Good head, steel and handle. Needs finishing work. Good axe head for crafting. Needed some sharpening and angle/grind setting. Toe and heel needed grinding flat. C45 steel developed a strong wire edge, but it came off with fine stones and stropping. Very good hickory handle with good grain orientation, but with some light checking cracks. Had a smooth and even varnish coat, but it scraped off fairly easily and is better looking, more durable and has better grip with finishing oil now. A cost effective underfinished hatchet that fixes up…

Questionable handles, read updates. In a world of mass produced hatchets at about the same price point, this one is undoubtedly the best. It came pretty sharp; sharper than you expect if you aren’t familiar with good hatchets, but not sharp enough if you are.Haft has decent grain and was aligned very well. Overall finish was pretty good, but not perfect. You can spend a little time and make this much nicer looking and better finished if you want.Balance is excellent. I took it out of the box and since I…