Yeah they were on sale at "Canadian Tire" up here for $9 last year and I forgot about them until they were all gone...

I just picked up a Cold Steel Riflemans hawk. I plan on doing some modding to it and try it out this spring. I will let you know.

I have an American Tomahawk Lagana Vietnam model. It is real light, and according to AT is just about indestructible. Their quality control leaves a little to be desired though......

Marbles and Eastwing also offer some viable alternatives. I've used/owned them all - still do, and hatchets and axes are as much a matter of personal preference in terms of feel and balance as are knives and firearms.

I recently was at a Home Depot and checked out the Eastwing camp axe. I was disappointed. I’ve seen sharper butter knives. The grinds were uneven, and they were all severally blunt. They looked like they would bounce off a log instead of cut it. Also, I thought the handle was supposed to be solid, but the blue part of the handle just down from the head felt like it was hollow. If it is hollow, I didn’t know how tough it would be, and if the solid part attached to the head could come out under heavy use.

Welcome to the Yard Rooster.

Welcome to the Yard! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I watched a friend of mine bend and Estwing axe pretty good while chopping down a tree with "enthusiasm", and no, he didn't hit it sideways.

Rooster - Howdy and Welcome to the ScrapYard! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> I have used Estwing hatchets for many years and have been quite happy with them. I'm surprised by a few of the comments - I hope they haven't sacrificed quality for immediate profit. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

I've never had an estwing hatchet, but we've got one of their axes. Very old. The handle section is indeed hollow, but there is absolutely no flex or vibration in it. It feels like a solid bar of steel all the way through, not just friction fit and crimped. If you made it solid, in that size, the balance would make it a very inefficient chopper. A solid steel handle like your scratchets and crash axes requires a very different style of head to make the balance come out right (and the handle is not even remotely hand-filling, either).

I've got two Estwing hatchets myself; and just like you Tom, I love them. I haven't been gentle with them by any means, and they've held up very well. The little Estwing hatchet with the leather wrapped handle (I love their hammers with this wrapping as well!), is less than a year in my possession, and I can say the quality hasn't been degraded in that model. I've used it for hacking and slashing in the woods, and it's done the job nicely. It needs a touch up on the edge here and then, but nothing serious.

My camper axe by Estwing (with the nice long handle), is about roughly 15 years old (Guessing here), and I've pretty much been a rough, mean old bugger on it, and it's taken the abuse easily. Sure, Estwings are not as strong as Busse steel, but do they really need to be? I'm not taking them to WWIII, just normal, everyday, good clean labour. They do it fine, and they'll keeep doing it fine for a good while yet.

Anyone seen this one? It looks like a cool gadget.

Gerber Kick Axe



I hope it wouldn't fold on your hands though. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />