Handle for striking device

A handle assembly for a striking device, said handle assembly comprising:

• a central elongate body having front and rear surfaces which extend generally longitudinally in the handle assembly;
• a rigid exterior shell extending over said front and rear surfaces and generally spaced therefrom so as to form two separate ventilation chambers within the shell, said shell being rigidly connected to said elongate body and having a plurality of ventilation openings formed therein;
• two air inlets formed on opposite sides of said handle assembly at a head end of said shell at which a head portion of said striking device can be connected, each air inlet opening into a respective one of said ventilation chambers at one end thereof;
• and
• an air passageway formed in said handle assembly adjacent a butt end of said elongate body, said passageway extending between said ventilation chambers and permitting a restricted amount of air to flow from the other end of each ventilation chamber to the other ventilation chamber during use of said striking device, the amount of air flow being restricted by the small size of said passageway along at least a portion or portions thereof;
• wherein said front and rear surfaces each curve outwardly to a point close to said exterior shell at said butt end, at least one entry to said air passageway being formed by a gap between said elongate body and said exterior shell at said butt end.

Striking device for striking an object or surface, said device comprising:

• a head portion adapted for striking said object or surface;
• an elongate shaft portion rigidly connected to said head portion;
• and
• a handgrip rigidly connected to said shaft portion, said handgrip including a fixed central dividing member having front and rear surfaces which extend longitudinally a substantial distance along said handgrip from a head end thereof located closest to said head portion towards a butt end of said handgrip, an exterior shell disposed around said central dividing member and covering at least a major portion of said front and rear surfaces, said shell having a plurality of ventilation openings formed therein and communicating with a ventilating chamber formed by said shell, a substantial portion only of said ventilation chamber being divided by said dividing member, and two air inlets formed on opposite sides of said handgrip at said head end thereof, each air inlet opening into said substantial portion of said ventilation chamber at said head end of the ventilation chamber,
• wherein said air inlets are substantially larger than said ventilation openings and said shaft portion is substantially solid with no longitudinal passageway formed therein.

A striking device for striking an object or surface, said device having a head portion for striking and a handgrip connected to said head portion, said handgrip comprising:

• a central body having front and rear surfaces which extend longitudinally a substantial distance along said handgrip;
• an exterior shell disposed on opposite sides of said central body and connected thereto, said shell having a plurality of small ventilation openings formed therein;
• at least one elongate ventilation chamber formed within said shell and at least partially divided by the central body;
• and
• two large air inlets, which are substantially larger than said ventilation openings, formed on respective front and rear sides of said handgrip at a head portion end thereof, the air inlets opening into said at least one ventilation chamber so as to allow air to flow into the chamber and out of at least some of said ventilation openings during use of said striking device, and each air inlet lying substantially in a plane that is approximately parallel to generally flat central longitudinal sections of said front and rear surfaces;
• wherein each air inlet has an elongate, inwardly projecting lip extending along a side of the inlet closest to a butt end of the handgrip, said lip being provided to reduce any sound caused by the respective air inlet during use of said striking device.