Bulldog BHATCHETFG 1.5 lb Hatchet, Green

After recently purchasing this small axe/hatchet for around only a tenner, I was actually surprised at the quality of this tool. Just to get it out of the way, it does NOT come razor sharp upon delivery. However I was pleased with the overall finish of the cutting edge and it was far sharper than I was expecting. That being said, there was a very minor chip/fold along the cutting edge upon delivery but nothing that concerned me too much. The steel is of good quality for the price and with only a few minor touch ups of the blade, this axe could easily be razor sharp if you so desired. Onto general use and comfort... I have found the fibreglass handle REALLY comfortable to hold. I am a large glove size and I find this handle design to be ideal. Easy to grip (the hook hold at the base makes it easy to keep hold of during heavier chopping too) and I have experienced no hot spots during use so far. It feels good and quite weighty to hold, which gives you extra purchase and bite when chopping. But this axe really comes into its own when choked up high for general tidying up of materials and finer work. The balance of this axe is great for this and you can draw the necessary momentum and cutting/planing action with relative ease just by using mostly your wrist and the weight of the axe head itself. This is a benefit that will spare your forearms and triceps a reasonable amount of work. Again, I’m very pleased. In terms of durability, I cannot comment on how this tool holds up to very heavy chopping/use. I did not buy this axe for that purpose. My recommendation is to be realistic about your expectations of this tool. It is a small, 1.5lb axe that costs a tenner. If you want the durability, quality, style and chopping prowess of a Gransfors Bruk, simply go out and buy a Gransfors and save yourself the disappointment. What I have used this axe for so far is as follows: felling dead standing wood of around 3-4inch thickness (Ash, Pine, English Oak and Birch). Processing said wood into smaller logs and splitting for kindling. I have also choked the axe for general tidying and knot-removal of 1-2 inch thick, longer materials to create improvised tent poles and lashing points when constructing popup sun shelters and camp. Stripping lengths of green sapling bark from already downed trees. Minor hammering (using the backside of the axe head) of improvised guy line pegs, shelter poles and the crushing of berries/nuts. In summary, this is a fantastic axe for light-moderate use. If treated appropriately, I believe this will serve you well for years to come. Keep in mind that all tools are designed for specific purposes and all tools have a breaking point. If I was a betting man, I’d wager that this particular axe will fail under less stress than a Gransfors or a Helko, for example. But at a tenner, I think it’s an absolute steal! FINALLY - Please remember to use your axe responsibly, respectfully and safely. Please do not begin felling living trees or damaging foliage outside of your own property. You should exercise the correct safety protocols during use at all times. If you need any pointers on this, please search on YouTube “Paul Kirtley Axe Technique” where you will find free videos from Paul which will demonstrate how to stay safe and how to protect yourself and others while using your axe. He has also created great videos on how to care for and maintain your axe. You can find plenty of free help on this subject on Paul’s website, just Google search “Paul Kirtley website” or similar and you will find it.

Fabulous tool for such a small price. Purchased as a cheap buy for a camping weekend at short notice thinking it would be blunt quickly and could throw after the weekend , was amazed what great quality it is and have kept it using it frequently and not had to sharpen it as yet. Would highly recommend

The hatchet itself seems well made and it did come pretty sharp. It definitely is good enough to chop up firewood and would probably even be alright on a camping trip. The one issue I have with this is that it came a bit rusty not enough to affect the use or anything but still, when you buy a brand new item you expect it to be in prestine condition. Luckily the rust is minimal and it isn’t on the edge or anything so it won’t cause any issues it’s just a bit weird.

I bought this because I was having trouble digging a large stump out of the ground, the roots were going straight down, deep into the earth. and I could not get at them easily. The 1.5lb axe arrived in excellent condition. It was well balanced and sharp enough to do the job. Even hitting into the soil, it went straight through the roots and a job that has been giving me problems was completed in moments. I had thought that I was buying a throw away tool but I will now re-sharpen it and use it again. (Cutting down into soil would take the edge off any axe)

When I bought this I'd just gotten a wood burner and needed a hand axe to chop kindling. This axe more than does the job, is extremely tough and is excellent value for money.

I bought this for my forest school toolbox as I need to carry all my tools out. I don't think I'll use it that often as I don't go round axing anything up but I felt it was that handy tool in the box you'll use very occasionally and one time is enough to pay for itself. Would recommend and is fit for purpose, cute and sturdy in the hand. Would also be able to teach a young responsible 'able' person to use as part of tool handling and practice. Good for chopping kindling and fire wood if already reasonably small in stump size. Came with a very useless sheath on the main blade but was already split. I will wrap in cloth or leather anyway... so no big deal but would have loved a little head cover for it as a finishing off but still five stars as price was effective and affordable.

Arrives blunt so you have to purchase a sharpening stone if you want to use it! It should probably have a warning about this, or come as a package? It looks well made, good weight to it... i just need to sharpen it before I can really put it to the test!

Excellent product and very good value! Would have got 5 stars if the packaging had been more appropriate; it was wrapped in bubble wrap but this was not secured/taped and, as this is an axe, it had made a large hole in the grey postage bag. To his credit, the courier pointed this out to me as he wanted to ensure no damage had occurred to the product as a result. I use it to split logs into smaller pieces and, so far, it's been more than up to the task. Obviously the blade edge will dull after time but a good whetstone sorts this easily. 4 stars for the sturdiness as time will tell but the blade and handle do instill confidence.