Replace faces when they become worn rather than replacing the entire tool. These mallets are suitable for driving chisels and striking work without damaging its surface. Choose a mallet with a face that's softer than your workpiece to avoid marring it when tapping or striking. Lighter weight mallets are good for tapping work into place and driving a chisel to make small cuts. Use heavier weight mallets when assembling joints, dislodging stuck parts, and making aggressive cuts with a chisel. Longer mallets allow for more powerful swings.

Rubber and plastic faces are softer than metal faces, so they're good for striking plastic, wood, and sheet metal. All have a face hardness rating for comparing their hardness with other rubber and plastic faces. Hard faces have a hardness similar to that of a bowling ball. White rubber faces are nonmarking.

Hickory and ash handles resist vibration.