Park HMR-2 Shop Hammer

ItsWin

Member
Park's concept is a good one - a two sided head with a steel hammer on one end and a rubber mallet on the other. Literally two tools in one.

After using it for a few months, my final verdict is: almost perfect.

The steel head is shaped like a mini sledge and has sufficient mass for any bike repair application. The grip is tacky, thin and light, and the balance is head-heavy. allowing one to deliver firm blows without having to take long swings. As far as the hammer end goes I definitely prefer using this tool over my regular ball-peen hammer.

It's the other end that's problematic. The rubber Park uses for the mallet end is soft - so soft I guarantee it will never mar any part of your bike - but it pretty much makes the tool ineffective. I was unable to tap Race Face cranks into my bike, even when using a level of force that made the HMR-2 bounce a little, and that's not a nice feeling. Once I switched back to my Nupla Strike Pro 24 oz. plastic mallet, the cranks tapped in easily.

Bottom line:
I'm sure Park will fix this issue with the mallet end in the next incarnation of this tool (HMR-3 I guess). If you don't already have a hammer, the HMR-2 is worth the asking price for the hammer end alone. If you need a mallet that works, I recommend the aforementioned Nupla Strike Pro plastic mallet. It is non-marring and has a shot-loaded head so it won't bounce back. Nupla mallets can be purchased online at www.biketoolsetc.com (reference part # NU-STP24).
 
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