Zen-Wu F-4 Hammer (Titanium)

The Zen-Wu F-4 is a steel-faced woodworking hammer and the successor to the F-1. It pairs a hardened stainless steel strike face with a TC4 titanium body, joined by a brass ring at the seam.

Titanium sends less recoil back to your wrist than steel and puts more of your swing into the work, instead of losing it to flex and vibration. The opposite end of the head is slightly convex, ideal for kigoroshi (compressing wood fibers so a joint swells tight) and other shaping work.

The handle is dyed hickory, with its open grain filled with brass powder.

Specifications

• Strike face: S136 ESR stainless steel, 52-53 HRC
• Body: TC4 titanium
• Handle: dyed hickory, brass powder grain fill
• Head size: 2-13/16" x 1-3/4" (70.9 x 44.3mm)
• Overall length: 11-5/8" (295mm)
• Head weight: 16 oz (450g)
• Total weight: 20 oz (560g)

Jonathan's Hot Take

Zen-Wu took everything I loved about their F-2 and kept pushing. You get a hardened stainless face for driving chisels and a titanium body that soaks up the shock, so you can hit hard all day without your wrist paying for it.

The convex back end is a sneaky great feature. Kigoroshi is an old Japanese joinery trick where you bruise the fibers of a tenon so it slides into the mortise, then swells back up for a rock-solid fit. This hammer is built for it.

And look at that handle. Dyed hickory with brass packed into the grain. It's a tool that looks like jewelry and works like a workhorse. Another perfect gift for the woodworker who has everything.

Those titanium wedges make me smile every time I hold it and it really just fits perfectly in your hand.