danez71
Member
This post is just to give some feed back for others from someone that doesn't have a lot of knowledge of blades and axes. I'm not well versed in this stuff and may use wrong terminology.
To keep this on topic, all of these could be used as a weapon
Links are for reference only.
About 2-3 yrs , I asked about a small hand axe and more specifically about a Estwing because of the comments here. I was looking for ideas to give the wife for Christmas presents.
Sam Cade gave me some good details with his input as well as some others (btw, what happened to Sam Cade? Its be over a year since his last post. I hope he's well.)
I ended up not getting an ax that Christmas... the wife didn't take that suggestion.
But with gift cards, I ended up, a few months later, getting a............
Schrade Extreme Survival Hatchet.
http://taylorbrandsllc.com/products/schrade-survival-hatchet-black-handle
Titanium Coated 3Cr13 Stainless Steel Head with Hammer Pommel, Black Glass Fiber Filled PA Handle with Ergonomic Black TPR Rubber Grip, Extra Large Ferro Rod with Lanyard Stores Inside Handle,
Blade Length: 3.8 inch (9.6 cm)
Handle Length: 5.2 inch (13.2 cm)
Overall Length: 11.8 inch (30.0 cm)
Weight: 1.37 lb
Thermoplastic Belt Sheath that snaps shut.
They also offer this same ax with a longer handle - about 4" longer
Ive never been much for the curved handles... an opinion based on pretty much nothing. But when I grabbed it at Bass Pro, it spoke to me. It balanced well and has a nice (what I call) forward swing.
I also wasn't sure about the blade shape, but again, it spoke to me. It felt comfortable. Nice swing. The handle lent itself well to choking up on it for carving tent stakes or making kindling and tinder shavings.
Ive used if for a variety of tasks; mostly in the back yard chopping roots, small branches and also for turning smaller pre-split logs into smaller pieces for camp fires and a back yard wood stove.
It came sharp... sharper than any new ax/hatchet I have ever felt.
I like it. It chops like the dickens! I think I got it for about $30. Its been very versatile. I think the curved shape of the blade has lent itself to its versatility, but I cant articulate exactly why.
The ferro rod works but its a bit awkward using the ax head as the striker. A knife spine or other striker would be better to use.
Soon afterwards, I got bitten by the camp ax bug. I needed on for the truck and the backyard, I rationalized
One day when I was on a weekend out of town trip with the wife up in a mountain/ski town, I spotted this at a tiny outdoors shop I like to visit when I'm there.
Its the Mora camp axe.
http://axeing.org/morakniv-boron-steel-camping-axe-review/
https://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Bor...dp/B00H1SVMOW?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Brand: MoraKniv
Model: Boron Steel Camping Axe
Overall Length: 12.6”
Blade Length: 4.5”
Black Thickness: 0.24”
Steel Material: Boron
Handle Material: Reinforced plastic
Overall Weight: 17.6 oz.
Sheath: Genuine Leather Slipcover (snaps shut)
This is smaller and much lighter in weight and, imo, would make a good back pack hatchet. It fits easily in a book bag type back pack and doesn't weigh it down. Its great for cutting (what I call) tree sucker sprouts, making kindling, carving etc.
Really nice forward swing on this too. This one is like an extension of my hand. Its a light weight tool but it feels of quality. It also came very sharp.
At $50, I debated getting it but I justified it by saying I like to support the local small private shops there and it matches my Mora 2000 and Mora 'light my fire(?)" with the build in fire stick in the handle.
I bought a couple other doodads and they gave me 5% off everything since the guy recognized me as an out of towner that shops there a few time a year.
Then, the next Christmas came... and I got the Estwing with the leather handle I wanted a year ago. Which was a god send because the Mora wasn't what I was looking for in a truck hatchet
I think I got this one (or maybe the 14" model)
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Estwing-12-in-Sportsman-s-Axe-with-Leather-Grip-E14A/203075835
The thing is study, for sure! Its on the heavier side and a little difficult to manage for anything but chopping (not that versatile). But the extra weight sure make a difference for chopping.
The swing is not a forward swing in the least.
Came pretty sharp. The handle is beautiful and I could run it over with a tank and it'd survive.
Okay.......... this is getting a little embarrassing
Then... I got a different Schrade that was on clearance or super sale with some more Bass Pro gift cards from a birthday or something. I got it for under $25.
http://taylorbrandsllc.com/products/schrade-full-tang-hatchet
Schrade Full Tang Hatchet, Powder Coated 3Cr13 Stainless Steel Head with Hammer Pommel, Black TPR Rubber Wrapped Handle with Lanyard,
Blade Length: 3.55 inch (9.02 cm)
Handle Length: 5.91 inch (15.01 cm)
Overall Length: 11.08 inch (28.14 cm)
Weight: 1.37 lb
Thermoplastic Belt Sheath snaps shut
This is like a mini Estwing. The handle doesn't lend itself too well to carving but if you grab even higher up on the head and handle at the same time it works fair enough. better than the Estwing. imo
I haven't used it that much as I just recently got it. Its tough though. Solid steel throughout just like the Estwing, but scaled down. The handle is on the skinny side and the over all size would do very well for a kids camp ax or a garden ax on steroids . I'll probably add some shrink tubing or something to fatten up the handle.
The swing and balance are pretty good. Id say better than the Estwing but its scaled down so its hard to directly compare the two.
But wait.... there's more.... OCD had set in.
A sporting good chain store is going out of business and got this for 50% off (about $25) about 2 wks ago.
CRKT Woods Chogan
http://www.crkt.com/woods-chogan-thawk-axe-2730
Dimensions
Open Overall Length 19.13 inches
Weight 2 lbs. 1.4 ounces
Blade
Length 4.21 inches
Thickness 0.52 inches
Material 1055 Carbon Steel
Blade-HRC 50-55
Finish Hammer Finish
Grind Flat
Style Front: Axe Back: Hammer
Handle
Material Tennessee Hickory
Sheath(?): sucks
The handle was a little loose and I couldn't get it tighter banging upside down. I left it alone for about a week and the wood must of swelled because its tight now. Maybe the air conditioned store building shrank dried the handle and now being in my non A/C garage, it swelled back up nice and firm.
I haven't "used" it yet... only have played around with it. But, I thought it was a good deal and everyone should have a hickory handled camp/hand ax... right? Well, that's what I convinced myself of.
The handle is a bit longer than the others and would allow for chopping while standing, but bent over quite a bit, if needed where the other are too short and would require kneeling.
Its not as sharp as any of the others above. The handle is nice hickory and a good diameter. The head is beefy. Ultimately, I think its the most unwieldy for smaller fine work tasks of the bunch. But its also the biggest and heaviest of them all; so it stands to reason.
Its handle in the most 'in between length' of them all in terms of a hatchet and an ax. And, in theory that should give the best versatility of the bunch in the 'truck ax/hatchet' role.
They also make this with a spike on the back side instead of a hammer, which would be good for digging in rocky earth before shoveling, if that's the terrain in your area.
The thermo plastic sheath/display hanger of the CRKT is the worst of them all (very flimsy and is easily knocked off) and it has the highest msrp.
I see leather sheaths on-line for a little less than I paid for it... So I may have to jerry rig something myself unless someone here has one to donate to me.
So there you have it. Sorry if its a bit rambling and not as nice of a write up as from those more experience and knowledgeable members. But I wanted to give you my thoughts that stand out.
To keep this on topic, all of these could be used as a weapon
Links are for reference only.
About 2-3 yrs , I asked about a small hand axe and more specifically about a Estwing because of the comments here. I was looking for ideas to give the wife for Christmas presents.
Sam Cade gave me some good details with his input as well as some others (btw, what happened to Sam Cade? Its be over a year since his last post. I hope he's well.)
I ended up not getting an ax that Christmas... the wife didn't take that suggestion.
But with gift cards, I ended up, a few months later, getting a............
Schrade Extreme Survival Hatchet.
http://taylorbrandsllc.com/products/schrade-survival-hatchet-black-handle
Titanium Coated 3Cr13 Stainless Steel Head with Hammer Pommel, Black Glass Fiber Filled PA Handle with Ergonomic Black TPR Rubber Grip, Extra Large Ferro Rod with Lanyard Stores Inside Handle,
Blade Length: 3.8 inch (9.6 cm)
Handle Length: 5.2 inch (13.2 cm)
Overall Length: 11.8 inch (30.0 cm)
Weight: 1.37 lb
Thermoplastic Belt Sheath that snaps shut.
They also offer this same ax with a longer handle - about 4" longer
Ive never been much for the curved handles... an opinion based on pretty much nothing. But when I grabbed it at Bass Pro, it spoke to me. It balanced well and has a nice (what I call) forward swing.
I also wasn't sure about the blade shape, but again, it spoke to me. It felt comfortable. Nice swing. The handle lent itself well to choking up on it for carving tent stakes or making kindling and tinder shavings.
Ive used if for a variety of tasks; mostly in the back yard chopping roots, small branches and also for turning smaller pre-split logs into smaller pieces for camp fires and a back yard wood stove.
It came sharp... sharper than any new ax/hatchet I have ever felt.
I like it. It chops like the dickens! I think I got it for about $30. Its been very versatile. I think the curved shape of the blade has lent itself to its versatility, but I cant articulate exactly why.
The ferro rod works but its a bit awkward using the ax head as the striker. A knife spine or other striker would be better to use.
Soon afterwards, I got bitten by the camp ax bug. I needed on for the truck and the backyard, I rationalized
One day when I was on a weekend out of town trip with the wife up in a mountain/ski town, I spotted this at a tiny outdoors shop I like to visit when I'm there.
Its the Mora camp axe.
http://axeing.org/morakniv-boron-steel-camping-axe-review/
https://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Bor...dp/B00H1SVMOW?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Brand: MoraKniv
Model: Boron Steel Camping Axe
Overall Length: 12.6”
Blade Length: 4.5”
Black Thickness: 0.24”
Steel Material: Boron
Handle Material: Reinforced plastic
Overall Weight: 17.6 oz.
Sheath: Genuine Leather Slipcover (snaps shut)
This is smaller and much lighter in weight and, imo, would make a good back pack hatchet. It fits easily in a book bag type back pack and doesn't weigh it down. Its great for cutting (what I call) tree sucker sprouts, making kindling, carving etc.
Really nice forward swing on this too. This one is like an extension of my hand. Its a light weight tool but it feels of quality. It also came very sharp.
At $50, I debated getting it but I justified it by saying I like to support the local small private shops there and it matches my Mora 2000 and Mora 'light my fire(?)" with the build in fire stick in the handle.
I bought a couple other doodads and they gave me 5% off everything since the guy recognized me as an out of towner that shops there a few time a year.
Then, the next Christmas came... and I got the Estwing with the leather handle I wanted a year ago. Which was a god send because the Mora wasn't what I was looking for in a truck hatchet
I think I got this one (or maybe the 14" model)
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Estwing-12-in-Sportsman-s-Axe-with-Leather-Grip-E14A/203075835
The thing is study, for sure! Its on the heavier side and a little difficult to manage for anything but chopping (not that versatile). But the extra weight sure make a difference for chopping.
The swing is not a forward swing in the least.
Came pretty sharp. The handle is beautiful and I could run it over with a tank and it'd survive.
Okay.......... this is getting a little embarrassing
Then... I got a different Schrade that was on clearance or super sale with some more Bass Pro gift cards from a birthday or something. I got it for under $25.
http://taylorbrandsllc.com/products/schrade-full-tang-hatchet
Schrade Full Tang Hatchet, Powder Coated 3Cr13 Stainless Steel Head with Hammer Pommel, Black TPR Rubber Wrapped Handle with Lanyard,
Blade Length: 3.55 inch (9.02 cm)
Handle Length: 5.91 inch (15.01 cm)
Overall Length: 11.08 inch (28.14 cm)
Weight: 1.37 lb
Thermoplastic Belt Sheath snaps shut
This is like a mini Estwing. The handle doesn't lend itself too well to carving but if you grab even higher up on the head and handle at the same time it works fair enough. better than the Estwing. imo
I haven't used it that much as I just recently got it. Its tough though. Solid steel throughout just like the Estwing, but scaled down. The handle is on the skinny side and the over all size would do very well for a kids camp ax or a garden ax on steroids . I'll probably add some shrink tubing or something to fatten up the handle.
The swing and balance are pretty good. Id say better than the Estwing but its scaled down so its hard to directly compare the two.
But wait.... there's more.... OCD had set in.
A sporting good chain store is going out of business and got this for 50% off (about $25) about 2 wks ago.
CRKT Woods Chogan
http://www.crkt.com/woods-chogan-thawk-axe-2730
Dimensions
Open Overall Length 19.13 inches
Weight 2 lbs. 1.4 ounces
Blade
Length 4.21 inches
Thickness 0.52 inches
Material 1055 Carbon Steel
Blade-HRC 50-55
Finish Hammer Finish
Grind Flat
Style Front: Axe Back: Hammer
Handle
Material Tennessee Hickory
Sheath(?): sucks
The handle was a little loose and I couldn't get it tighter banging upside down. I left it alone for about a week and the wood must of swelled because its tight now. Maybe the air conditioned store building shrank dried the handle and now being in my non A/C garage, it swelled back up nice and firm.
I haven't "used" it yet... only have played around with it. But, I thought it was a good deal and everyone should have a hickory handled camp/hand ax... right? Well, that's what I convinced myself of.
The handle is a bit longer than the others and would allow for chopping while standing, but bent over quite a bit, if needed where the other are too short and would require kneeling.
Its not as sharp as any of the others above. The handle is nice hickory and a good diameter. The head is beefy. Ultimately, I think its the most unwieldy for smaller fine work tasks of the bunch. But its also the biggest and heaviest of them all; so it stands to reason.
Its handle in the most 'in between length' of them all in terms of a hatchet and an ax. And, in theory that should give the best versatility of the bunch in the 'truck ax/hatchet' role.
They also make this with a spike on the back side instead of a hammer, which would be good for digging in rocky earth before shoveling, if that's the terrain in your area.
The thermo plastic sheath/display hanger of the CRKT is the worst of them all (very flimsy and is easily knocked off) and it has the highest msrp.
I see leather sheaths on-line for a little less than I paid for it... So I may have to jerry rig something myself unless someone here has one to donate to me.
So there you have it. Sorry if its a bit rambling and not as nice of a write up as from those more experience and knowledgeable members. But I wanted to give you my thoughts that stand out.