Megalodoodle Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 Is the Estwing brand paleo pick useful or is it a waste of money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 nothing but the best... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pterygotus Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 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 More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 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. I may have exceeded the maximum designed torque by a couple of exponents. Archimedes would have been proud. 6 Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 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 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 More sharing options...
Megalodoodle Posted February 12, 2020 Author Share Posted February 12, 2020 I forgot to mention I already own a geologists hammer, the Estwing brand is quality! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megalodoodle Posted February 12, 2020 Author Share Posted February 12, 2020 I just don’t want to waste $50 on something that my geologists hammer could accomplish just as easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 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. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 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 More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 I use mine all the time and it is great. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 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 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 More sharing options...
Allosaurus Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 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 More sharing options...
Scylla Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 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 More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted March 10, 2020 Share Posted March 10, 2020 I got one for Christmas, but have not used it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megalodoodle Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 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 More sharing options...
Megalodoodle Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 Thank you all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cngodles Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 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 - Research | Catalog | How-to Make High-Contrast Photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cngodles Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Here is that pick next to a bunch of other hammers for scale. Fossils of Parks Township - Research | Catalog | How-to Make High-Contrast Photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjfriend Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Looks great for helping remove loose overburden?? I've never used myself though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooth_claw Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 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 More sharing options...
BellamyBlake Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 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 More sharing options...
Boesse Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 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. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagebrush Steve Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pemphix Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 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 More sharing options...
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