Husqvarna Hatchet, Small Axe with Leather Sheath and Hickory Handle, Ideal Small Hatchet Axe for Camping Gear and Gardening Tools

I was looking for a solid no-frills hatchet with a classic aesthetic and this worked out great. It's surprisingly high quality for the price, and the head has a wonderful visual texture being not quite smooth or uniform. It's hand forged in Sweden apparently, how fancy.The handle is solid and has an attractive wood grain. It could probably use re-finishing but I honestly love the way it looks so I may just leave it. It's attached to the head firmly and securely. As other reviews have stated, the Husky logo is just printed on the wood surface instead of burnt on, which is a missed opportunity. Oh well, it sanded off in about 5 minutes and now it's devoid of branding except for the small elegant logo pressed into the metal head. This suits me just fine.It needed an edge when it arrived, but I was in a rush and ended up skipping it for my first camping trip. It still worked great, it was the only hatchet we had, so it saw a good amount of use splitting wood and cutting sticks. I put an edge on it when I got home and it works all the better, hasn't showed signs of needed a new one yet.Big bonus, it even comes with a nice leather blade cover that has a nice metal snap closure! The whole thing feels like a much higher-quality product than the price would suggest (Printed Husky logo notwithstanding) so pick it up if you're looking for a good hatchet that doesn't look like it came from a sci-fi Viking movie.

Everything about this hachet is superb at any price. The fact that it cost less than $50 is amazing. The head is great, rough enough to remind you it's hand made but refined enough to confirm its an item of quality. It arrived appropriately sharp. The handle is the nicest of any of my axes. It's nice and appropriately thin where it should be and stout where it needs it. It provides for an excellent and sure grip. Head to handle fitment is great too...fitting together like a glove. The only place it doesn't recieve stellar marks is with the sheath. The sheathe is quite spartan, though it performs the intended job well. Would recommend to anyone. Would absolutely buy again...moreover, this would make a fine gift to any outdoorsman or scout.

Great hatchet, very durable and use it all the time to make kindling. I sanded down the handle to make it smoother and used tongue oil to protect it. good steel that has held a good edge.

So I'm a bit of an axe collector, but I'm not the "hang them on my wall" type (nothing wrong with that) just saying that I'm more of the collector type that just truly enjoys having several different axes and putting them to use every chance I get. All of my axes get used frequently and are always performing strenuous tasks (limbing, felling, splitting, hewing etc). I now own the Husqvarna hatchet, the forest (I believe they call it the multipurpose axe) and the carpenter's axe. These are all the wood handled models. I also purchased the hatchet for each of my sons as well. Every Husqvarna axe I've purchased has performed flawlessly in every instance and I am amazed at the quality and durability for the price. You'd have to pay double or even triple to get this same quality from other brands, I know, because I have.... in short, I highly doubt you'll be disappointed in any of their axes.

Spent a couple weeks researching possible hatchets and small axes for camping purposes. I liked the size and price point of this Husqvarna model for a hand-forged Swedish steel hatchet. What I received was a product that had what appeared to be a very course, machine-ground edge. The finish appearance of the head looked nothing like the Amazon photo and was all black except for the cutting edge. As others have noted, it is basically an unfinished product. However the grain orientation of the handle was decent and leather sheath doable. So I looked at this as a kit project that needed completion and for the forty-odd bucks I paid for it, could make work for my intended purpose with a little sweat equity.I first lightly sanded the hickory handle and rubbed in a couple light coats of boiled linseed oil to seal and protect the wood. This also provided a nice luster to the grain.I then cut a small strip of heavy duty self-adhering felt blanket (also called surface saver) from Ace Hardware and inserted this into the leather sheath opposite the snap closure to snug up the sloppiness of fit. Now it fits perfectly and saved me another 25-40 buck for a custom sheath.Then I spent about six hours over a weekend reshaping and sharpening the cutting edge with a file and abrasive pads. I put the final edge on with a lansky puck that would shave the hair on my arm.I finally wrapped the upper portion of the hickory handle with 550 paracord to protect from overstrikes and kickback.My field test consisted on cutting several green 2-4 inch tree limbs and batoning through a few 4-6 inch dry logs. I liked the weight, performance and balance of the hatchet, as well as the length, grip and feel of the hickory handle. It also seemed to keep the edge quite well during the time I used it.I gave this Husqvarna 13 inch hatchet four stars out of five in every category because while it could be a fine tool, it came unfinished and required time and effort to make it right. Time will tell if it’s been worth it and the real test comes this summer during my 45-60 days of camping.I’ve included a photo of my final modifications and will provide an update later in the summer.UPDATE: July 14, 2021After camping for a week and using this hatchet about every day, I can report that I am delighted with the handling and performance of this product after my modifications previously noted. It maintained a sharp edge all week and showed no nicks or other imperfections even after the axe head traveled through the wood and into the ground several times. I only sharpened it at the end of the week on the night before I broke camp. I’ve attached a photo of the hatchet next to a small pile of firewood I split, frequently using a batoning method to drive the axe head through the larger pieces of wood.UPDATE: August 7, 2021I’ve been camping in Northern Michigan another three times since my last update for a total of 10 days and used the Husqvarna 13” hatchet every day out for kindling and firewood. I am amazed how well it maintains an edge, showing little if any wear on these excursions and never had to touch it up until the end of a trip. And honestly, it probably really doesn’t need it then, but it’s part of my equipment routine. Still no nicks whatsoever in the edge, what amazing steel this is! A park ranger friend was impressed with the performance and edge of my hatchet and asked me to sharpen his. Since I had my file and lansky puck with me, I gladly obliged and was surprised at how soft the steel was in his hatchet compared to my Husqvarna. I’m glad that I wrapped the upper portion of the handle with paracord as there have been numerous kickbacks when splitting firewood and scraping when batoning the hatchet head through larger pieces of wood, but the wrap has protected the hickory handle from any damage. I highly recommend everyone use some kind of protection like this for the handle.In summary, I put this hatchet at the top of my list for best purchases in 2021, even though I had to do a little work when I got it. It sure was worth it! Today I just ordered it’s larger cousin, the Husqvarna wooden 26” multi-purpose axe, and I can only hope I get the same results. Be safe out there!

It's a hatchet. It cuts wood. Seriously though it's a thinner Swedish steel blade supposedly made in the Hultafors forges. While not as refined as a Hults Bruk or even the Hultafors, it is still a great axe. With minimal work this is a fine tool that will last a lifetime. The handle I got was tight grained and dead-on. With minor handle reshaping, sanding and a tung oil coat it is comfortable in the hand and beautiful to look at. I did not need to reprofile the edge, but it did need a little more time on the stone to bring to the sharpness I wanted. The steel seems good and took the edge well. For the price it is well worth it.