camp axe

R

rprocter

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any recommendations for a small backpacking axe (hatchet), with good balance and a blade designed primarily for splitting rounds of wood, rather than a narrower blade intended more for lopping off branches. i have seen many on various websites, but a picture does not tell you how it feels in hand or the taper of the blade. thanks
 
I've got one of the small Gerber hatches, very light and very sturdy. For backpacking it would need a defferent sheath. Its got enough weight to split small rounds (I use it to make kindling and small pieces for my wood stove). The edge profile is pretty thick, not great for lopping, but good for splitting.

Patrick
 
fiskars hatcher is good , i also own a estwing hatchet (leather handle) but i haven`t used that for anything yet .
 
Fiskars 14" Hatchet (same as $35 Gerber except for sheath) is $20 at Home Depot or Lowes. See "cutleryscience.com/reviews/fiskars_hatchet.html" for in-depth review, including favorable comparison to Granfor Bruk Wildlife hatchet. Thick wedge shape is good splitter, and it comes very sharp. The review shows how to reprofile the edge for even better performance.
 
Be happy and go straight to Gransfors Bruks.

The 7/8# headed Fiskars hatchet, even when made shaving sharp, just rebounds out of all wood I hit with it. It doesn't cut stuff, it just kind of "worries" stuff. Think of an angry Chihuahua, trying to maul John Wayne's big toe. Through his boot.

Whereas my 1 1/2# Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe bites hard and deep into any wood, of any hardness. It also resharpens quickly and easily on a Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker. It cuts way better than the bigger, cheaper axes I have laying around.

Anyway, good luck. Try swinging the biggest variety of axes/hatchets you can find, at wood, and form your own opinions.
 
What Blue Sky said. Snow & Neally Hudson's Bay ax would be my first choice if I could have only one blade in the wilderness.
 
Hmm...one ax in the wilderness. We have had grest success with the Ox Head axes from Germany. Their axes are better in hard wood than the Swedish axes and are less expensive than GB o even S&N.
 
Well, I guess I will say it. Look in to American Tomahawk Company. They have a very affordable tomahawk/axe that is right at a buck thirty and its made in the USA and it will handle any task you give it and then some.

what is your price range?
 
I too like American made stuff. But all the axes around here (central Cal.) are either Chinese junk made for primate hands, or that awful, plastic Fiskars thing.

I don't pretend to know all axe answers, but I do know one good and proven answer: Gransfors Bruks. Wish we had some good American axes around here. When I was a kid, we used to.

My idea of being "inclusive" and "multiculturaly sensitive" is to own knives, guns and axes from all over the world. Except Pakistan.

Cheers, gentlemen
 
well, i ordered and have received a GB wildlife hatchet. i chose this for it's packable size (13 1/2 inches and 1 lb. head). it's balance in hand is perfect.
i'll be checking out it's performance in a couple of weeks. i expect it will do well for such a small hatchet/axe. rolando
 
G.B. wildlife hatchet is what I've got....awesome tool...I've used it lots and never been dissapointed...I've used it to make rustic fencing and I've just taken down a gnarly old willow tree, used a saw for the trunk and really thick branches,then used the wildlife hatchet for delimbing the branches, it made it so easy for me, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one.
 
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