Jump to content

Estwing Paleo Pick Useful?


Megalodoodle

Recommended Posts

I’ve heard that Estwing is the market leader but cannot guarantee that myself as I have never used their products. I would just go with the geological hammer.

  • I found this Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Totally depends on where you collect. But if you do find yourself needing a geologic hammer they are just about indestructible and will last a lifetime. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have used many different brands and styles of hammer on many different types of rock. I have had the very best of luck with Estwing tools. The main thing is that they handle misuse much better than others. The integral handle is by far their greatest feature. If you can use a tool in a way that the manufacturer does not recommend I have and the Estwings rarely fail. I did manage to bend one of their digging/pry bars but that was because I had a 6' long cheater pipe on the end of it. :default_faint: I may have exceeded the maximum designed torque by a couple of exponents. Archimedes would have been proud.

  • I found this Informative 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the OP is referring specifically to the Estwing Geo/Paleo Pick, and wondering if anyone has used it. Unfortunately I have not, and cannot attest to its usefulness in fossil hunting.


Like the others, I can tell you their hammers(and axes) are great, but I’ve got nothing on the Paleo Pick.

 

 

Photo taken from, and more info regarding the product, here:

https://www.estwing.com/collections/geological/products/geo-paleo-pick

 

E844D5AE-FC80-45CD-AB4A-78460D7CD20B.thumb.jpeg.ce2436b2bb9357a4c2a7c482986575d3.jpeg

  • I found this Informative 5

The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, FossilNerd said:

I think the OP is referring specifically to the Estwing Geo/Paleo Pick, and wondering if anyone has used it. Unfortunately I have not, and cannot attest to its usefulness in fossil hunting.


Like the others, I can tell you their hammers(and axes) are great, but I’ve got nothing on the Paleo Pick.

 

 

Photo taken from, and more info regarding the product, here:

https://www.estwing.com/collections/geological/products/geo-paleo-pick

 

 

I have one of these and have not used it much.  Find it too light for the type of collecting I'm doing.  Its light to be able to carry it while prospecting but most of my collecting is either in a channel deposit or bonebed where I use a estwing hand pick with pointed tip or a regular heavy pick.  A friend of mine that did lots of prospecting loved it but used it so much he bent it.  Bought another and welded a gusset on the end to prevent it from bending.  So bottom line, depends on what type of collecting you are doing.  Great for prospecting not necessarily the best for pure digging in hard pack.

  • I found this Informative 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Troodon said:

I have one of these and have not used it much.  Find it too light for the type of collecting I'm doing. 

It looks like it may be OK for digging into light soils, but anything hard like the hardpan ground I have to deal with, I think it would just bounce off without much penetration.

It all goes back to what you have to work in.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 2/11/2020 at 9:50 PM, FossilNerd said:

I think the OP is referring specifically to the Estwing Geo/Paleo Pick, and wondering if anyone has used it. Unfortunately I have not, and cannot attest to its usefulness in fossil hunting.

Like the others, I can tell you their hammers(and axes) are great, but I’ve got nothing on the Paleo Pick.

Photo taken from, and more info regarding the product, here:

https://www.estwing.com/collections/geological/products/geo-paleo-pick

E844D5AE-FC80-45CD-AB4A-78460D7CD20B.thumb.jpeg.ce2436b2bb9357a4c2a7c482986575d3.jpeg

 

I've never had a use for a pick like that one.  Is it to extend your reach chopping something out of the side of a hill?

 

Othewise, Estwings last forever.  I have one with the sharp tip and one with the chisel tip.  I found one out in the Kettleman Hills.  It had a black, somewhat eroded grip but it was still good.  The only time I've had to replace one is because I left it in the field somewhere.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really like it. As others have said, its use depends on the type of soil and rock you are in. I'll always use my smaller rock hammers first and foremost, but when it comes to digging down for material (that isn't too hard) this pick has worked very well for me. If the rock is super hard, I'll use something with a bit more mass. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you get one, please let us know how useful it is for your collecting situation. I have debated getting one of these myself

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

What I have gathered is that it is good for loose soils but not for hard rock, Estwing products are virtually indestructible, and that I need to be more specific when posting!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Have used the pick, the big blue. It’s great for chopping through Talus and other debris around rocks. As for hitting the rock itself, it is not so great. I’ve bought just about every geology tool Estwing makes, I’ll have to do a review on different hammers, the burpee pick, etc.

Fossils of Parks Township - ResearchCatalog | How-to Make High-Contrast Photos

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Looks great for helping remove loose overburden?? I've never used myself though 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We call ours 'Bluebird' and she is great for clays, hard soils and loose debris, very useful for trenching around a large specimen in preparation for a plaster jacket. I wouldn't use it on any sort of rock.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use a hammer myself but it depends on your usage I suppose.

 

I tried to cheap out on one. My first hammer was $13. That thing started to bend out of shape after the third use, by which time the chisel tip was dull. Then I bought an Estwing. 4x the price to be sure, but by the looks of it this will last a lifetime. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I received one of those as an engagement gift from my wife (another paleontologist here at CofC) - the 3' long Geo/Paleo pick - it's big, but excels at removing overburden, and was a bit more useful than having to lug around our old-fashioned railroad pick. I mostly used it to remove overburden from somewhat indurated silty sandstone on the northern California coast; sadly I only used it a few times before I left it at a parking lot in Halfmoon Bay CA and it was gone by the time I returned the next day. Now I live in a place where the rock is basically goo and I don't really need it. But, if you're digging through soft-ish to moderately indurated sandstone, it'll work great.

  • I found this Informative 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I have one and like it very much.  I’ve used it to pry off layers of shale while digging for trilobites in Utah and Nevada.  These layers are often too much for small geologists hammers.  It is better made than a typical pick from a hardware store but isn’t made for real back-breaking work.  At my age it is a good way to keep my work to within reasonable limits. :BigSmile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not used it cause same as Troodon said, i'm digging in the real heavy and hard stones - but as said depends on what you want to do with it.

Estwing is very good quality imho, esp. the hammers. But, to be honest, i'm using a good quality tool-market hammer which is still in use since the last 30 years...

For digging in the hard stone, regular pickaxe and 5-10kg hammers together with chisels are fitting my needs.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...