dress slate. It does not apply to a pick-and-claw site hammer, and the Estwing is not sold as a hand either. If you are only holing, choose the spike and the two weight lines.
Is a roofer's pick a slate hammer?
It can be what a roofer uses on slate, and it is not a handed slater's axe. One UK review says the Estwing is the hammer if you roof with slate. The bullets do not say slate, and the item weight is 1.02 kg.
Will a £13 hammer hole a repair slate?
The AB Tools hammer is £12.98 and names a pointed pick, so the pattern is a site hammer. The file has six ratings and two one-line reviews, plus 600 g in the title against 874 g item weight. The Roughneck at £16.99 has reviews that describe holing.
Does BS 5534 tell me which hammer to buy?
No. BS 5534 covers how slate roofs are fixed, and BS 8000-6 covers workmanship. Neither is a hammer certificate, and none of these listings claims one. Follow the fixing note your slate supplier gave you.

Related pages

Claw hammer comparison

Slate hammer

Best slater's hammer: who each of these five is for

How to hole a slate: bed, support, and when to stop

Right or left handed slater's hammer: the cutting edge

Replace a slate DIY: hole it on the ground, then stop

Sources

Prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk saved listings for B0CBVW35XX, B004VRPXUU, B097BJ7444, B0002JT0BE, and B0001JZYL0, scored on 22 October 2026. Public sources cover work at height, PUWER, BS 5534, BS 8000-6, and holing practice. None of these listings is certified to those standards. This is not a lab strike test.

  1. HSE: Work at height FAQs (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE: PUWER and work equipment (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. NFRC: standards and regulations (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. LABC: fixing of roof tiles (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. CUPA: fixing guide for natural slate (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. SSQ: nail fixing guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Kellaway: Roughneck slater's hammer (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  9. Metal Roofing Tools: Stubai slater's hammer 275501 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  10. Wow Tools: Estwing E239MS roofer's pick (retrieved 22 October 2026)