Camp Axe, 14" Full Tang Camping Hatchet, Forged Carbon Steel Heat Treated Hand Axe Tool, Fiberglass Shock Reduction Handle, Ideal for Camping, Splitting, Kindling & Survival

Like the title says, I don't know what people are expecting an expertly honed and polished axe at this price point for... Quite frankly you are probably going to be disappointed for the rest of your life. I know I have bought axes / mauls from many places like ace hardware, farm and home supply stores and I can say with some degree of certainty you are not going to get it when you drop $50 on a 36" single bit. Now I have been rarely surprised, marbles seems to give it a lot better effort than true temper or store brands. They are usually a little more though. Ultimately if you want one you don't have to spend time on working there are plenty of Austrian boutique axe makers that will happily do a good fob for you.... They are also in the $100 - $150 range, often more.I have honestly been been surprised that the steel used doesn't really make a whole lot of difference. Don't get me wrong it makes a difference, but considering how well the budget hatchets from harbor frieght hold a edge it clearly doesn't really need to be anything more than just a garden variety carbon steel with a good heat treat / stress relief.looking on amazon I am fairly sure this axe is like many you see being sold under a different name with a different color injected molded handle (it is a quite comfortable handle. As for sharpness I simply hit it a few times with my file. I will spend some time at the bench grinder before fall. It's a lot of work to get some axes / hatchet where they should be. Its time consuming though and for that reason most manufacturers cut you a better deal if they don't have to sink 30 minutes of time even with purpose built belt sanders and bench wheels. I recommend using a sander to get all the paint off then follow up with a nice stiff wire wheel. If I have the time and I often do in the winter sitting by the fire, I try to get all the paint off the sides and polish them as smooth as possible (within reason). The paint has a tendency to grab in my experience and it makes splitting a heck of a lot easier. All in all I like the design and feel like for $14 I would be hard pressed to do any better. I do like the profile of this axe / hatchet a lot better than the harbor frieght axe it's replacing. Looking from the top down the harbor frieght axes were shaped more like a boat and I spent a good while removing a good but of material to have a longer running taper. IN other words a hatchet doesn't make a very good hatchet when it' profile in more like that of a splitting maul. That's exaggerating a bit but ultimately for any sort of carving / rough carpentry you need a thinner blade to make chips. This one is much closer to how it should be (at least based on my ideals) so it won;t have to spend 2 or three hours grinding on the thing, If you want an axe primarily for splitting smaller wood for starter, the more bulbous shape will split better (generally). Might well purchase another one of these.Purchased the Edward Tools 17" 3 lb Wood Splitting Maul. Generally speaking if I am splitting white or red oak and it is fairly straight grained I don't even bother taking my log splitter. I have an old ames true temper (razorback) splitting maul that I need to retire and get a new one. Most all the splitting mauls have taken to that design as it is a very effective one. I am not sure true temper was the originator of the design but it was the first one I remember seeing. Anyways, moving wood is not really any fun and moving it twice even less so. I can generally just stand the logs up on end and with a well placed shot or two leave them where they lay until it's time to get the wood loaded. The Edward tools mini maul has the same profile and I expect it to make things even better. I have heated with wood through my entire life so having tools that make it more easy is something i am always looking for.UPDATE: After spending a good but of time with this axe oneof the things I find it exceptional at is working like a pikaroon / hookaroon. I have not owned one of the purpose made ones. I have modified some old roofing hatchets and the like testing some different styles. Ultimately I felt like having that specific too wasn't much of a plus. I regularly use smaller axes like most would use a pickaroon. @ 44 I am starting to see the value of not bending over ALL THE TIME. This axe and I attribute it to the long running taper I mentioned earlier will sink into and grab rounds up to about 18 inch or so amazingly well. Better than any i have owned actually. I might get a hickory say 20-22" handle to give it just a touch more to prevent bending over. I worked a downed tree on a house with my brother, he was running saw I was taking wood to burn pile about 50 yards away. I would grab them with this and give a solid drop with a lever like action on the edge of wheel barrow to replace. It holds so well I had to back off of my sting as often the large rounds did not want to come off. Once I got it dialed in it made things much more comfortable. Still haven't polished this thing up but it's ability to sling some decent size chips with mediocre sharpness makes me think it will be quite good at rough carpentry like putting together tension corner posts, making large wood steaks for temporary support building retaining wall, that sort of thing. Quite pleased overall and if the sort of things I just mentioned are similar to what you primarily use an axe for i think you would be quite pleased like me. ! downside for some might be if you are trying to make a larger rough tennon or squared slot. If you don't give a relief cut on the opposite side every time you could hub this sucker up pretty dang solid (if you are going for heavy material removal. I could see inadvertently getting this thing surprisingly locked up with not a lot of swing. The profile is a winner though and should I find any other exceptional notes, I'll come back here to post itStay safe out there folks. Don't work in a brush pile and don't let your work area turn into a brush pile :)

This small blue 10" hatchet works very well. It can handle things that a knife can't. Yet it is fairly small and can even fit into some of my pants and vest pockets, although it is a snug fit. The handle is very comfortable and offers multiple ways to grip the hatchet. You can hold it right next to the steel head for doing fine, light work, or you can grab it near the end of the handle for heavier jobs. The rubber/plastic handle is about a comfortable as it gets: soft feeling, shock absorbing, good ergonomic shape. I wouldn't change a thing about this. It can be used as a makeshift wood plane for smoothing out branches or logs. It can also be used as a cleaver for cutting meat etc. It can be used as a hammer. It is a multi-purpose tool. There are many and varied possible uses for this.

I was pleased and surprised to see what good quality this ax is! It’s a great starter ax or just nice to have on hand for chopping down your Christmas tree or any chopping needs one has! Its ergonomic handle, sharp blade, good balance, and nice design are just some of its benefits.

I haven't used it cause spring is here in Arizona and we are in fire warning so no need for it but...Upon inspection, it is of great quality. There hand fells good to the grip. I thi k it is sharpen as well, you can feel a good sharpen.This will last for many years.

I was looking for a small hatchet to split kindling wood and this looked like the right size. Yes it works but the blade is not symmetric and has a funny bend to it.

This hatchet is just what I needed for light wood chopping. Well worth the money and durable.

Axe/hatchet is a good size for doing work around the yard. It is easy to transport and a good value for the quality of axe. The only reason I gave it four stars is because it is too heavy for myself, but may be okay for a stronger person. I liked its sharpness, and the fact that it comes with a sheath protector. The handle has a good grip which allowed me to feel safe when using it. I didn't think it was going to fly out of my hand.

Awesome little hatchet for the price and nicely built