
The Freeman RPFL618M is the lowest priced hardwood flooring mallet in our roundup and for good reason. This is a poorly made tool and it shows in the price.
We have included it in our review roundup simply because we know there are always people out there that will probably use this flooring mallet for one small job and never use it again. And for that purpose it is probably perfect.
The handle is made out of oak rather than the standard hickory. Oak is a really poor choice of wood for a handle. It will last for a while but I couldn’t imagine a pro or even a semi-pro thinking this is a good idea.
There have also been reports of the rubber head just breaking off although I have to wonder if the tool was being misused for this to happen. While I couldn’t imagine a scenario where you could break the head off of a Bostitch HFM-3, I still find it hard to believe that it could happen on this tool either.
If you are looking for an inexpensive hardwood flooring mallet for a weekend job in your house, this may be the tool for you. If you are looking for anything more, look elsewhere.