Fiskars X7 Small 14" Hatchet Axe with Sheath for Chopping Wood Kindling for Campfires, Outdoors & Camping, Insert-Molded Forged Steel Head, Low-Friction Blade, Shock Absorbing Handle & Non-Slip Grip

I'm an enthusiastic camper and backpacker who loves making campfires, and I also have a wood burning fireplace that I use a lot. Lately I've been looking for a really good 'upgrade' axe or hatchet, both for camping and for splitting smaller logs up to 12-18" for the home fireplace. After a lot of research, I settled on two FISKARS products, this X7 Hatchet and the 28-inch F25 axe. I'm totally pleased. They've exceeded al expectations, and I'm going to review each of them. Other than size, their designs are identical, so everything I'm about to say applies to both the X7 Hatchet and the X25 Axe equally. Long story short, these Fiskars' are really excellent. This is easily the best hatchet I've ever owned, including my Estwing all-steel hatchet and a number of very good vintage hickory-handle hatchets from Plumb and other USA makers. Those are all great cutting tools, but this Fiskars is on a whole different level. It's like comparing a modern Glock polymer .40 semiauto to a 1917 Colt .38 revolver. Both are great, but the newer design clearly outperforms. The Fiskars has a completely hollow handle, which is a huge weight savings. That fiberglass handle is virtually indestructible; the Fiskars website shows a video of a big truck rolling over those handles without any damage. So unlike wooden handles, this one won't break. It's totally immune to understrikes. It's amazing, and if I didn't own these I would have found it hard to believe. And if you do somehow manage to break it, Fiskars has a lifetime warranty. If your Fiskars ever breaks, just email them a photo of the broken tool and they will ship you a replacement for free. Fiskars' blade shape is like a splitting wedge, which is why it splits so well. The angle of the wedge on the hatchet is the same exact angle as on my 28" Fiskars axe. By contrast, most other hatchets (and most axes) use a more knife-like shape which slices in, but does not wedge wood apart very well. The Fiskars does both. It also arrives VERY sharp out of the box, unlike many other brands of hatchet/axe. There are many homemade owner videos and reviews on youTube showing the Fiskars products slicing and splitting BIG logs, often with a single strike. It looks too good to be true, but these are not faked videos. I know because my Fiskars gives the same performance. I'd say 60-70% of the time I can split with one good strike. It's rare to take more than two strikes. The design of the Fiskars is that ergonomic and the wedge shaped blade is that effective. Fiskars uses a relatively soft steel, which means it is more prone to dent or roll on the edge. On the other hand, it's very unlikely to chip. So plan on sharpening your Fiskars periodically, but that should only take a couple of minutes. Fiskars makes a $10 sharpener specifically for their axes and hatchets. I don't own it yet but there are rave reviews on all the blade forums and websites. About the sheath: The Fiskars do not come with traditional sheaths. (I wish they did). Instead they come with a lightweight plastic snap-in holder which protects the blade, but is not designed for belt carry. There's a clever youTube video in which an owner shows his modifications of the factory Fiskars sheath. Basically he cuts off the useless plastic loop at top and drilled 2 sets of 2 holes (4 total), then runs Paracord through the 2 sets of holes to make Paracord belt loops. You could also just cut off that top loop and use the holder as is, either lashed to our pack or inside it. Both the 28" X25 Axe and the 14" X7 hatchet are totally outstanding. There's also a F11 "splitting hatchet" and an F27 36" long "splitting axe" with even more effective wedge shaped blades. I don't own either of these, but the video reviews are impressive and I would recommend checking these out. I chose the X7 for backpacking and light weight, but if weight did not matter and I wanted a 'car camping' or base camp/cabin hatchet, I would have chosen the F11 instead. I found my X25 axe for a giveaway price at a garage sale, but if I were going to buy it again at full retail I would spend the few extra dollars for the 36" F27, even though the X25 I found performs great and does a great job. The 28" X25 works so well I'll probably never be able to justify buying the longer 36" X27. Outstanding products. I totally recommend these, and the price on Amazon (around $25 for the X7 hatchet, around $45 for the X25 axe) is a steal for the quality you get. The X7 hatchet is also available at a lot of Wal-Marts in the camping department, and some WalMarts and all Home Depot's carry the X25 axe at around $45-50. These sometimes go on seasonal sales as well. So there's no need to overpay online. I hope this is helpful as you comparison shop online. Happy trails and safe chopping, everybody.

fiskars makes really good stuff. this is a really great sized little axe and scary sharp. stays sharp. lightweight, swings well and the grip is comfy

I spent a long time researching all of Amazon’s top 100 hatchets. I’m convinced this was the best possible choice & worth every penny! LIFETIME WARRANTY was a huge selling point. Materials are top notch, especially the slick & durable ceramic-teflon-style coated blade. I chopped about 50 small to medium branches (including cedar) with surprising ease & comfort which left very minimal scuff marks & no scratches. Came sharp with a precise well-ground edge but I would invest $20 for a Sharpal diamond file sharpener (course + fine dual sided) for touch ups. Size & weight are perfect with nice balance, the relatively small head is extremely effective! I felt zero shock transfer from the nearly indestructible handle, it absorbs chopping impact surprisingly well. It’s all molded as a single piece so the head will never come loose. Fiskars Pro series makes very fine cutting tools! The locking carry handle is a nice touch & great feature. The high quality steel was designed specifically for chopping so it’s tough but not overly hardened. Hard strikes may gently roll the edge rather than chipping. A quick touch up after extended use will smooth & sharpen back to a factory edge. Enjoy, cause it truly is that impressive!!

As someone who enjoys a good blade, I can tell you that this hatchet is quite nifty. It has good heft, seems to chop like a dream, splits wood pretty well, especially for not being a splitting axe designated by Fiskar and is made quality. I love the coating on the blade, making it feel a bit glossy and therefore helping it to slide through the wood when splitting. I do understand the complaints some have about the composite of the axe handle going around the outside of the blade material, thereby exposing it to scraping damage when splitting wood, but frankly the material holding the axe head is so tough, other than cosmetic, I don't think it will be compromised for a very long time due to regular use. I'll admit that I was disappointed that the entire handle of this axe is hollow, but I can't take any starts away from it because the darn thing seems incredibly strong. Just be aware that the hollow handle is part of the shock absorption design I suppose. A surprise, but new tricks are fine when they work, and this seems to. The "sheath" for the blade is pretty handy too, and allows you to throw the axe into a bag or drawer without worrying about cutting other stuff. It only covers one side however, so if you lightly oil your axe, keep in mind that one side of the blade is exposed even when in the holder. The axe came pretty shard, and I went out to split some wood with it just for fun. It excels at splitting kindling, so much so that you'd better not have anyone standing to the sides of you when you do it. The wood jumps off this blade. For now, it lives in my bug out bag, and we take it camping. Great product.

top quality hatchet, razor sharp and great size

Great little hatchet, very sharp and light and great price. Perfect for camping

Good one. Really sharp & useful

El hacha está bien contruída, es ligera y de un tamaño ideal. No es muy pequeña pero tampoco es muy grande, muy conveniente para lleevar en la mochila o en el carro. Ya viene afilada, lista para usarse. El hacha se adquirió a un precio aproximado a los 600 pesos mexicanos (poco menos de 30USD). Naturalmente se agotó. No vale la pena comprarla al precio "normal" de Amazon, que son alrededor de 1000 pesos (60USD).

ソロキャンプの薪割り、ブッシュクラフト用に購入しました。 千吉グラスファイバー柄アッキスを今まで使っていましたが、やはり刃の食い込みが悪く、かといって鉈だと薪割りにはパワーが足りないのでこれを買ってみました。 数度使った感想としては『万能斧としては優秀』 刃は研いでいませんが、そのままでも結構使えます。 『刃が付いていない』というコメントがありますが、おそらく刃先までコーティングされているからだと思います。数度使うか砥石でコーティングを剥がすと鋭い刃先になります。 全体的には軽いですが、ヘッドがそれなりの重量があるのでコントロールしやすく使いやすいです。 刃は木に食い込みやすいので、振り下ろすだけではなく薪に添えての叩き割りでも良く食い込みますので、キャンプ程度の薪割りには十分かと。 倒木を小さくして除去するのにもザクザク食い込み腕の太さ位の木ならばさほど苦労なく細かくできます。 フェザーを作る事もできるので素早く焚火をするのには最適。 もちろん、細かい作業はナイフの方が断然良いですが『手斧』という製品の性質上、刃の付き具合やバランスはブッシュクラフト用に振っていると思うので、それを理解した上で使いこなせれば頼りになるかと思います 2022/5/09 追記 購入してから約2年経ってのレビューです まず、ファットウッドの採取などや薪を割ってますが今のところ柄が壊れるといったグラスファイバーのトラブルはありません。 また、そうそう刃こぼれはせず刃持ちは良いです。 薪割りに関しては立てた状態の使用に関しては刃が食い込みやすく節があるとか太く湿っている薪以外なら難なく割れます。 ただ、刃の形状的に薪を寝かして刃を当てながら割るといった使い方だとコツが居ります。 そこはハスクバーナのH900の方が適しているかなと。 2年使って、やはり薪割りも含めたブッシュクラフトハチェットだと思います。