Estwing E24A Sportsman's Hatchet Metal Handle
by Estwing
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List Price: Our Price: $27.99 You Save: $17.00 (38%) Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Estwing E24A Sportsman's Hatchet Metal Handle
Customer Review: A Dependable Standard Tool
Summary: 5 Stars
The gold standard for kindling making, limbing trees, driving small stakes, parting large game, pointing fence posts, notching logs, etc.... One solid chunk of well forged steel. When you want a portable go anywhere chopper this is the best bang for the dollar. Feels like an extension of your own arm while swinging. You can put it thru hell and it will just keep working. I was supposed to inherit my grandfathers, but was not patient enough and bought my own... his will have to go on display, tho I am sure it would last a few more generations before the leather handle wore out. Affixed head and full steel add a few ounces over a trail hatchet, but ensure the handle will not fail when you need it. The new leather sheath is wonderful. A touch of leather product made the sheath much easier to load and unload. On par with Estwing hammers. You have to be doing something PRETTY DUMB to hurt it. Sharp as an Irish woman's scold straight from the factory. Design is elegant and classy ta boot, tho a touch of honest wear will give them each a unique character.
Sharpens well by hand as it wears. (Which is SLOWLY) You can spend a mint on some 'fancy-boy norwegian dork axe' with a finicky blade and wooden handle just to save a few ounces OR grow a pair of testicles pick up this one, save enough dough for a trip to the market, and never have to worry about it failing you. Theres a reason hard assed old Vermont farmers swear by these... it works the same way EVERY time.
Customer Review: Excellent Purchase
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently purchased the Estwing E24A Sportsman's hatchet, and was decently impressed. The body is forged from a single piece of steel. The leather work on the handle is of course a nice touch. I have purchased the entire line of Gerber hatchet, and while although I was pleased with them, the single black PVC handle left something to be desired. I saw this hatchet and was immediately reminded of my father's hatchet from when I was a kid. I'll admit I bought the hatchet based primarily on looks, however upon opening the box I was fairly impressed. The weight is enough to where if you know what you're doing, your arm should nit tire out from continuous use. Unfortunately the edge has a beveled shape to it. However, I did not have access to a grinder and I found a little time with a file rectified the problem, and it is now razor sharp. I've noticed numerous complaints to the finish of the hatchet, minor parts where the handle and steel meet do look a but rough, however it is a hatchet.
When I finally took it out I was definitely impressed with the product. The hatchet allowed me to cut down dead tree limbs, shave off the excess limbs, and cut everything into fire sized pieces of wood in no time. I found the edge held up as well as could be expected. Nothing outstanding, however nothing bad. Overall I would recommend this hatchet to someone for camping trips, maybe no long range hiking to do the weight, but definitely for overnight trips.
Customer Review: I'm a happy camper!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a good hatchet, not great, good (okay, maybe great for the price). After a good bit of chopping, the blade kept pretty sharp. It doesn't stay as sharp as a high-carbon blade, but I believe it will last better and stand up better to abuse (which is perfect for backpacking trips).
The leather, curved handle feels very comfortable (probably for big or small hands). The sheath conveniently is open in the back to allow hammering of tent stakes without removing it, which is nice so that you don't have the blade aimed at your face while hammering.
The quality of the grinding is a little shoddy, which is why this one gets four stars instead of five. The bevel isn't even and the blade is downright flat at the edges. I don't have a grinder (which would quickly fix the only problem), and so had to make do with a whetstone, eye-balling it.
Just to get super nit-picky, the aesthetics up close leave a little to be desired. Where the metal meets the leather handle looks rough, like something I'd do on a weekend-project job. The bottom of the handle (don't know what it's called . . . hilt?) has two screws that have been sort-of soldered on and apparently had the slots ground off. BUT, none of this affects the fine functioning of this nice little tool.
All-in-all, I would highly recommend this hatchet to any backpacker/camper who will build his or her own fires.
Customer Review: Fantastic Little Hatchet!
Summary: 5 Stars
This little hatchet is fantastic. Legalities being what they are nowadays, hatchet and axe companies are afraid to put a good edge on their work. I spent about 15 mins grinding a new bevel on my blade, sharpened it, and now it will literally shave the hair off my arm. It's really amazing. Especially since I just got back from a weekend in the woods where I chopped a good pile of kindling and firewood and it still maintained a very good working edge. No longer razor sharp of course, but still better than most other hatchets. When I got back home it took me about one minute to put that shaving edge back on my hatchet. To sharpen it I just use a Fiskars sharpener. I really, really love this blade.
It's too bad that one reviewer is so upset about the finish on the handle that he can't see the fantastic blade that is on his hatchet. Apparently he buried it in an oak tree to be forgotten. Perhaps his uncalloused hands aren't up to dealing with a few imperfections in the finish. My hatchet no longer has any imperfections since my hands have worn the leather smooth over the last few years of use. It is a tool, and meant to be used. It's not meant to be a pretty little wallhanger. Get over the silly bumps in the lacquer finish already! lol
Customer Review: Best hatchet I've found
Summary: 5 Stars
I was given one of these for my 12th birthday. It's still in use - a little worse for wear, but still getting the job done.
A typical hatchet has a far wider head, which is necessary for the wooden or fiberglass handle. Not this one - the head and handle are a solid piece of steel, allowing them to be far narrower than a typical hatchet, allowing it to cut much deeper with every strike.
It's balanced far better than most, and the handle has always felt like it was custom made for my hand, from age 12 to 29.
The bevel in the edge is a little mismatched - you won't notice it while you're using it. The hatchet will need to be sharpened regularly; if the mismatch bothers you, it will be gone after you sharpen it a few times. One of the reviews suggested that if you were familiar with finely crafted woodworking tools, you would be disappointed with the edge and the bevel. I would suggest that you wouldn't swing a finely crafted woodworking tool as hard as you could at a dirty log, at least not if you expected it to remain a finely crafted tool. It's an AXE. It's purpose is to make firewood, not cabinetry, and it's extremely well suited for its intended purpose.