MDF Professional-Grade Taylor 2.0® Neurological Reflex Hammer - Black (MDF505XL-11)

Great design, a bit heavy at the handle, not heavy enough at the head...personally I feel more comfortable testing reflexes with a Troemner reflex hammer. However, the product itself is great, though the price does seems a bit much.

Es MUY grande, pero para mí tiene el peso perfecto para explorar. Me encanta.

I normally would never use a Taylor hammer - used a queens square until I tried this, and loved it. I would never of guessed that just a bit of weight and changing the size would make such a difference, but just ordered three more for my office as now I don’t like to be without it!

Dieser Reflexhammer ist für mich einer der haptisch angenehmsten. Ich bin weiter von dem einfachen Konzept ohne viel Schnick-Schnack und bakteriellen Ablagerungsnischen überzeugt. Leider hat das Produkt einen eklatanten Fehler. Nach ca 1 bis 1 1/2 Jahren der Nutzung bricht der Kopf ab. (Bereits das 2te mal bei mir) Es scheint eine Sollbruchstelle zu geben, welche ggf. durch den Hersteller überprüft werden sollte.3Sterne für den wirklich guten Service und (zumindest beim ersten Schaden) prompten kostenfreien Umtausch. Das Produkt sollte jedoch überarbeitet werden.

Personalmente non ho mai apprezzato particolarmente il Taylor, ma questa ristrutturazione della MDF ha cambiato il modo di approcciarmi a questo tipo di martelletto. Lo uso spesso, ormai, accanto all'impareggiabile babinski telescopico, sempre della MDF. Consigliato come tutti i martelli di questa casa americana.

I'm a rehab resident--just like neurologists, we take our reflex hammers seriously. And I would be caught dead before someone sees me using a classic taylor hammer (or my stethoscope).So, I used to use a Tromner reflex hammer (the MDF one also sold on Amazon--great hammer), which I loved because of the weight. That lets you use the hammer as a pendulum and lets you impart a more consistent stimulus when checking reflexes. You just can't do that with the classic Taylors or a stethoscope head. Hopefully anyone looking at this hammer knows you don't swing a reflex hammer from your arm--you let the weight of the head/hammer do the work. Unlike every other Taylor hammer out there, this one has the weight and heft to be a true reflex hammer and allow you to do just that. It's longer, has a bigger and heavier head, as well as far more rugged/sturdy handle than any other Taylor hammer. It's just as rugged as my Tromner.Overall I like this hammer even more than my Tromner, for three main reasons:1) The rubber is a bit softer and gentler on your patient (or your own thumb)2) It's very easy to use the long/thick back side to whack that Achilles tendon and not miss. I sometimes miss with the Tromner--you don't have much room for error because the large head is still fairly small (though some Tromners do have bigger "big" heads--but they cost too much), and you're also usually your own force in addition to relying on the weight of the hammer when you check the Achilles--and the more force you impart, generally the harder is is to correctly aim and hit your target. Not that missing the Achilles really hurts your patient--but it does potentially make you look a little less competent...3) (Honestly the main reason I bought this hammer). You can comfortably put it in your pocket! I'm on my peds rehab rotation (ie., no white coat allowed). The Tromner is just quite uncomfortable to carry in my front pants pocket, and I'm not into the "swordsman" style of carrying my hammer in my belt--I just think it looks sort of silly and unprofessional (well, more nerdy than unprofessional I suppose). A regular Taylor fit the bill, but those hammers are worthless. An adjustable Queen Square could be pocketable and usually have the heft just like a Tromner, but the adjustable ones never seem to gather good reviews (and you'd have to set it up every time). This one is all very one dimensional and solid and the head has no awkward small protruding bits that either makes things uncomfortable or look rather awkward while in your pocket--it just stays in place in my Dockers much better than the Tromner (despite both having more or less the same head thickness)--the latter of which had a tendency to rotate or tilt in my pocket.Sure, a Tromner looks really cool--but it also kind of freaks some patients out. I can't say how many weird stares I get from patients when I first pull it out of my pocket--patients are just used to seeing Taylors because of the movies or it's what their primary physician uses. I've found this hammer is equally as effective as your good Tromners (I can't compare to those $100+ Tromners--but who spends that much on a reflex hammer, really? And why?) and rigid Queen Squares (which are NOT pocket friendly in any way), but I think it's less intimidating to patients (particularly important if they're kids) and really easy to carry in your pants pockets. It's easier to carry in your white coat pockets as well, but the difference isn't as significant as with the pants pockets.The only two negatives I've encountered with this hammer are:1) The rubber head can collect lint--just like any other rubber reflex head, but with this hammer the entire thing is a soft rubber head, not just two small ones like with the Tromner. An alcohol wipe takes care of that real quick, and I've only needed to clean it every 1-3 weeks or so to keep it looking nice (assuming your pockets are clean). But I have noticed I clean it more than the Tromner heads2) The handle is polished/mirrored. I prefer something dull, because in the case of this hammer, it collects fingerprints and the "grease marks" just like your iPhone screen. But as it gets used more it gets scratched more and will hopefully get more of that patina that hides those marks. It's quite easy to fix--just wipe it down with a shirt, kleenex, paper towel, etc., every now and then. But my Tromner had a frosted handle and I never had to worry about that. Maybe I could use steel wool and dull the finish, but I'm not sure I want to do that yet.I intend to keep using this hammer as my primary hammer even after I finish my peds rotation and start wearing my white coat again. It's taken the place of my favorite reflex hammer. It's amazing no one perfected the Taylor design before.