Chopping Axe

Considered many hatchet/axe options on Amazon. From $10 to $60. Bought Fiskars X15 Axe based on reviews and reputation. (I've been using the same Fiskars Lopper reliably for ten years - 100s of large branch cuts.) The Madrona tree (1460 on the Janka scale; Pine is 480; Oak is 1300) I needed to cut was difficult to access so I need to be equipped with a capable manual tool. Had I purchased anything less sharp/durable, it would have required two trips and I needed to avoid that. Tree was 9"x7.5" in diameter - I used the axe single handed and double handed - Tree was surprisingly tough...took me 20 minutes to get through it (I'm in my 60s and decent condition) Cuts were deep, balance was good, shock loads to arms hands were moderate. Edge still slices paper afterwards. See pics. This is a very nice tool - glad I made this choice.

I put a lot of time researching this ax before finally making the purchase. After watching countless videos and reading many reviews, I couldn't help but think that this tool was going to be extraordinary. I was not at all disappointed. First off all, if you visit Fiskars website about this product [...], you will see that the use and purpose of this tool is not for splitting wood, but for felling trees. I have only felled trees with axes greater than 27 inches in length in the past, so I was fairly skeptical about using such a short felling ax. My skepticism was tamed when I took it up to my property in Idaho one weekend to clear some land of live and dead trees that needed to be chopped down. It didn't take much effort to swing this small ax, but I was very surprised to see how deep this cut with minimal effort. I didn't get worn out so quickly like I do when swinging a longer ax. I found that my endurance lasted much longer with this short handle than with a longer one. On top of being able to last longer and cut with such a sharp blade, my wife, who is 5' 2", was able to use this thing very well! It is a great product that both her and I are able to use and not compromise the ability to fell trees quickly. The blade on this maintained its edge very well, and it was not hard to keep sharp. I sharpened it regularly to keep its edge, but looking back, I didn't really need to. Another feature of which I was skeptical is the hollow handle. I thought that there would be a lot of vibration in the fiberglass handle while chopping, but it was just the opposite. there was no vibration, and the smooth handle had plenty of grip- even in sweaty hands-, but didn't give me blisters. This is a tool well worthy of five starts! I highly recommend this product from the most experienced to the least experienced.

I use to split wood, (not tree stump type but like 1X's and 2x4's etc.) with an old butchers knife. I remember how much I enjoyed getting the wood ready for the barbecue. When I got the Fiskars axe I took it out side and started thrashing on an old stump. It did a good job of splitting and chopping the dried up stump. I then decided to split some scrap 2x8's for fire wood thinking about that old light butchers knife i used to use. That's when I made the mistake of under estimating the capabilities of this axe. Because of it's weight and sharpness it went slicing through the 2x8, missed the small piece of scrap wood underneath it and hit the metal part of my door mat. Stupid me. Anyway to make long story short I put a new edge on it and am much more careful with it. Since then I modified an old CLC ,leather, cordless drill holster to use for my axe. It works great, after I repositioned the belt loop by cutting it off and riveting back on, so the axe could hang vertical instead of at an angle. Also made a blade cover which can be used with or without the holster. I also made a well fitting "cap" for the end of the axe secured by paracord and a cord stop. I drilled a hole in the "cap" for the cord stop so it wouldn't get in the way. The reason for the cap was to contain a small fixed blade knife and a pre-formed sliding container made out of lite duty PVC. The PVC slides out and holds water proof matches, small flashlite/laser (for emergency signaling) and some band-aids. I don't know how practical all these mods. are but it sure was fun doing it. I'm thinking of getting a fiskars hatchet, maybe an 8 or 14" for the lite duty splitting jobs. No more butcher knives.

I use this axe a lot-- sometimes daily-- to chop down snags and clear dead branches. It's the third Fiskars axe I've bought, and it's the one I use most often. The edge is built for chopping, but it's a little too fine for some hard dry limbs. Anything above an inch in diameter runs the risk of folding the edge if you're aim isn't sure. I figured this out after my nephew used a the Fiskars hatchet. If you're looking for a limbing axe, the Estwing's a better bet. Half the time, I use this more as a hatchet, sometimes even as crude knife, by choking up on the handle. The blade can become razor sharp with ease. The Estwing's edge, on the other hand: merely-sharp. Adding some foam and athletic tape to the tubular part of the Estwing's handle has given me hatchet-like versatility, but nothing like what comes from the Fiskar's handle naturally. You'll never use the Estwing as a knife. I've also used this and the Estwing to hew small beams. The Estwing is actually an excellent shape for making glancing, chipping blows, especially with an extended handle. The Fiskars, on the other hand, will never allow a chipping strike. Instead, it will bite into the grain of the wood. Frankly, while it's more labor, the result can look better with practice, but it's only practical on small beams. I don't recommend the Fiskars for hewing, except in a pinch in which case, have at it. Finally, let me tell you about how these axes swing. The Fiskars can be sharp, and places so much weight in the head (the balance point is only an inch along the handle), that you can use it as a spot machete with far less than a full-speed swing. With the Fiskars you can cut a small green limb, as long as you go diagonal to the grain, with between half and 2/3rds the speed you'd bring to solid mass of wood. The Estwing, on the other hand, has a light head and a heavy handle that requires a faster swing to do the same thing. It's a completely differently philosophy, but not inferior. The Fiskars is kind of amazing in this respect. The Estwing, merely average. They're almost identical in weight, though I believe the Fiskars is slightly lighter. The Estwing's handle is marginally longer, but the Fiskars is plenty-long-enough for sideways work, especially in among the branches of a living forest. If you're going to split firewood, or chop trees on the ground as your main task, the Fiskars is a far better choice than the Estwing, but unless you're camping, you'll be better off with a much longer handle. Different axes with slightly different capabilities. To summarize, the Fiskars will devour its way through wood, will split nicely, and can be used at many different speeds from many different hand positions. The Estwing will do most of that and will handle the hardest limbs with ease and excels at extremely oblique strikes. One last thing I could mention. The Estwing can be destroyed-- though it might take years of additional strain-- by an overstrike that dents the tubular handle. The Fiskars, on the other hand, will probably never have that problem. I love them both, but like this one more.

This is a perfect size and weight for a woman to use. Good quality as always.

First off, I want to start on the size of this tool. It is called an 'axe' but I consider it to be sized right at the borderline between axe and hatchet, if you define an axe as a two handed tool, designed for chopping trees, and a hatchet as a one-handed tool, best for cutting smaller branches, splitting kindling, etc. It is just long enough, to get a good 2 handed swing, for felling trees, yet is just light enough, for the average person to also be able to use it one handed. Probably a good choice for someone who only wants to carry one tool to do most jobs. Personally, I use a chain saw to fell trees and cut off large branches, and a hatchet to cut off the smaller branches (I feel it is safer than risking kickback from the nose hitting an unseen branch). I also like to have an axe around, in case I pinch the bar of the saw in a tree, and need to chop it loose. For my uses, it is perfect. It is a little longer and heavier than most hatchets, making branch removal easier (I can use one hand on smaller ones, or two hands on bigger ones, and get a pretty big branch off with one chop). While it will not outperform a full sized axe for tree felling, it works well enough for the rare occasions I need it to get the saw bar loose. The bevel of the edge, is unique, as well as the finish on the head. The edge has a sharper bevel than I'm used, to, and the finish is very slick. However, in use, it seems to cut well, and is very resistant to sticking in the branch or tree you are cutting, which is my gripe about most hatchets. Most hatchets have a thin bevel to the edge, so they can cut a larger branch in one chop, but tend to stick in the trunk if used to fell a tree. The combination of sharp edge, unique bevel, and slick finish, works very well to allow this to slice as large a branch in one chop as any hatchet I have used, while still not wedging itself stuck when chopping a larger tree trunk. It also comes with a cover for the head, to protect the edge (and you) and doubles as a carry handle. I would have given it 5 stars instead of 4, but at the bottom of the handle, there was a very sharp edge at the seam, from the way it was molded. It doesn't weaken the handle, but it was large enough, and sharp enough it was borderline painful to use, until I filed it smooth with a chain saw file. Maybe it was just mine, that slipped through quality control, but 30 seconds with sandpaper at the factory on that sharp seam, and I would have given it 5 stars. If you get one, check the end of the handle, to be sure it will not be uncomfortable to use.

Tons of people are using these now over traditional axes and they seem to measure up really well. To start, because of the hollow handle an axe of the same size can concentrate more weight in the head. I found that I got used to this balance very quickly. The grip is great and it feels solid in the hands. I was deciding between this axe and the similar X7 hatchet and I'm glad I got this axe. With the heavier head and longer handle I can really tackle larger logs and even split pretty well. The axe didn't come super sharp but usable. I sharpened it up to razor sharp before my first use and found that it held that edge through about 45 minutes of constant chopping and splitting. I do kinda hate the case it comes with so that's the only thing I'd change. It's fine for storage in the garage or back of your truck, but it doesn't really carry well. A nice leather sheath or a kydex one would be a big improvement. I think there is something to the non-stick coating they claim give such good penetration on each chop. I found that it didn't stick in the wood except when I was splitting difficult logs and even then wasn't as hard to get out as some axes I've used. The steel of the blade is proprietary but I will say that it's not the hardest steel out there. I think it's very suitable for an axe blade though. When you hit a hard knot or dirt or whatever, it will roll rather than chip so it's not as catastrophic to the blade. However as I mentioned it took a very sharp edge and held it through a lot of chopping so I think that's all I can ask for. It comes with a lifetime warranty and from what I've heard they're impossible to break so I think that's pretty darn good for $28. I highly recommend it.

I bought the Fiskars hatchet a while back, and absolutely loved it. If the hatchet was that good, the full-sized axe must be too, right? Quite! It goes 2 inches into the wood with every serious swing! Granted, it is not a supreme axe for just bucking large logs on the ground. Being 6 feet tall, I had to bend a little to reach the log. This is, however, the ultimate multi-purpose axe. I use it for felling tres, large and small, and its size and weight make it sublime for limbing. As with all Fiskars cutting tools, this is very sharp, and cuts through even twigs very easily. So, pretty much, if you want to fell a tree, this axe: clears the brush at the base of the tree, drops it, and limbs it, all with amazing efficency, speed, comfort, and fun. You would, again, want to go for a chain saw or longer axe to cut it up. To sum up, this is the ideal axe for a homeowner that needs it for cleaning up after a storm, felling small trees, and other small chopping jobs. It is also a wonderful secondary axe for the professional. Update: I have folded the bit. I believe that this is because I was swinging it too hard into dry, knotty wood. Despite its folding, however, there seemed to be only a slight reduction in performance, and the damage in question was repaired in less than five minutes with a file. Moral of story: do not swing it with too much force, it still cuts just as well without it.