Fiskars X7 Hatchet Lightweight Wood Splitter for Small to Medium Size Kindling with Proprietary Blade and Shock-Absorbing FiberComp Handle, Lawn and Garden Tool, 14 inch, 1.5 pounds

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!!

After many purchases on Amazon, I think this may be my first review. I am extremely happy with this splitting ax.Here are my reasons for buying it:I do not own a wood stove, but I have had a number of large trees fall in the yard over the years. I typically just cut them with the chainsaw to a reasonable size and put them in the woods. However, I do have a fire pit and thought it would be great to start splitting some of these pieces into a size that would burn easier and would be more manageable. I could not justify a power splitter because, as I mentioned, I do not heat using a wood stove, and I thought using this ax would be good exercise. The number of positive reviews on amazon and YouTube convinced me to buy this particular splitting ax. Those reviews were correct. This was a great purchase that was well worth the money.Here are why I think it is great:Simply put, it cuts better and with less force than any maul or splitting ax that I have used. Nearly every cut is a full split on the first swing. In many cases, you do not have to use a full swing to split the logs, and those instances where I did not have a full split was because I only lightly swung the ax. Essentially, you can look at the blade design and see it is well designed to cut and wedge the wood. While not paper light, it is much lighter than a maul meaning one can work longer with it too. I used this ax primarily on Oak and Poplar. I also used it on green and old wood. The green obviously took a fuller swing, but not by much. If you do find that you need to make a full swing, the handle is very long and the head is lighter than a maul; so, you can generate a lot of acceleration resulting in tremendous force.I also tested it in near freezing weather because I was concerned that the composite handle may have issues in the cold (much like one is not supposed to use a composite baseball bat in cold weather.) It had no issues at all. As a matter of fact, on my first swing, I took a hard swing and missed terribly. I hit the handle directly on the log. It only scuffed it slightly. There is also no real vibration in the handle like you get in a wood handle ax. The shape and texture at the end of the handle makes for an easy firm grip too, even with gloves on. In addition, I have seen in other reviews that Fiskars is great about honoring the warranty if something happens to the handle. In theory, this should be the last splitting ax that I ever have to buy.As with any splitting ax/maul, I do recommend putting your wood on a stump for those instances where you cut clear through the log. The blade is sharp and has held its edge well, but it would clearly chip if hit into gravel or an unexpected very hard surface or material. In addition, I recommend wrapping the wood in a tire or strap to stop the pieces from flying. This will stop you from having to bend over so often to pick up the pieces.In summary, this has been a great product that does what it is supposed to do very well. The multitude of positive reviews will attest to this. It is a superb product with a great warranty from a reputable company. If you need an ax or maul for log splitting, I see no reason not to buy this product.

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.

X17 axe. Been looking for a budget friendly axe since i dont wanna spend $300 on a really nice one yet. I probably wont after trying this brand. Im splitting hardwood logs in one swing with one hand 8 times out of 10. With both hands i can split it against the grain in two strikes. This axe is awesome. Light weight. But packs a punch. Ill end up getting the smaller one as well. Functionality:Perfect. Durability:Looks strong. Looks like it wont rust either. Handle feels great.