Mauls : Poly or Rawhide

[LAPat]

I'm getting a maul and would like to know if anyone can share which they prefer between poly and rawhide and why.

Thanks

Pat

[Tkleather1]

I'm getting a maul and would like to know if anyone can share which they prefer between poly and rawhide and why.

Thanks

Pat

I am not as versed as alot of people on this site, but I prefer a poly, I had a rawhide for a while and granted it was a lower end maul but I went through a head very fast. So I went out and bought a Barry King poly head maul and absolutely love it. The head has a nice texture to it so it wont slip while striking a tool. but dont buy a cheap ploy though as they dont have as much texture on the face and slip if you dont strike the tool just right. Wich happens to me quite a bit.

Just my opinion

[LAPat]

See I posted too quickly and realized there is more than one variable.

Is tapered and round head the same? And where do I get a good maul at a good price?

Thanks again

Pat

[Bree]

I have both and I prefer angled poly by a slight margin. I can use either but the poly has a good feel and nice "stickiness".

[Tkleather1]

I dont have a tapered head but I tried one at the pendelton trade show last fall and didnt care for it. that part of the equation is totally your feel and preference. I like the Barry king tools www.barrykingtools.com I think. They are very nice and very resonable in price in my opinion. He has many different weights and head sizes.

[LAPat]

The ergonomics of striking are in the mix too.

Hitting the tool from up high and straight like a hammer blow, rolling your wrist, all that stuff. It seems like tapered head is a power head?

If the thing about an angled maul versus a round maul is how you strike the tool, I have a feeling that women are differently built at the shoulder anyway, which is one reason women don't throw the same. Our shoulders are more in at the socket. I am thinking round head for me.

Pat

[hidepounder]

The mauls I use are no longer available. But if I were to buy a new maul it would be one of Barry King's or Wayne Jueschke's, tapered mauls. When tooling I prefer the round maul which is used by twisting your wrist back and forth rather than swinging it up and down like a mallet. The tapered maul is very comfortable to use...I actually find myself getting a little lazy with my arm, letting my hand down too much, but I like them. Also, the nylon doesn't flake off onto my tooling like the old rawhide ones do, so I prefer it also. Barry's mauls are priced a little lower than Wayne's and their handles are shaped differently. Both are excellent!

[BruceGibson]

The mauls I use are no longer available. But if I were to buy a new maul it would be one of Barry King's or Wayne Jueschke's, tapered mauls. When tooling I prefer the round maul which is used by twisting your wrist back and forth rather than swinging it up and down like a mallet. The tapered maul is very comfortable to use...I actually find myself getting a little lazy with my arm, letting my hand down too much, but I like them. Also, the nylon doesn't flake off onto my tooling like the old rawhide ones do, so I prefer it also. Barry's mauls are priced a little lower than Wayne's and their handles are shaped differently. Both are excellent!

I agree, even though I'm nowhere near Hidepounder's league!

Rawhide peels and flakes like a sun-roasted tourist. Plus, if you have a ricochet (which I've been known to) the rawhide will bite a chunk out of your index finger knuckle. It's rough once it starts to wear and flake.

Edited March 18, 2009 by BruceGibson

[bruce johnson]

These are one of those things that going to a show and trying them out is a plus. For me the biggest difference between a tapered maul and a straight maul is how high you need to hold your elbow to have the head hit the stamp squarely. The issue comes into play with heavier mauls and when you have had shoulder problems. With the straight mauls I need to hold my elbow up some. With the tapereds I can pretty much rest it at my side with the height of my chair and surface.

I have some of Barry's and some of Wayne's. Like Hidepounder said, the handles are different. I can kind of "ring" Barry's with a my thumb and first two finger and let them rock. Barry's mauls are more neutrally weighted. I like them for walking stamps and backgrounding. Wayne's are more head heavy and the handle works a bit better for me to grip and put a little more force behind the deadfall effect. I prefer them for single impression stamps like larger baskets and geometrics. There is some difference in the head material between them, but not enough to be a factor for me.

[gtwister09]

Unfortunately mauls is something that my son and I played with qute a bit when we were testing and trying what we liked best. We probably gave away 10-12 mauls with exotic wood handles and 3-4 leather handled ones to people that were starting out. We have several of Barry's, a Maul Master , a Stohlman and many handmade ones.

I prefer the poly hands down to the rawhide because as Bruce Gibson so accurately stated "....Rawhide peels and flakes like a sun-roasted tourist." I haven't tried one of Wayne's either. it was interesting to hear Bruce Johnson's choices.... I prefer the tapered on for because it allows me to tool a little longer without feeling as tired. The reason being is that my elbow is slightly lower and I don't have to expend as much energy (simple biomechanics). The one that we use for stamping larger basketweaves and geometrics has some extra weight added to the top end of the maul. We have also going to try a maul with a larger diameter piece of poly.

Bruce is right...test and try to see what you like.

Bob - Which one did you like so much?

Regards,

Ben