Howdy all,
I am a backpacker and trail maintainer. I am looking for a recommendation for a good work tool - hatchet, light ax, or tomahawk. I don't plan on fighting bears with it, throwing it at trees, or using it for combat in my real job. What I do plan on doing with it is trail maintenance, brush clearing, cutting stobs, chopping some small tress, pounding in stakes, skinning bark for trail blazing, etc. I have used a cheap hatchet and found it does a better job on a lot of these chores than a machete - so now I am shopping around for a tool to get when I get back from Iraq and get back to work on the trail.
I don't want it to weigh too much - but I also don't need anything so light it bounces off wood when chopping. Durability and weather resistant metal and handles are preferred. And on the handle, having a good grip is a must - had an accident with a machete once from loosing grip on it that was pretty bloody in the middle of nowhere. I'm leaning towards a Fiskars 14" http://www.pointshop.com/Mall/Catalog/Product/ASP/product-id/743189/store-id/1000010644.html or 17" http://www.pointshop.com/Mall/Catalog/Product/ASP/product-id/862025/store-id/1000010644.html
I am a backpacker and trail maintainer. I am looking for a recommendation for a good work tool - hatchet, light ax, or tomahawk. I don't plan on fighting bears with it, throwing it at trees, or using it for combat in my real job. What I do plan on doing with it is trail maintenance, brush clearing, cutting stobs, chopping some small tress, pounding in stakes, skinning bark for trail blazing, etc. I have used a cheap hatchet and found it does a better job on a lot of these chores than a machete - so now I am shopping around for a tool to get when I get back from Iraq and get back to work on the trail.
I don't want it to weigh too much - but I also don't need anything so light it bounces off wood when chopping. Durability and weather resistant metal and handles are preferred. And on the handle, having a good grip is a must - had an accident with a machete once from loosing grip on it that was pretty bloody in the middle of nowhere. I'm leaning towards a Fiskars 14" http://www.pointshop.com/Mall/Catalog/Product/ASP/product-id/743189/store-id/1000010644.html or 17" http://www.pointshop.com/Mall/Catalog/Product/ASP/product-id/862025/store-id/1000010644.html