Maul. Doubts with the purchase

[D2G]

Hola!!

I have questions for maul, why that big price difference? You can see in some webs a maul for $ 40 or 50, seeking see others for about  $125.
I understand will a marketing o other owned decision but, exist a real difference with the material that is make it to justify the diference? If yes and you know please explain it.
I wanna get off my doubts to buy one.
Thank you.

[Mattsbagger]

Custom makers will always cost more for better quality. Import stuff is generally worth what you pay. Tandy stuff is priced high for the quality. I bent a Craftool camo stamp last weekend using a yellow poly mallet. Not hit hard either. Don Gonzolas has a video on his youtube on mauls mallets and hammers that is worth watching before you spend any money. Barry King tools are great just wish i could talk wife into letting me get some. Handled them at Sheridan and tbey are QUALITY TOOLS.

Edited September 23, 2017 by Mattsbagger

[mikesc]

The "heads" ( the part which strikes the stamp tool ) of "cheap mauls" is made from nylon, and the shafts are made from steel with either a wooden or a plastic handle.

The heads of the "expensive" mauls are made from "Deldrin" ( which is a much harder wearing polycarbonate than nylon ), and even the basic "bar stock" of Deldrin costs 3 or 4 times the equivalent "bar stock" size or diameter in nylon..and the shafts of the more expensive mauls are made from stainless steel ( inox) and the handles are frequently made from compressed leather ( which is a little gentler* on the hands from a transmission of repeated impacts as the tool is struck many many time per hour, point of view ) and the heads of the "expensive mauls" are "angled" ( the diameter reduces by around 10% to 15 % as it gets nearer the handle )so you don't have to lift your elbow so high ( higher you lift, the worse' for your back and shoulders after even just a few minutes ) to get a "good strike" on the stamps.

* "gentler" can be achieved by wearing a soft leather glove on your "handle hand" or wrapping the cheap handle securely in soft leather.

You can also alter the head "angle" of a cheaper maul yourself by careful sanding, or take it apart and reduce the diameter gradually towards the "handle end" and then reassemble it ..

You can make a pretty good maul by using a 23 cm piece of threaded 10mm steel ( or inox ) bar , getting 3 nylon or Deldrin caster wheels and drilling them out to fit very snugly against each other on the bar, sanding them to the correct profile once they are all tight agajnst each other, buying a wooden handle for a file or a chisel and drilling it out to accept your 10 mm bar and then assembling it all with a few nuts ate each end to lock it all up hard and tight, I've made a few this way as the cost for a maul from anywhere to France ( plus the taxes ) would cost me more in shipping ( because even a 400 - 500 gm mauls are heavy and expensive to send via post or DHL etc ) than the cost of the maul bought from anywhere ( be it a Tandy or a Bear or Barry )..access to a lathe and or Deldrin bar stock at 50mm diameter makes it much easier to make one..

I might take one of my 3 nylon caster wheels ones apart sometime and make photo "step by step" to show how to get a serviceable maul for those on a budget or who don't want to pay more for the shipping than they do for the maul.Takes about €25.00 of ( parts , and you have a lot of threaded bar left over ), and around 30 minutes to an hour, to make a maul that is a lot better than the Tandy ones.

Edited September 23, 2017 by mikesc

[alpha2]

mikesc, I'd like to see that step by step thing!

[KingsCountyLeather]

I second that!!! I would love to see how to make a maul.

[fredk]

you can make a maul out of old [uk] milk jugs, ie hdpe

its easy; one of my 'winter' projects

[plinkercases]

HDPE rod head with homemade stacked leather handle...brass fender washers...acorn nuts and threaded rod....  marble rolling pin section to add weight... this is off now as I made a larger heavier one. Not fancy but works great and was not expensive and just fun to know I made it myself. I have the parts for one almost ready to go that will be filled with bird shot to try and create a dead blow maul. And then I will try tapering the head on the belt sander...

 

There are other great posts where folks have made much more polished (literally sometimes) mauls but in the end they do the job.

[Chain]

 

 

[D2G]

Hi again!!

Thanks to all.

ok, my doubts are less, if it is cheap as I suspect it is made of worse materials, now my problem is that I live in Spain and obviouly I have to add the cost of shipping and pay customs at the price of a barry king for example, (and that in the South in Andalucia there is a Tandy ..) there I will ask for many things but not a maul at those prices, so I think of looking at amazon Spain some that I have seen, I will share it if you want to help me he Let me know if you are so kind.
Thank you.

Edit to attach link: this one. Maul

Edited September 24, 2017 by D2G
attach url

[mikesc]

D2G..The one you linked to would be fine for you if you didn't want to make your own..the price is good, the weight is good, and the quality will be good..Shipping cost ? ( it says "free shipping" but that may be only within the USA ) to Spain , I have no idea, the page says does not ship to France, ( but maybe they ship to Spain, in which case expect to pay shipping on top of the $80.00 price that you see, you'll have to ask them what shipping would cost ) , bear in mind that you may also have to pay VAT* ( here it is 20% ) on the total price of the item+ the shipping. So if shipping was say $30.00 you'd pay ( $80.00+$30.00 ) x120% = $144.00 plus whatever your bank or paypal charge you for converting the € to $ ( usually only around a €1 or €2 "conversion charge" ) ..This kind of "total price" when ordering from the USA to EU is why I thought about making my own, and as plinkercases says, it is more satisfying to make your own tools when you can, if I could find the small ball bearing sets** at a reasonable price here, I'd make my own swivel knives.

* If you are VAT registered of course you'll be able to claim it back.
**Model shops do sell them, the nearest model shops that sell them to me are on the other side of France near the German border, and the shipping fro them to send me a couple of sets is more than the cost of the bearing sets themselves. :(

Nice maul there plinkercases, prettier than mine..

Our milk doesn't come in HDPE, and all the useful poly's and plastics are 3 times the UK or the German price.

"Pallet Truck Nylon Wheel" here, only in sets of 2, cheapest anywhere is €56.00 per set + shipping.

Edited September 24, 2017 by mikesc