Hatchet...how useful is it really?

Hatchet is very useful, and out-chops most big knives with a large margin. But it is a lot of weight to drag.

One may also point that despite its larger size, a hatchet is not only raw power but also capable of pretty precise chopping work, a lot less awkward to use than, say, a bowie, for shaping wood.
 
In scouts, I learned how to use a hatchet before I learned how to use an ax, so I'm quite comfortable with one. I've always found one to be useful on outings and even for campfires at home. Swinging an ax to process large amounts of wood is definitely easier than powering through with a hatchet but the hatchet wins in portability. Even around camp one can wear it on a belt sheath or baldric.

For prolonged use, if we're talking knife vs hatchet, chopping and batonning will eventually produce rolls and chips. I would much rather, and incidently it is less likely, it happen to my hatchet as it should be easier to sharpen out.

On a side note I recently had the opportunity to try out a cruiser length ax my bud TonyM brought by. I was a little taken aback by the fact that I was quite clumsy with it. It had a 24" handle. My mistake I think was that I was using it like a full size ax and on several swings almost went right into my leg. Practice with whatever you have is a good policy.
 
Outstanding...simply outstanding!

You guys have produced a wonderful and informative thread. I thank you all for your time and thoughts, and for keeping the thread focused so nicely. On other forums there would have been much vitriol for differing views, or the thread would have drifted into neverland. I am also excited that everyone did not just jump in and say a big knife will do everything better then a small hatchet, I would not have considered many of the points you folks brought up.

So far from what I have read....I am not skillful enough to properly use a hatchet, and my hatchet is too small to appreciate it worth. I measured and mine is only an 12" Fisker...no one is going to mistake it for a Bruks or Wetterings I know.

1. I should get a larger quality axe/hatchet in the 18" or more range.
2. I need to do more reading so as to learn how to better use my tool.

I can not fathum how you could skin with a hatchet effectively, or use one for detail work....I must learn.

I also know from my experience that this hatchet that I own is not powerful enough for the hardwood I find. It does not have the force to split decent size wood, and although it may get through smallish wood bucking a bit quicker then a big knife, I don't think it is significant. I know I would much rather have my hand saw then a hatchet...then again my hand saw cuts pretty fast for any axe.

All tools are a compromise. I know from experience with my landscape business. I probably have 30 different types of shovels and other digging tools. Slight varriations make a difference in efficiency, so I collect the best for every possible circumstance. The one or two cutting tools in the woods goes against my very being of always having the ideal tool within easy reach.

With my everyday life... a medium size hatchet would not be used....by "me" in "my" everyday life. The Stihl or Dolmar will out cut any other option when that tool is needed. My tractor, axe, maul, woodsplitter and so on will carry the day when it is there time....around the house. When I am away from home I am always with my truck, stocked with a variety of tools, knives, hatchet, kukri, shovels, picks and other odds and ends.....that area will be well covered. My EDC knives and multi-tool will always be with me, so I have little to worry about if I am away during most circumstances.

The time I am away...hiking with the family....I probably won't carry a Hatchet of sufficient size to gain a great deal even if I had a mind to drag it around. I would likley carry my multi-tool, folder, and a Becker Necker at the most.....well....my .380 always keeps me company.

A long camping trip where I have time to pack up what I need, and room to do it.....I must get a bit more skill with the hatchet, buy a quality mid size tool, and take this with me for camping. I can begin to appreciate what might be accomplished by a bigger quality hatchet.

Survival situation/ Bug out/ SHTF/ I large backpack should have a mid size axe, large knife other gear, and my edc stuff.

To me, the true "survival" situation is the everyday life stuff that you don't see coming. You what you have, and you make due. I can not carry on my person a big knife, or a good hatchet....they have to stay in the truck.

That is what I have gathered from your fine posts, and my recent thoughts.

Outstanding folks, thank you!
AI
 
I do a lot of fishing , sometimes walking distances to get a spot. I like an Estwing hatchett for keeping the trail clean and making rod holder "Forked sticks" . I use to employ a USMC Kabar but the hatchett is much better. Ill usually carry a Sharpfinger along with the small axe.
 
The decision factor is:

How much choping/splitting/woodworking will you need
VS
How long will you be carrying it
 
Is there a primer or tutorial somewhere on good hatchet technique? I can split wood without maiming myself, but I'm sure I'm missing out on a lot.
 
Agent Iron,

Regarding skinning with a hatchet/axe, there are several approaches. The most common would be to grasp the hatchet by the head or just behind the head and use it to skin as you would use an ulu. Some people prefer a reverse grip: They hold the shaft just below the head but with the head underneath their hand.

Another interesting approach involves the use of a rounded or "flaying" poll. The Gransfors Hunter's axe has such a rounded and polished poll. As you peel the hide back, you gently strike with the rounded poll to separate the hide from the animal. You are skinning with pressure/impacts rather than with a cutting edge.

I have a very small "hatchet" called an Uluchet that is designed to be a hunter's tool that can also perform light chopping. I'll try to locate the website just to illustrate the skinning function.

DancesWithKnives
 
Agent Iron said:
Outstanding...simply outstanding!

You guys have produced a wonderful and informative thread. I thank you all for your time and thoughts, and for keeping the thread focused so nicely. On other forums there would have been much vitriol for differing views, or the thread would have drifted into neverland. I am also excited that everyone did not just jump in and say a big knife will do everything better then a small hatchet, I would not have considered many of the points you folks brought up.

So far from what I have read....I am not skillful enough to properly use a hatchet, and my hatchet is too small to appreciate it worth. I measured and mine is only an 12" Fisker...no one is going to mistake it for a Bruks or Wetterings I know.

1. I should get a larger quality axe/hatchet in the 18" or more range.
2. I need to do more reading so as to learn how to better use my tool.

I can not fathum how you could skin with a hatchet effectively, or use one for detail work....I must learn.

I also know from my experience that this hatchet that I own is not powerful enough for the hardwood I find. It does not have the force to split decent size wood, and although it may get through smallish wood bucking a bit quicker then a big knife, I don't think it is significant. I know I would much rather have my hand saw then a hatchet...then again my hand saw cuts pretty fast for any axe.

All tools are a compromise. I know from experience with my landscape business. I probably have 30 different types of shovels and other digging tools. Slight varriations make a difference in efficiency, so I collect the best for every possible circumstance. The one or two cutting tools in the woods goes against my very being of always having the ideal tool within easy reach.

With my everyday life... a medium size hatchet would not be used....by "me" in "my" everyday life. The Stihl or Dolmar will out cut any other option when that tool is needed. My tractor, axe, maul, woodsplitter and so on will carry the day when it is there time....around the house. When I am away from home I am always with my truck, stocked with a variety of tools, knives, hatchet, kukri, shovels, picks and other odds and ends.....that area will be well covered. My EDC knives and multi-tool will always be with me, so I have little to worry about if I am away during most circumstances.

The time I am away...hiking with the family....I probably won't carry a Hatchet of sufficient size to gain a great deal even if I had a mind to drag it around. I would likley carry my multi-tool, folder, and a Becker Necker at the most.....well....my .380 always keeps me company.

A long camping trip where I have time to pack up what I need, and room to do it.....I must get a bit more skill with the hatchet, buy a quality mid size tool, and take this with me for camping. I can begin to appreciate what might be accomplished by a bigger quality hatchet.

Survival situation/ Bug out/ SHTF/ I large backpack should have a mid size axe, large knife other gear, and my edc stuff.

To me, the true "survival" situation is the everyday life stuff that you don't see coming. You what you have, and you make due. I can not carry on my person a big knife, or a good hatchet....they have to stay in the truck.

That is what I have gathered from your fine posts, and my recent thoughts.

Outstanding folks, thank you!
AI
Click to expand...

Well, part of the issue is that the Fiskars heads, although great for processing wood, probably wouldn't do well for skinning or a lot of the other "non-mainstream" axe uses, just because they don't have much belly to them.

But they are good little machines. If you run across the 18" or so version, give that a go. I find the utility triples when you step up to that size.

Or order yourself up a wetterlings or snow and neally kindling axe...it's a more traditional axe shape that you can learn to do a lot of things with.

However, I'll say this: I am a big axe fan. I really like axes a lot, I have a lot of experience with axes, have some nice axes, and grew up feeding a wood stove here in Canada to keep the house warm every day.

And yet, I do find that some people get a little carried away with the things you can do with an axe. Of course they are usually right about what CAN be done with an axe - I mean you could skin a moose with a sharp rock or a Cold Steel GI Tanto if you really wanted - but that doesn't mean it's the most efficient use of your time, effort, or packing weight.

So if, after messing around with axes for a while, you find yourself thinking, "geez, I could still do this for half the effort by using tool X," don't feel like you haven't done something right, or that everyone knows something you don't. Often people have different solutions to different problems...there are those guys that can use an abacus faster than most guys can use a calculator, but that doesn't mean that if you have to go do your taxes one year, the best tool to have is an abacus.

The best tool to have is ALWAYS the one that best suits YOUR needs and YOUR skills!
 
I have an 18" Fiskars hatchet that I bought on sale for $9.00. Used it the
weekend before last to help my brother take down 3 small (4 inch dia) trees in
his backyard, limb them and chop them up.

Of course, my Ratweiler and Scrapper6 were on hand to ably assist with the
limbing, but the hatchet preformed really well.

Kinda depends on the job at hand though.

Machete works well for certain tasks, hatchet works well for different tasks,
khukri would work well for in between tasks I think, although I've never had one.

Cheers
 
I used to think that people just wanted more fire power with them - then I bought a small fiskars and started to use it with various grips. It is SO VERY nice, easy to sharpen, and usable on so many projects.

I am a convert for sure.

TF
 
maybe you/I/we need more than one tool.

a hatchet or small axe. chopping-&-splitting power. It may in some cases be easir to chop down a tree, but then cut it into lengths with a...a medium bow saw... it take less energy to saw than to chop through a branch or log than with a knife, axe, hatchet, machete . but it you need to cut or dig out a splinter you may need...a knife... or two maybe one with a 3 1/2 to 6 inch blade larger is your option, its your choice I wouldn't want to dig out a splinter with a battle mistress so a small pocket knife would be pretty handy. but slashing through bushy or grass stuff... a machete... might be just the tool though they don't do the job on trees like a hatchet but if in a jungle or swampy place they are the #1 tool. and on a different thought.... a hand pruner... they aren't too big, the size of a pair of pliers, they are fast, you can cut a branch the size of your thumb off or up as quick as snip, snip, very low energy output.

maybe some of us need to go get a few large branches in the backyard and practice / learn / improve some skills. if you are out in the sticks and need a fire I don't think we need to go paul bunyon and chop down a 2 foot thick tree, there is probally alot of would that trees shedded from last winter that has dried over the year and would make decent fire wood.

the best tool for the job is your mind, how are you going to execiser it. what can you mind figure out what to do with what you have

PS. if you are out in the winter have any of you every had or tied to chop ice? you may have to for water some time. it was one of the chores in my childhood back on the farm, critters need a drink too. of all the cutting tool we may carry an axe or hatchet would be my choice for this.


just some ramblings, :thumbup: Pat
 
made this quick video up today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TVCTUwp99o

basically what i show is that a camp knife works best on smaller diameter wood and other brushy things, much like a heavy machete. the hatchet works on just about everything besides machete work (clearing brushy scrub or vines)

when i was using the knife to cut the large log, i stopped pretty early because i could tell that the knife was hardly biting into the wood at all.

in my neck of the woods, a hatchet or axe is the king. elsewhere, that might not be the case...
 
Nice Video siguy.

I suspect the hatchet or belt axe has survived for millennia precisely because it is such a useful chopper.
 
Watch the direction you are chopping. I saw several chops with the knife in the video that might have been a problem if you slipped.

As much as I use very sharp goloks and machetes I have learned a healthy respect for them.
 
I don't use a hatchet, anymore, because, for me, they are just a little too dangerous, when tired. I've heard of quite a few horror stories, and a couple of times, I almost clipped myself. YMMV, of course. And because of a bad back, a full size axe is not a consideration, so I prefer a big chopper - Cincinnatti Machax, in my case.

There are a lot of good, interesting points in this thread, but for me, the best belongs to misanthropist: "The best tool to have is ALWAYS the one that best suits YOUR needs and YOUR skills! :thumbup:

Doc
 
If you're processing wood to keep your house warm there is no doubt that a full or 3/4 axe is king. But when you have to carry your tools on your back, you have to watch the ounces. If I could only have one survival tool when backpacking it would be the GB mini hands down. Easily out chops anything of similar weight (~13oz) and the edge profile is more acute then some production knives. The edge is thinner then my Swamp Rat M6 and when I choke up on the blade it's easier to use than the M6 which isn't even as heavy or long as a real chopper knife. A good hatchet can be very nimble with practice. Just ask my wife who rolls her eyes every time she sees me in the kitchen practicing my 'hatchet' skills on chicken and veggies.;)
 
I grew up in Florida, and the only thing I used a hatchet for was to open coconuts. Now I live in California, but I'm still more used to using a machete than anything else. I'm sure if I lived further north, a hatchet/belt axe sounds like it would be a fine thing to have.
 
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