Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire A good hatchet

I have several Estwing hatchets and axes.
American made, affordable, and every bit as good as their hammers.

Gransfors, Wetterlings/Husqy, Norlund, all the high dollar Swedish ones are good+.

If you want a great hatchet that will chop as good as the high dollar ones and won't break the bank, this one is by FAR the best IMO. Fiskars made in Finland. There is no hatchet made even close to as good at this price point and YOU CAN buy it at Lowes/Home Depot. Here is one the many great reviews you will find on it:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/837501-REVIEW-The-new-Fiskars-X7-14-quot-Hatchet

If you search, you can find lots of reviews on it comparing it very favorably to the high dollar Swedish models.............

How about a good hatchet INJURY story?

I have seen many inept or inexperienced outdoorsman chop and whack themselves with the short axe!!!

Mike

How about a good hatchet INJURY story?



Mike

How about this one:

It must have been around 1978. I was hunting to the western foothills of the Cascades in search of a nice blacktail buck and I had a bear tag in my pocket just in case. The trees were still big back in those days and the brush was thick but I kept on walking in the deep forest toward a brighter looking place ahead of me. Suddenly I found myself in a natural meadow where the grass was over knee high and there were ancient apple and pear trees loaded with fall fruit.

Knowing deer and bears both cannot resist a good apple I stood and watched the meadow for wildlife for an hour of more before cautiously working my way into the old orchard.

I marveled at the fortitude of the early western settlers and wondered who had homestead this meadow and planted these trees. I found the fallen remains of an old cabin and barn. Then I saw it, my heart was broken, there laying partially under a huge hand hewn beam from the barn was an old hatchet, it's handle broken and mostly rotted away. An injured hatchet, laying under that huge beam for untold years with no one to help it. I was snapped into action and began digging with my hands to see if I could rescue it and perhaps with modern hatchet medical care it might live once again but when I got it uncovered I saw the eye had been split and there was no life left in the old tool.

It is buried in an unmarked grave there among the apple and pear trees. I hope it finds peace.

I have two Wetterlings. One a 12 inch handle, the other 19. They are Swedish, hand forged and priced right. For a number of years, they have done anything asked of them.

American made choices. Nothing wrong with the Gransfors but more coin and a little too hard for my liking in an axe. I have used both the Peavey and Snow and Neally. The Peavey is the best buy and use a Hudson Bay pattern for the last several years splitting fire wood before it comes into the house. The S&N have been inconsistent in quality. I have one that is really good and couple others that weren't worth the money. I have heard good things about Council, but not used one as yet.

http://store.peaveymfg.com/cart/category/2021/Axe_Line/1/

http://www.counciltool.com/product.asp?pg=product&item=17HB18

http://cspoutdoors.com/snowneallyaxes.html

And they sharpen easily as well. I know they are drop-froged stainless. Maybe Swedish Sandvik steel........