The 9 Best Hammer And Dolly Sets
Special Honors
Dagger Tools With over 40 years of design, manufacturing, and distribution experience in building specialty metalworking tools, this company provides everything needed for the hobbyist to professional fabricators and auto body repair specialists. daggertools.com
Eastwood Since 1978 Eastwood has been involved in the automotive industry and now provides over 4,000 unique products, and can offer expert DIY advice and instruction via phone or email. Their range of dollies come in a variety of shapes, for specialist work and fabrication. eastwood.com
Editor's Notes
March 23, 2021:
Due to the unique shapes of both the hammers and dollies, they are ideal for reshaping automotive panels and repairing dents in sheet metal. It's a skill that requires a lot of practice to master, however, the better quality the tool the quicker the learning process and the better quality of the repair. In this update, we added several new sets to the ranking, making the list more comprehensive for a wider range of skills and uses.
Firstly, we added the Neiko 20709A as a budget-friendly option that includes three hammers and four dollies, making it a versatile kit with most of the essential tools needed to repair any kind of dent. It is better suited to occasional use though, as the casting is a little rough, which does affect the quality of the finished job. Next, we included the Martin 644K, which is a smaller kit with two hammers, one dolly, and one dinging spoon. Martin is well known for producing high-quality tools and this set is no different, however, since it is quite limited in variety it is better suited to students who want to hone their skills. Finally, we added the ATD Tools 4012, a comprehensive set of 12 dollies in a variety of different shapes. This set is notable as each piece has been coated with a high-performance rubber polymer (POM), which not only protects the dollies from corrosive automotive fluids but also cushions the impact, thus preventing metal stretch and paint damage, however, suitable hammers will need to be purchased separately.
August 22, 2019:
Forming sheet metal or working out deformities is a labor-intensive process, particularly when what you're working on is still attached to a car. The difficulty is compounded by the double-layered doors found in most modern cars which impede access. Hammer and dolly sets like the Gearwrench 82302 and the Martin 647KFG provide the tools necessary for successful body work. The dollies included in these sets are well-ground and the edges have been nicely chamfered.
The primary reason I ranked the Gearwrench higher than the Martin simply comes down to the hickory handle vs the fiberglass handle. Fiberglass has a tendency to break off, particularly when the fiberglass does not go all the way through the head (often, they are merely glued superficially). With that said, Martin makes good tools, and their handles are probably reasonably robust. You don't often have to swing body hammers very hard, but at those times that you do, the hickory inspires greater confidence than the fiberglass.
Auto body repair can be dangerous and so proper safety precautions should be taken to avoid personal injury or damage to property.