I was using an Estwing Cats paw for a while but the steel it was made of was very soft. So i picked up one of these to see how it would do..it is leaps and bounds better than i expected. The steel is extremely hard so it can dig into the shaft of a nail and pull it right out. If i tried to do the same thing with the Estwing the nail would have dented the claw. Im extremely happy that i purchased this tool and would recommend it to anyone.