Hi Kevin, Kevin here!
Great choice in maker, by the way. I bought beary's first maul and just received my second.
I went with a Bearman recommendation of 18 Oz on my first maul, as the over all general best weight. Later, and got it about a week ago, I ordered a 24 Oz.
Both are great mauls and I wouldn't change a thing on them.
The 18 is best for fine tooling, no doubt, the 24 a little heavy for that. But the 24 is nice to have for some larger...say basketweave that I want one hit, no shadow.
Hope this helps your decision on size. Anything you get will be WAAAYYY better than the polymer from Tandy!!!
Good Hunting,
Kevin