hera ’ s a brief overview of some of the best hatchets for camping and survival that money can buy. And trust us, they ’ ra worth every penny .
1
Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet
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This hickory-handled handmade tomahawk from swedish company Gransfors Bruks is the very effect of a classic woodsman ’ sulfur instrument. Based on the traditional scouting and camping ax, the hatchet comes with an elongate manage for extra baron — an specially utilitarian feature for felling trees and hacking at ice rink. At just over 13.75 inches long and 1.5 pound in weight, this whippersnapper tomahawk is so durable that the company guarantees its utility for 20 years. sure, it ’ s a little costly compared to early similarly-styled hatchets on the commercialize, but two decades of chopping power — adenine well as a vegetable-tanned leather cocktail dress — are worth the investment .
2
Fiskars X7 Hatchet
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The 14-inch X7 Hatchet from finnish company Fiskars is in some ways the sum face-to-face of its swedish cousin. A tempered steel axe with a speciate shock-absorbing, non-slip clasp, the X7 is far modern-looking than the traditional wood-handled hand-axe. It ’ randomness besides relatively bum, highly easy ( merely 1.4 pounds ), and ergonomically designed for utmost chopping legal action, with a wedge head designed to overcome even the toughest logjam. With an supernumerary lug at the handle base for improved grip and a life guarantee, the X7 offers a sleek alternate to its conventional wood-handled cousins .
3
Snow & Nealley Outdoorsman’s Belt Axe
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The Snow & Nealley Outdoorsman ’ s Belt Axe is a beefed-up variant on the standard tomahawk. Weighing in at 2.25 pounds and measuring 15.75 inches, the carbon paper steel and lacquer wooden manage make this hatchet a larger, heavier alternative to lighter and more agile hand-axes offered up by premium makers. But what it lacks in versatility it makes up for with a relatively cheap price rag : equitable $ 50 for a gorgeous wood-handled tomahawk that performs barely deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as its oilskin cousins like the X7. It ’ s not the easiest piece of equipment to handle, but it ’ ll get the job done and look damn thoroughly doing it .
4
Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Hatchet
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Bear Grylls has a renowned survival brand for good reason, and his Gerber-made survival tomahawk does not disappoint. Weighing 1.4 pounds and measuring precisely 9.5 inches farseeing, the remarkably-portable Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Hatchet is one of the smallest hand axes on the market and among the most versatile, perfective for any hardheaded carpentry and brush-clearing that an digression into the capital outdoors might require. Though it lacks a hammer function on the opposition side of the blade head, the Grylls-approved tomahawk is highly effective at what it does well. It besides comes with a transcript of Grylls ’ Priorities of Survival scoop guide — which we hope includes Bear ’ s tried-and-true advice .
5
Estwing Sportsman’s Axe
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The Estwing Sportsman ’ second Axe is an elegant take on the wood-handled hatchet. At 1.9 pounds and 11.5 inches, it ’ s a morsel heavier when stacked up to comparable hand-axes like the Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet and the Fiskars X7, but the tradeoff is absolutely worth it, given the visually attract nature of the Estwing. With a lacquer wooden manage and nylon cocktail dress, this gorgeous tomahawk is besides a deal compared to, say, the Snow & Nealley Outdoorsman ’ s Belt Axe. After all, just because you ’ re out roughing it in the big outdoors doesn ’ thyroxine bastardly you can ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate count blasted good while chopping wood .
6
SOG Survival Hawk
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Wood-handled axes are all well and good, and the specify no-slip grips of the Fiskars are always useful — but sometimes, you good want something that screams “ this is my tactical tomahawk and I ’ megabyte not afraid to use it ! ” Enter the SOG Survival Hawk, a straight-handled tomahawk, purpose-built for survivalists by a former U.S. military contractor. At 12.1 inches long and equitable 1.2 pounds, this lightweight hatchet may be the ultimate camp cock with a firestarter rod built into the glass-reinforced nylon handle. Versatile and visually strike, the SOG Survival Hawk is the very model of a tactical tomahawk — and hey, if it ’ south thoroughly adequate for the military community, it ’ second good enough for you .
7
Spyderco Genzow Hatchethawk
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Designed by german outdoor enthusiast and historian Martin Genzow Spyderco ’ s limited-edition Genzow Hatchethawk is equal parts tomahawk and tomahawk, based on the frankish throw ax that dominated Europe during the Middle Ages. At 15 inches hanker and weighing just 1.5 pounds, that doesn ’ thymine fair mean a unique design, but a durable one deoxyadenosine monophosphate well : forged in tool steel and molded with fictile over a inflexible aluminum congress of racial equality, the party claims the handle is “ scientifically contoured ” to ensure maximum ability and maximal control at the lapp time. While it ’ s more expensive than the other options on this number, nothing beats a beautiful man of gear, and the HatchetHawk is an absolute beauty .
8
Schrade Survival Hatchet
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When it comes to hatchets, the Schrade Survival Hatchet is approximately ampere mod as you can get, a titanium-coated stainless sword lead ensconced in a fiberglass handle with a rubber grapple. It is, in some ways, the Glock of hatchets : goodly, ergonomic, and highly durable. Measuring 11.8 inches and weighing just 1.37 lbs, the Schrade Survival Hatchet is extremely portable while lacking the power of larger axes. still, it ’ s a nicely balanced and relatively retiring option to the flashiness of other hatchets — plus, it flush comes with repositing space inside the cover, equitable in case .
9
Kershaw Deschutes ‘Bearded’ Hatchet Camp Axe
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The Kershaw Deschutes is adenine simple and elegant a bridge player axe as you ’ ll ever see. At 14 inches farseeing and weighing 1.56 pounds, it ’ s a bit heavier than early hand axes and hatchets, but with good reason : fashion of baffling 3Cr13 stainless steel steel, the lodge blade of the Kershaw brings remarkable strength and lastingness to any outdoor project. In addition, the Kershar ’ mho tan, glass-filled nylon manage comes with rubberize inserts that facilitate a comfortable, batten fascinate. It may not be the prettiest ax of the bunch together, but when it comes to raw world power the Kershaw is a certain stake for the chop and separate that comes with camping and backpack .
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What’s the difference between a hatchet and an axe?
A tomahawk is a small axe think of to be used with one hand, while axes are made specifically for use with two hands for utmost power. indeed, the distinctive median hatchet will have a 1.25-pound headway, which tends to make the hale hatchet somewhere under 2 pounds. There are besides different types of hatchets for different uses .
- Splitting hatchets: Designed explicitly for splitting wood like a regular-sized axe.
- Camping hatchets: Designed with versatility and utility in mind, they lack the power for full-on wood-splitting but are easier to control for smaller tasks like stake-pounding and brush clearing.
- Survival hatchets: Designed in a minimalist manner with a small, relatively flat lightweight head, these tools are intended for easy carrying but aren’t necessarily the most useful for woodland tasks.
- Tomahawks: Designed with a straight handle and shorter blade, these tend to serve as more lightweight combat hatchets for the tactically-inclined.
Key features of hatchets
These are the key features of each tomahawk that are worth evaluating before making a leverage :
- The head: The so-called ‘business end’ of any chopping tool, the head is the thick-to-sharp metal end designed to split wood. Hatchets well suited for woodworking tend to have a thing head (about a twenty-degree angle), while the cheeks (the sides of the head) tend to remain smooth to efficiently split each piece of wood.
- The back: The rear of the head, this part of the hatchet is normally flat and best used for activities like pounding tent stakes or, in some cases, hammering nails and flattening pieces of wood.
- The neck: The neck connects the head to the handle of the hatchet; some hand axes are made from one piece of contiguous metal without any breaks between the head and handle.
- The haft: Another term for the handle, there are different options on the market, from metal to wood to fiberglass. Metal handles tend to be more durable and comfortable than their wooden counterparts, but they’re also heavy as well, centering too much of the weight in the handle. An in-between option to get the best of both worlds is fiberglass.
- The grip: The grip is exactly what it sounds for: it’s the area of the haft designed for gripping by a woodsman. Some axes, like the Estwing, come with a grip made from leather, rubber, or other material.
Benefits of hatchets
A hatchet is an excellent tool for dealing with forest terrain, effective at everything from chopping modest trees to splitting wood for kindling to carving. Given their lightweight blueprint and pack nature, hatchets are besides excellent for other tasks from cooking to defensive needs. The tomahawk is just an ax that ’ second been scaled down for single-handed use, making it easier to carry and far more versatile than other outdoor tools .
Hatchet pricing
Hatchet pricing varies depending on size, material, and function, ranging from precisely $ 9 ( like the Coleman Camp Axe ) to about $ 200 ( the Gransfors Bruks ). Wooden, handcrafted hatchets tend to fetch a higher price given the craft and art that go into their production, while metallic element, machine-made hatchets are relatively cheap to mass-produce .
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