I love my hatchet!

Many folk will tell you it's very therapeutic to chop wood and I'm no different. I have a chainsaw, a bow saw, several handsaws, a log splitter/maul and this handy little hatchet which I use to make kindling.

This particular steel one is relatively new and it is much better than the wood handled one I had before which had to be retired on Health and Safety grounds after the shaft became loose and stubbornly resisted my repair attempts. I took a bit of a risk buying this on-line as I would normally like to handle this kind of tool prior to purchase to test for quality and feel.

I like the fact that it has a nice rubberised grip. This helps to ensure that there are no slips which could cause accidents or lost digits. It feels good to hold. I get a couple of loads of logs every winter to use in our wood-burner and select several knot free ones to set aside for chopping. This is important. No hatchets like knots and your fire doesn't light as well with knotty kindling. Lots of sparks.

The weight is just right - any lighter and it wouldn't be man enough for the job - any heavier and it might have been a difficult or a bit tiring to wield repeatedly when chopping sticks. The distribution of the weight is also good. Can't imagine all these factors haven't been designed in to make this an effective and comfortable tool to use.

I like the little leather-look cover for the business end, which I always use to put my hatchet away for the next time. This has been something of a novelty for me as my last tool enjoyed no such luxurious accoutrement.

This hatchet has never been sharpened and because I only use it for kindling it hasn't suffered any knocks or scrapes to damage the blade. Although it has only seen one season's chopping, it works very well and I would have no issue recommending it.

I find it eminently fit for purpose and it makes short work of chopping kindling. Always remember, however, that using a hatchet is very dangerous. They are not very forgiving if, in an absent minded moment, you leave your steadying finger in the way. Do take care! Keep your fingers well away from the business end. You need a good hand/eye coordination for this task.