You may have seen the articles I did on a couple of machetes a while back, and how I used them to cut up some small firewood as a torture test. I mentioned that I usually use my axe for a job like that. I don't have a full blown large log splitting man-axe, because I usually buy/cut/find pieces that are more manageable, or use a cordless reciprocating saw that I own. I buy bundles that are more the size I will wind up using. I cut down, or cut up what I intend to burn. Sometimes I pick up dead limbs and such from the side of the road, in the size I need. Most of this does need a little whittling though. For that job, I've been using a United Cutlery M48 Tomahawk. Now, I can hear what some of you are thinking, "Aw hell, he's gone and got one of them 'tacti-cool' tomahawks and is trying to be a badass." Well, no, I haven't.
I looked around for a small, lightweight, but capable camping axe or hatchet that would fit the bill for me to take with me on or in my pack for camping/emergencies. Generally, when I'm looking around for something, I research the daylights out of it. I find out everything I can on a couple of different options, and then pick what appeals to my needs/wants the best. This axe was no different. I checked out generic 1.25 pound plastic handled camping axes which were inexpensive with no frills. I looked at some fairly expensive name brand "camping" axes and hatchets which were basically the same as the cheapies. I looked into tomahawks and limbsaws. I finally decided that for the prices I was looking at, and my budget, trying out an inexpensive tomahawk would be a good starting place for me, with one of the cheap and cheerful hatchets as my backup plan.
The choice for me came down to two different brands, really. The M48 had a slightly heavier axe head, and a larger axe face, and was about $8 cheaper to boot. I had managed to get some decent info and even watched a use video or two to get an idea of how the thing would hold up and perform. Things seemed pretty promising, but the proof is in the pudding, so I grabbed one up. I got the simple plain black original model, although I understand they now have a green handled Zombie version, a tan handled Army Ranger version, and two safety rescue versions with orange or yellow handles. Some of these have paracord wrapped around the handle, if that tickles your pickle.
The role for this tool is that of a camping hatchet. I need it to cut up firewood, split firewood if need be, fell trees and saplings for shelter building if the need arises, spear making, etc. I also need it to be able to handle light digging for fire pits, if needed or I forget my little shovel (which was broken at the time this article was published). It should be able to serve as a defensive weapon if a critter attacks and it's closer than a gun or my bush knife. I want to be able to use it to rake around coals in the fire, if a poker stick is not handy. A tomahawk fit all this well, and the M48 seemed especially suited for the job.
While the manufacturer claims it is "razor sharp," I can tell you that mine was not. But again, you don't necessarily want an axe super sharp. You want a blade that will chop, but keep an edge for a while. My only concern with the blade versus other hawks and hatchets is that it is curved rather than flat. I have no idea if this will wind up being a problem or not, but so far so good. The M48 has a good heavy head and longish handle for a tomahawk, which gives it added heft and leverage, which you need with an axe. Some of the competition was so light I was concerned about function. Weighing in at around 2 pounds, the head on the M48 is plenty heavy, but doesn't wear me out in a hurry. I was a little curious back when I first got it about the handle, and if it would transmit shock from chopping. At that point, I only had used tools with wooden handles: axes, hammers, sledges, etc. I'm happy to report that the composite handle was comfortable to use, and wasn't slippy in my hands. I didn't lose my grip or get any sharp ringing or stings to the hands when I used it.
When it came to the cuts, the axe was able to chop out nice chunks of wood pretty quickly without a ton of effort. I started off the torture testing with some pretty hard wood I had found on the side of the road last year. This stuff is damn near petrified. I'm not sure what kind of tree it's from to tell you the truth, but my DeWalt reciprocating saw had a time getting through it. The M48 was able to knock chunks out of this rock hard stuff, but it took some effort. Softer wood was obviously easier. I chopped up some limbs that were too long pretty easily. I also tested how well it would whittle the end of a limb to make a sharp stick, and it was very well suited for this task, much better than my knife did, and quicker too. I even tried splitting some store bought firewood with it. This was already cut and split, but I wanted a little bit thinner logs, so I gave it a go. It blew through one piece like it was butter with a pretty hefty swing, and went about 60% of the way through the second one I split. Not bad for a little hatchet on a log about 18 inches long.
After all the chopping I started playing around. I tried a couple of very poor throws at a tree, but actually got it to stick wrong way round once. The tail is pretty pointy, but not razor sharp. When I got done playing, I checked on the edge, and other than some very, very minor dinging and some sap, the edge was pretty much unchanged. I wiped the blade down and stored it in the sheath.
A few months later, I had been forced to neglect my back yard a bit and had noticed the beginnings of a few little tree sprouts trying to start up in the yard. I finally got to mow and cut them down, but afterward noticed the stems were pretty hard, and were going to cause some problems. I didn't have a spade at the time due to breaking the one I camp with, so out came the ol' M48. I used the rear spike to dig around the sprigs, only to find some pretty hellacious roots down below. So I wound up using both the blade and the digging spike to remove as much as I could of the little saplings without digging potholes in my yard. It was actually easier than using a spade or shovel, right up until the part where I tried to pry a huge root up using the rear spike, and was rewarded with a face full of dirt when it gave way. Yum.
If you are looking for a hatchet type tool, not a toy or "tacticool" weapon, but an actual tool that can do the job it should do, you might want to keep this one on your radar. Having a small, packable and lightweight hatchet can come in handy around the house or on camping/hunting trips. If you are super concerned about weight due to going ultra-light in backpacking, you might want to go a different route, as this is not the lightest hatchet by far. Just keep in mind, the lighter the axe, the harder you have to swing it. Same goes for short handled hatchets. I like to let my tools do the work for me, not the other way round. Happy hacking!
-Owen
The choice for me came down to two different brands, really. The M48 had a slightly heavier axe head, and a larger axe face, and was about $8 cheaper to boot. I had managed to get some decent info and even watched a use video or two to get an idea of how the thing would hold up and perform. Things seemed pretty promising, but the proof is in the pudding, so I grabbed one up. I got the simple plain black original model, although I understand they now have a green handled Zombie version, a tan handled Army Ranger version, and two safety rescue versions with orange or yellow handles. Some of these have paracord wrapped around the handle, if that tickles your pickle.
The role for this tool is that of a camping hatchet. I need it to cut up firewood, split firewood if need be, fell trees and saplings for shelter building if the need arises, spear making, etc. I also need it to be able to handle light digging for fire pits, if needed or I forget my little shovel (which was broken at the time this article was published). It should be able to serve as a defensive weapon if a critter attacks and it's closer than a gun or my bush knife. I want to be able to use it to rake around coals in the fire, if a poker stick is not handy. A tomahawk fit all this well, and the M48 seemed especially suited for the job.
While the manufacturer claims it is "razor sharp," I can tell you that mine was not. But again, you don't necessarily want an axe super sharp. You want a blade that will chop, but keep an edge for a while. My only concern with the blade versus other hawks and hatchets is that it is curved rather than flat. I have no idea if this will wind up being a problem or not, but so far so good. The M48 has a good heavy head and longish handle for a tomahawk, which gives it added heft and leverage, which you need with an axe. Some of the competition was so light I was concerned about function. Weighing in at around 2 pounds, the head on the M48 is plenty heavy, but doesn't wear me out in a hurry. I was a little curious back when I first got it about the handle, and if it would transmit shock from chopping. At that point, I only had used tools with wooden handles: axes, hammers, sledges, etc. I'm happy to report that the composite handle was comfortable to use, and wasn't slippy in my hands. I didn't lose my grip or get any sharp ringing or stings to the hands when I used it.
When it came to the cuts, the axe was able to chop out nice chunks of wood pretty quickly without a ton of effort. I started off the torture testing with some pretty hard wood I had found on the side of the road last year. This stuff is damn near petrified. I'm not sure what kind of tree it's from to tell you the truth, but my DeWalt reciprocating saw had a time getting through it. The M48 was able to knock chunks out of this rock hard stuff, but it took some effort. Softer wood was obviously easier. I chopped up some limbs that were too long pretty easily. I also tested how well it would whittle the end of a limb to make a sharp stick, and it was very well suited for this task, much better than my knife did, and quicker too. I even tried splitting some store bought firewood with it. This was already cut and split, but I wanted a little bit thinner logs, so I gave it a go. It blew through one piece like it was butter with a pretty hefty swing, and went about 60% of the way through the second one I split. Not bad for a little hatchet on a log about 18 inches long.
After all the chopping I started playing around. I tried a couple of very poor throws at a tree, but actually got it to stick wrong way round once. The tail is pretty pointy, but not razor sharp. When I got done playing, I checked on the edge, and other than some very, very minor dinging and some sap, the edge was pretty much unchanged. I wiped the blade down and stored it in the sheath.
A few months later, I had been forced to neglect my back yard a bit and had noticed the beginnings of a few little tree sprouts trying to start up in the yard. I finally got to mow and cut them down, but afterward noticed the stems were pretty hard, and were going to cause some problems. I didn't have a spade at the time due to breaking the one I camp with, so out came the ol' M48. I used the rear spike to dig around the sprigs, only to find some pretty hellacious roots down below. So I wound up using both the blade and the digging spike to remove as much as I could of the little saplings without digging potholes in my yard. It was actually easier than using a spade or shovel, right up until the part where I tried to pry a huge root up using the rear spike, and was rewarded with a face full of dirt when it gave way. Yum.
If you are looking for a hatchet type tool, not a toy or "tacticool" weapon, but an actual tool that can do the job it should do, you might want to keep this one on your radar. Having a small, packable and lightweight hatchet can come in handy around the house or on camping/hunting trips. If you are super concerned about weight due to going ultra-light in backpacking, you might want to go a different route, as this is not the lightest hatchet by far. Just keep in mind, the lighter the axe, the harder you have to swing it. Same goes for short handled hatchets. I like to let my tools do the work for me, not the other way round. Happy hacking!
-Owen
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