The Ball Pein hammer is used mainly by engineers. It is a general hammer, but has certain specific uses. One such use is cold riveting.
Cross Pein hammers are used where space is a little restricted, such as working in a corner. Another possible use, is when a nail is held in the hand, between fingers. If a cross or straight pein hammer is used accurately, the nail will be hit and not the fingers. A ball pein is far too large to allow this type of accuracy.
The handle of each of these hammers is hickory or ash, as these woods absorb shock, vibrations and knocks associated with hammering.
These hammers are available with metal handles with rubber grips.

The cross pein hammer has many general uses. One of the most common is hammering nails into wood. The hammer is ideally weighted and balanced for this type of work.

If hammering a nail in a restricted space, the cross pein can be used, to transfer the force from the hammer to the nail. Greater care is needed if using the hammer in this way, as it is more likely to slip off the head of the nail and damage the surface of the material or hit hands and fingers.

The straight pein hammer has exactly the same uses as the cross pein. However, there are times when a straignt pein is suitable, because of the nature of its design.

It is worth noting that straight pein hammers are less common than the ‘cross’ type.