Well I bought a three pound Plumb cross peen from MSC for a starter hammer. I had about a month or two of downtime when my baby boy was born ,so I really only have about a month of experince. That being said, I used this hammer while forging for everything. Right away the face of this hammer began to dent and the edges chipped at the slightest miss. So I have been eye'in a 1500 gram Peddinghaus cross peen ever since I started smithing. It arrived last Friday, so I was able to use it Saturday. This hammer was like night and day compared to the Plumb. It was slightly heavier and seemed to be much more evenly balanced. I forged a piece of 3/4 round into a nail header and it made light work of it. I guess what I am getting at is DON"T buy Plumb cross peen hammers, mine didn't appear to be tempered properly and case hardened edges could be dangerous chipping off.
Has anyone else owned a Plumb? What was your experience with it?
Chuck