Craftsman 1.25lb Camp Axe (Wooden Handle) Review

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rg598

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Oct 18, 2008
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Here is yet another affordable hatchet review. For this one I will be looking at the Craftsman 1.25lb Camp Axe. The axe head has a clear coating, which I removed before the testing.

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Specifications:
Manufacturer: Sears
Axe Head Weight: 1.25 lb
Axe Length: 14 inches
Axe Head Material: Unknown carbon steel
Handle Material: Hickory
Cost: $17.00

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This is not the cheapest hatchet on the market, but it is still what I would consider a cheap hatchet. The reason why I wanted to test it is because it has a very good and solid look to it, and I wanted to see if the performance would keep up with the expectations.

For this review, just like with all other hatchet reviews I do, I will be comparing it to the Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet, a well reviewed and well respected hatchet in the bushcraft community.

Here you can see the Craftsman 1.25 Camp Axe next to the Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet.

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The handles of both hatchets are rated at 14 inches, but while the handle of the Craftsman Camp Axe is exactly 14 inches, that of the Wildlife Hatchet is closer to 13.5 inches, accounting for the difference in the picture. The handle of the Craftsman Camp Axe is comfortable and well finished. It has clearly been stained.

The grain of the handle (left) is very good. Even though it is hard to see from the picture because of the stain that has been used on the handle, the grain is almost perfect.

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The head of the Craftsman 1.25lb Camp Axe is a quarter of a pound heavier than that of the Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet. It is attached to the handle using a wooden wedge and two metal wedges. The hardness of the metal is unknown, but did not seem to be particularly soft in any noticeable way.

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The head has a good overall grind. The cheeks are narrow and the eye is not too wide. The convex of the edge however is fairly wide and thick; much thicker than that of the Wildlife Hatchet. In fact, the cutting edge itself is formed by a small secondary bevel at the tip of the convex grind. The hatchet came completely dull and required work to bring it to a good sharpness. Just like with all cheap axes, I would recommend using a 200 or so grit metal file to start the sharpening process. It will save you a lot of time.

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When it came to performance, there was no comparison between the Craftsman 1.25lb Camp Axe and the Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet. The Wildlife Hatchet significantly outperformed the Craftsman Axe. This was no surprise considering the thick convex grind of the Craftsman Axe.

I did however really like the shape of the craftsman head as well as the handle, so I didn’t want to give up on it. I decided to see if I can thin out the edge of the hatchet to make it more closely resemble that of the Wildlife Hatchet. After all, I managed to do it fairly easily with the Northern Tool 24oz Camp Axe. So, I started thinning out the edge using a file. The edge turned out to be thicker than I expected. After two hours of filing, I was nowhere near to approximating the convex of the Wildlife Hatchet. At that point I got up and decided to do some more testing. The thinner edge performed much better, but still fell behind the Wildlife Hatchet.

That is when I noticed an even more significant problem with the Craftsman 1.25lb Camp Axe. As you can see from the picture, the head started to come loose from the handle.

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That is an unacceptable failure of the product, as it makes for a very dangerous tool. It also means that the axe has to be re-handled, a task not every one wants to undertake.

The hatchet does not have a full sheath, but does come with a rubber edge cover. It works well to protect the edge, but will most likely fall off in your pack; it did in mine.

I had very high hopes for this hatchet. It looked like a very solid tool. Unfortunately, the testing did not support the original observations. While the head has a good overall grind, the edge is too thick. In fact it was so thick that even with a considerable amount of work I was not able to get it as thin as I wanted. That being said, it is possible to do with additional work. The cheeks are thin enough to allow for a re-profiling of the convex of the edge.

The handle is good, but is not securely attached.

All things considered, even though the Craftsman 1.25lb Camp Axe comes in at just $17.00, I can not recommend it as a purchase. It will just require too much work to bring into working shape.

As far as I know, this is the only bushcraft appropriate axe produced by the manufacturer under this product name.

Ross
http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/
 
Good review. handle dry out as they sit around the store. might try tapping the handle end of the hatchet down on a block of wood or tapping on the end of the handle with a rubber mallet or dead blow hammer then set it head down in a bucket of water some people will say to use linseed oil or somesuch as that. I use to do this every fall to my splitting maul every fall as the handle dried out and would slide loose while splilling wood. this would fix the problem for the wood burning season.

Test them splitting wood and the thicker axe will do better.


Pat
 
I'm not clear how you were testing the Sears hatchet? Most traditional tests consist of going out and chopping something. That's good and most certainly the common usage of a hatchet, but I was wondering how that hatchet would work for other forms of woodworking. I own a large number of hatchets/mini-axes etc., and use them almost exclusively for woodworking, i.e., making bowls, selfbows, spoons, walking canes etc.. The GB axe (wildlife and mini for example) are not the best for the type of carving required for those projects because they tend to bounce or slip off when cutting at angles to the wood. This is caused by the thin blade that you preferred. I understand fully your views; noting however, that the consistency of the wood (for example mesquite vs birch) will skew the results: the softer hardwoods do better with the thinner blades while the harder hardwoods seem to do better with more robust or thicker blades. Tests therefore ought to specify what type of wood (referring here to specific gravity) was used. The Roselli hatchet is quite robust and will outperform a GB axe when going against super hard woods (specific gravities in the 0.80+ range). This perhaps seems as the best example of two divergent blade shapes. The Sears hatchet seems to have a blade angle that might serve one well in woodcarving but I'd have to give it a try first before rendering any firm opinions. At 17 bucks a pop it might just be worth a try. As for the loose handle: I guess one would have to try several to see if that was an anomaly or was commonplace. Either way, even if after thorough testing the axe didn't work, it would still serve a purpose as a log splitter or wedge. We've all probably got dozens of axe heads we use for such purposes. Thanks for the review and for bringing this little axe to our attention.
 
@Woodsroamer-I appreciate your question. I was using oak for the test. I like to carve with thin blades because they allow a shallower angle to the wood when working. The thickness of the Craftsman's edge forced me to hold the poll of the hatchet further away from the wood. That makes it harder for me to carve. I'm sure that more experienced people, who do a lot of carving, have much more specific requirements for their hatchets, and what they like depends on the wood, the technique, etc.

The handle issue should be easy enough to fix, it was just something I had to mention, as it is a safety problem.

It is a great head design. I just wish that the edge was thinner (personal preference). If someone has the time to file it down, it would make for a great hatchet; not only would it split wood well, but it would also be a great chopper.
 
These Craftsman hatchets are manufactured by Vaughan and Bushnell for Sears.

Until 2-3 years ago they did not have the metal wedges. I guess they started using those as an "improvement". Unfortunately, it seems it's not working. As I have seen in many cases, they cause splits similar to the one visible in your picture. I think these wedges are too big for such a narrow eye.
I don't know if this has contributed to the loosening of the head, but it definitely does damage the handle.

I's a shame because the handle design and the overall balance is very nice, and it is one of the few hatchets still made in he US. Let's hope it was a lemon.
 
Thanks for the info littleknife. I appreciate it. I didn't know they were made by Vaughan.
 
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