True, they do seem a little small. But I think that is part of the point. Smaller, easier to maneuver. Lighter. There are cheaper solutions. Better? Depends on your task. These in particular look like they would be good for choking up on, whereas I've tried that with my Estwing, and it doesn't work at all. Plus, these look/sound like the edge geometry is approaching closer to a knife edge than the blunt edge of my Estwing, so it doesn't have to rely on the swing to cut. Admittedly, my Estwing has better geometry now that I've put a lot of work in it, but it is still quite obtuse.