Having a survival hatchet during an outdoor adventure or any emergency can be very helpful…. It helps you with different kinds of work. From chopping wood to hammering tent pegs to other important life saving works.
But choosing the right hatchet is becoming pretty overwhelming nowadays……Because there are too many options available in the market and it seems confusing.
So In this post I’ll review some of the best survival hatchet. And I’ll cover all the good and bad aspects of survival hatchets in detail so that you can decide which one to buy.
Best Survival Hatchet
1. Fiskars 378501-1002 X7 Hatchet
The Fiskars X7 is a lightweight and well-balanced hatchet. It is made in Finland that comes at a very affordable price. The head of the hatchet is made up of high carbon steel which is known for its durability and hardness. The steel is very easy to sharpen and holds its edge well, even with repeated use.
The hatchet comes with a super sharp edge right out of the box. You can easily slice some paper into fine bites. Apart from this, the head is covered with a black fluorine coating. That is very smooth and does not create resistance when chopping. It also helps to prevent rusting but it is not a very durable coating so don’t expect much in this regard.
Moreover, the cutting edge of the hatchet has a scandi grind which is a perfect choice for wood processing. The edge really bites deep into the wood and brings out big chunks. That makes chopping a thick piece of wood very easy as well as fast.
The back of the head is flat which can be used to ground some tendons or hammer tent pegs. The handle of the X7 is 14 inches long which is a great compact size for a backpacking trip in the wild. It is made up of fiberglass with a hollow construction and has a big bulge at the bottom with a lanyard hole.
The handle is very comfortable with very good ergonomics that keep the hand in place without any hotspots. It also has rubberized textures which provides a very nice grip over the hatchet. Unfortunately, the hatchet does not have a full tang construction.
But this does not sacrifice its strength. As far as the sheath is concerned, it is made of polymer plastic. It consists of a handle for easy carry but there is no belt loop. The hatchet fits very snugly inside the sheath with a very minimum rattle. The lock keeps it in its place as well as avoids any accidents.
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2. Schrade SCAXE10
The steel has excellent corrosion resistance properties. And holds its edge for a long time. The cutting edge of the hatchet comes razor sharp from the factory. And you can even shave your arm with it right out of the box.
Moreover, the unpolished part of the head is covered with a powder coating. The coating not only looks good but also adds an extra layer to resist corrosion. The coating is also quite durable and will last for a long time. Apart from this, the hatchet has an all-round performance but it is not too good at a particular thing.
Whether it is chopping, slicing or carving it performs fairly good but not expectational. Part of which goes to its flat grind as far as we can tell. The back of the head is flat which can be used in place of a hammer. The hatchet has a full tang construction with a black TPR rubber handle over it.
The handle is extremely comfortable to use with no noticeable hotspot. Also the textures and the finger grooves on the handle provides a nice grip and feels very good in the hand. It really feels lightweight and balanced no matter what you are doing.
As for the sheath, it is made up of thermoplastic material which is a type of hard plastic. It is a pretty basic sheath with a belt loop at the back. Honestly, it is quite flimsy and not the perfect match for the hatchet. It will get the job done but eventually wears off pretty quickly. It is the only weak point about this whole package.
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3. Estwing Sportsman’s Axe – 14″ Camping Hatchet
Estwing sportsman is a sleek hatchet. The hatchet is made up of 1055 carbon steel which is known for its durability and toughness. It is an excellent quality steel that is easy to sharpen and holds its edge for a long time even after heavy use.
Out the box, the hatchet does not come with super sharp but it was not dull either. It was sharp enough to chop through a piece of thick wood with a little bit of effort. But once you have sharpened it up it works like a beast. It really bites deep into the wood and makes the process much faster without much effort.
However, the neck is a bit thin which makes choking it somewhat weird for carving. Apart from this, the back of the hand is flat and was very useful for all the hammer tasks. Whether it is grounding tendons or breaking nuts, it can do all the things.
The hatchet has a full tang construction with leather rings handle covering it. The handle has a lacquer coating over the leather rings to protect it from wear and tear. This coating really makes the handle very slippery for bare hand use.
However, with gloves, it works absolutely fine and provides a nice grip over the handle. Also, the hatchet is fairly heavy due to its full tang construction. This does affect the balance but it very small to go unnoticed while using it.
Apart from these two issues, the hatchet felt very comfortable and easy to use even for a longer period of time. Talking about the sheath, it comes with a pretty basic nylon sheath. The quality of the sheath is fairly good and it will do the job until you buy a new one. It also consists of a belt loop for easy carry.
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4. CRKT Woods Chogan Tomahawk Axe
CRKT woods chogan is a versatile and simple to use tomahawk/hatchet. The head of the tomahawk is forged out of 1055 carbon steel which is very durable and tough. The steel is easy to sharpen and holds its edge for a long period of time.
It also has a high tensile and does not chip very easily which makes it a very long-lasting tool. The head also has a clear powder coating that not only looks good but also helps to prevent corrosion. Apart from this, the tomahawk does not come sharp from the factory.
You have to work a bit to make it a proper functional tool which was very inconvenient. However, once it is nice and sharp it works very well. Whether it is chopping, carving or making feather sticks, it delivers a very good performance.
Moreover, it comes in three models, with hammer back, without hammer back and with spike back. We had the hammer back variant and it was very useful for grounding tendons or hammering tent pegs. This also makes it a bit heavy and you need to put a bit extra effort after every strike.
Furthermore, it consists of a Tennessee hickory handle which is a wooden handle. It is not the best handle but also not the worst either. It has a clear lacquer coating on it that makes it very slippery to use barehanded. The handle is also mostly straight so you have to adjust your grip after every strike.
But there are no noticeable hotspots or abnormalities on the handle, it was mostly comfortable, with or without gloves on. As for the sheath, it does not come with any sheath and you have to buy one yourself.
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5. Husqvarna 13″ Wooden Hatchet
The steel is very easy to sharpen and holds its edge for a long time even after heavy use. Talking about the edge, the hatchet comes sharp from the factory. It was sharp enough to easily slice through the paper.
The back of the head is flat and can be used for grounding tendons, hammering tent pegs and break some nuts. However, it may damage the hatchet due to its construction so do it on your risk.
Moreover, the entire head is coated with an anti-rust coating, except for the cutting edge, to prevent it from moisture. The hatchet has a nice grind on it that makes cutting wood very easy as well as fast. Not only that, but it is also very good when it comes to carving.
You can easily make spears, tent pegs or any other stuff according to your skill level. Talking about the handle, it is made up of a hickory wooden handle. It is very curvy and very comfortable to hold. It is somewhat thick but does not have any noticeable hotspots.
The good thing is that it is attached to the head using both a wooden as well as a steel wedge. To help to secure it in its place and avoid any accidents. As far as sheath is concerned, it comes with a pretty horrible sheath.
It is not even a sheath but only the covering or edge as far as we can tell. You have to buy a proper new sheath to use it as intended.
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6. Iunio Camping Axe, Hatchet (Pack)
Iunio camping axe is an all-in-one survival axe that can be used in many different situations. The multi-tool consists of a hatchet, a knife with saw teeth at the back, a fire steel, a whistle, and a compass. Let us talk about hatchets first and then we’ll talk about other stuff.
All the tools are constructed out of steel and covered in the black coating to prevent corrosion. There is not enough information about the type of steel used but the steel was quite durable and hard. In the case of the hatchet and the knife, it holds the edge for a long period of time and was fairly easy to sharpen.
Both the hatchet and the knife come super sharp from the factory . That is sharp enough to slice through the paper. The hatchet performs very well when it comes to chopping and splitting wood for fire. The process was both easily and fast.
However, it has its own limitations and you cannot do dedicated chopping with it. Apart from this, the back of the head is flat and can be used as a hammer. The handle of the hatchet is quite comfortable to hold. There are no noticeable hotspots and the entire handle has texture.
However, due to steel construction and weight of the hatchet it is not very grip. It will fly off in the middle of work if you will not cover it with grippy tape. Moreover, the handle does not unscrew with the normal use but if you try to push it, it will come loose.
Talking about the sheath, it comes with a basic nylon sheath that is enough to avoid any accident. The whole unit can be dismantled and can be stored in an included pouch to carry it around. Now talking about other things that come inside the hatchet.
All the things that are provided are upto the quality and perform how they should. This whole package is not the replace for the dedicated tools but it is nice to have in an emergency situation.
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7. Gerber 9-Inch Hatchet
The steel is very easy to sharpen and holds its edge well, even with repeated use. The hatchet does not come with a super sharp edge right out of the box. You have to work up a little to make it hair popping sharp. Apart from this, the head is covered with a black powder coating that helps to prevent rusting.
The coating is very smooth and does not create resistance when chopping. Moreover, the cutting edge of the hatchet has a good grind which is perfect for wood processing. The edge really bites deep into the wood which makes chopping a thick wood very efficient.
However, it is hard to chop pieces of wood with it. Furthermore, the back of the head is flat which can be used to ground some tendons or hammer tent pegs. The handle of the hatchet is 9 inches long which is a great compact size for a backpacking trip in the wild.
It is made up of fiberglass with a hollow construction and has a big bulge at the bottom with a lanyard hole. The handle is very comfortable with very good ergonomics that keep the hand in place without any hotspots. However, it has a very hammer-ish feel to it due to its small size.
Every strike has an impact in your hand and it is very tiring to chop big pieces of wood. As far as the sheath is concerned, it is made of polymer plastic. It consists of a handle for easy carry but there is no belt loop.
The hatchet fits very snugly inside the sheath with a very minimum rattle. The lock keeps it in its place as well as avoids any accidents.
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Things to consider before buying a Survival Hatchet
There are a lot of things to consider while buying but to make it simple these are some of the major things to look:-
Head
Head is the main part of the hatchet that provides you with chopping power. Look for something that has a forged carbon steel head. This will make it cheaper and also provide durability. Also, avoid the hatchets that are made entirely of stainless steel because they are not as strong as carbon steel.
Handle
On average, the handle of a hatchet is about 12 inches long. Traditionally, the handle is made up of wood and often hickory. The stronger wooden handle will have a grain aligned in the same direction as the blade. Avoid the handle that has the grain in horizontal to the blade. Because it will be weak and not able to withstand the force from chopping. Lately, handles are also made of various other strong alternatives to the traditional wooden handles.
Weight
Weight of the hatchet affects the efficiency and ease of usability. It should not be too heavy or too light. It is best to find something in between that provides you with enough chopping power without sacrificing ease of use. Try to use it before buying to know if it will suit you or not.
Balance
The balance of the hatchet is very important to ensure that you can hit the target with each swing. The hatchet with the handles slightly curved are easy to weld with good balance and accuracy.
