every minute of it :) now the biggest question for me is: where can I get one for that price in Europe... hahaha. Cheapest one I found was $6.50... Seeing how well they throw, it makes me want to get back into throwing stuff... Used to be much into knife throwing (hence my current channel banner), but axe throwing has a certain appeal to it too. Tried it a couple of times back in the day, but didn't have one that I wanted to risk to learn the trade... A cheap one like this would be the solution :))
If memory serves those old axe-heads had higher carbon steel inserts forged in at the blade. Besides cost savings, weren't they inserted to give the axe a sharp edge and the low-carbon steel (or iron) head was there to give toughness? No real bearing on the video really; just an interesting side topic. Either way, happy chopping.
That's exactly how I understand it. It would seem logical to have softer iron on the back, so that it would mushroom as it's struck, rather than crack or fragment.
@@pocket83squared oh Pocket, you're such a troll! X'DD _(responding to "It would seem logical to have softer iron on the back, so that it would mushroom as it's struck, rather than crack or fragment.")_
@@Rouverius welding an insert would make the axe head more expensive than it is. In this video, there's a certain shot (7:32) showing a close-up where you can actually see a second curved line parallel to the obvious one about an inch further into the metal. This looks very much like the curves I get when hardening chisles (?) indicating a different cooling speed, which is exactly how you can make one side hard while keeping the other side softer, indeed to increase toughness... (I'll be uploading a video about those curves in the next month or so, because I don't know the full truth about it, and I'd like to ask the viewers to enlighten me)
*THANK YOU!* It's nice to have that noticed. I also spent quite a few bucks on cheap hatchets. If it weren't for the video, I would only have bought two.
@@pocket83squared This is why I love your channels. Whenever I'm looking for a knife or other tool to purchase, the first thing I do is look for torture tests. Even though I'm probably never going to use the tool in that extreme manner, it's always good to see how it will fail and when.
I appreciate how thoughtful you and your videos are, and how they are strangely calm and easy going they are. Your channel has become my favorite. Thank you.
Wow what a awesome video!!!! I recently purchased my first home and have some small fallen trees in the backyard. I knew I need an axe but not an expensive one because I wasn’t going to use it much, only about five small trees were down. So I purchased this axe from Harbor Freight and it was dull. So I looked on RU-vid for “how to sharpen a harbor freight axe” and ran into your video. Thanks to you, I now know what I have to do and how to do it. Your video is very much appreciated and thank you.
You have single handedly made the greatest advertisement possible for Harbor Freight's Hatchet and they should be quite pleased. I was actually mesmerized by what you showed evident with many tests conducted in a manner that can't be disputed unless a person is blind to the truth. You live in a beautiful place and understand your surroundings also. I learned much and thanks for all your hard work to put this out there.
Honestly, if I spent $150 on a Swedish hatchet, I would be reluctant to use it hard. But if a hatchet costs $10 in Harbor Freight, I don’t mind pushing it hard. And I have a few products from them that have really surprised me with how tough they are and I actually love using.
I wish more ppl would do videos on gear like that. Stuff that you can get for cheap enough to be disposable/replaceable but good enough that you won't have to. Got into backpack camping the last few years, and all the gear being reviewed is stupid expensive. After some experimentation (and wasted money) I found some gear that could nearly stand up to some of the best gear, but at 20% the cost. Stuff you're not afraid to use to the fullest
@@blackoak4978 Agreed! and hopefully more of that will be generated on RU-vid by users such as us in the near future. So much has changed in the past 10 years as far as sharing knowledge and its availability. As far as I wish someone would do it statements those are all go but as they say... be the change you want to see! ;)
I bought the yellow HF hatchet and axe 8 years ago or so because they were dirt cheap. They were very sharp & to my surprise they have kept their edge well ! They've been used hard !
Just recently found out about how fantastic flap disks are for sharpening lawn mower blades. 10/10 would recommend. Also paint mixing sticks + spray adhesive + sandpaper make fantastic portable/disposable sharpening implements for tools that don't need a razor edge
Kudos to your editing, Pocket. The rain sound+fire sound+chopping sound with voiceover was very pleasant. Switching between voiceover and live commentary was nice.
I found a few of these at harbor freight, but they also had them with American Hickory handles....so I got one with the hickory handle, I put a good grind on it and it's a damn good little hatchet....very pleased with it, it's a beast, it even has good grain orientation running through the handle, very impressed with it
Thanks jay hatchet you got with the two metals is awesome. A carbon bit forge welded into the mild steel. It will hold a super good edge while saving cost. I’m a blacksmith and I love forge welding. That’s how I did my first axe
Usually, when you clean up a rusty old axe with an overnight vinegar soak, you WILL clearly see the temper line. On some fine old axes, like the Sager Chemical, you can see the temper lines on an axe that’s in daily use.
Been beating red hot steel into axe heads for 45 years.spent hours making and hanging the handles. I bought one of these HF Hatchet yesterday 8$, dang, little dressing up more dang.
@@pocket83squared totally agree there with you, sharp tools are a joy to use. Specially if you have had a hand in the sharpening process like you did with these. Or at least it's that way for me whenever I witness the performance of knives that I've sharpened.
Genuinely enjoyed this video. You can see the amount of work and time spent in getting the hatchet to fit your needs. When I see someone customize a hand tool it’s evident that they put in the time and effort to give a fair and concise review.
You should buy my hatchet. I made it myself. The head is made of wood. In fact, it's not so much a hatchet as it is a stick I found that kind of looks like one.
I bought a plastic handled hatchet from Home Depot when I was looking for one for my big out bag. It was decently priced and decent enough quality for the money. I do not remember the brand off the top of my head, but it also has a yellow plastic handle. The grind on it was pretty good, but it was in no way sharp. I spent about 3 hours with stones sharpening the edge, and now it’s literally the sharpest tool in my bag. I haven’t had the opportunity to use it yet, but I know it will do a fine job because it does have a considerable amount of hardness on the cutting edge. Harbor Freight was going to be my next stop when I ran across the one I bought. As far as I’m concerned a budget hatchet can’t be beat. It’ll do the same works as a hatchet that costs considerable more, for just as long, as long as you take care of your tools and not abuse them. Good luck bud. Great review
Thank you so much for being sensible. There are so many people who put a price tag on functionality. I don't have a problem with good quality stuff and I understand that longevity is sometimes directly related to quality. But practicality doesn't necessarily follow price. Good job.
It shouldn't be. Over the vast majority of human existence, our tools were made of rock, stick, clay, and bone; at some point, to Man, the concept of a tool's life exceeding its owner's must've been as impractical as it was foreign. The tools we use now are quite often over-corrections. Have you not noticed the marketing, the shiny? You think you could outlast 'soft' steel? The belief is cultural. But let's be more realistic here. My nicer hatchets are in the garage, where they won't blend in with muddy leaves. Cheapy hatchets are great for abusive outside work, and it's nice to have them sitting around everywhere. Two days ago, I used a come-along to expose a massive Cherry stump. Before I could get it to lift, a few of its minor roots needed to get the axe. After it had lifted, more roots had to be severed. Another nearby stump, this one a punky Pine, was then burned down, and its the above-ground remains were split off. Consider these tasks in light of my ATV's on-board inventory: chainsaw, hatchet, cheap hatchet. Which would _you_ choose? If you've now stopped rolling your eyes, it's reasonable to point out that you must _not_ have heard everything.
The old axe head you picked up from flea market is a Good Stuff as it should be a kind of alloy in which the edge / blade portion is much harder than the body that means the edge / blade is very durable and not easy to wear off !
The tip of your Axe Head seems to have been Oil Hardened - which most people turn the metal cherry red then put it in regular motor oil you clean of the black to where it is shiny then apply just enough heat back to the metal where it starts to turn blue. That way it is hard and turning it blue tempers it where it is not brittle like glass.
Ive got a few of the harbor freight axe heads. If you want the heads to get a little harder, just do another heat treat on it. Makes it harder, as long as its not that garbage 1080A3 steel. Put a different handle on it. Ive got an 18 inch mahogany handle that i used, made it into a bearded axe. Works better than it did before.
So enjoyable to hear you articulate on the finer details of an implement most take for granted, yet played such a role in our history. As a fan of west coast logging history, my favorite images are of those tougher-than-nails fellers standing on springboards, swinging double bits making a face cut in a 10 foot diameter giant. Knowing that once that's done, they move to the back cut with good old "Misery whip" ! What must that scene have been like?
Absolutely great review. Ive been skeptical about these HF axes, thinking that they seem too good to be true at the price point. From this video, I've seen that with a little work, these are pretty decent tools. I've got an angle grinder and a belt sander and a file, i figure i oughta get a few of these to practice my grinding and axe throwing with 😁
Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this! I just began my journey into axes and have been trying to figure how to begin to smartly get a few to cover the different functions. Your videos are terrific for someone like me. Well done!
I purchased the HF 61510 after watching your video on the Grip and proceeded to reprofile the edge as you showed us in that video. I was able to get it razor sharp. Hopefully I'll be able to go camping soon to test it out. Thank you for making these videos!
Just wanted to let you know that my brother and I used your workbench design for my workshop in my new house! We move in on the 21st, and thought you might be happy to know that they turned out great!
Awesome. Congrats on the new place. I hope it lets you spread your wings a bit. A new shop is pure confusion at first, but it starts to get better and better from the very beginning.
IMO, which you choose very much depends on what your purpose for the axe is. For splitting knotty, soft wood, a disposable hatchet is a fantastic option. For a little more of an all-around option, something with a harder steel bit isn't a bad idea - the steel is almost certainly heat treated for appropriate hardness and toughness to hold its edge in some more chopping applications as opposed to splitting. For me, I choose an older head.
Someone may have already mentioned this, but it was/is common practice to put a hardened piece of steel in an axe head as the cutting edge, and the rest would be softer steel so it wasn't as brittle and could hold up to a beating. The newer/cheaper ones are probably all one softness and would just not hold their edge as long.
I never really thought about a hatchet that much until watching this video... but my reason to watch it was to decide should I get one for removing mortar off of fireplace bricks for recycling.... looks like Harbor Freight wins.... I think after a little bit of sharpening and reconditioning it will still be good for it's intended use outside of the purpose in which I intend to use it... oh and great video...
The metal is fine, and the handle is replaceable. Not bad all around. I would prefer to case harden it once it gets the profile you would like. Just heat it as hot as you can with a torch, bury it in the powder (I have tons of the stuff in cans). It hardens the outside couple thousandths of an inch, and you can wear through it with excessive sharpening/use, but I rarely have to sharpen mine when do harden them.
I hate to see a good tool cut up like that but it did show how well made it is. I just wish they had sharpened the edge better. The one I have hurt my wrist it was so dull from the factory. I am speaking of the Harbor freight hatchet. Cheers mate.
They use two steels for an important reason. One is hardenable steel, the other is not hardenable. By making the back side not hardenable, it means the hatchet is less likely to break when you use the back side as a hammer. The edge being hardened means you have to sharpen it less. At least the make the whole hatchet out of not hardenable steel, it is better for it to go dull easy than shatter like glass if you use it like a hammer.
The axe head you bought was heat treated. Same metal but only part of it was treated. I forget if they heat it up and let it cool naturally or quench it in oil. But that's the difference.
I’ve had an Estwing hatchet for decades; I got it as a Boy Scout years ago. I taught it was great as it was indestructible given the metal handle. I’ve used numerous axes, hatchets, and mauls and must say until recently years I’ve never played the brand game and frankly never thought of brands, an axe was an axe. I’ve since gotten a Gerber as I’ve gotten older and wanted something a little lighter, plus a saw in the handle was a nice benefit. Frankly get whatever you want; nearly any axe will hold an edge well enough for any home owner or weekend warrior and frankly while I still have an axe that’s been in our family for over 100 years, that’s had a lot of handles over the years, I don’t think it’s that much greater than something bought today, other than the sentimentality. I still keep a hatchet in the car as a be prepared item and while I haven’t needed an axe in years would consider a Harbor Freight axe as it would be good enough. I have broken my Gerber hatchet handle before and their customer service is great, I contacted them and they didn’t even have me send it back, just sent photos and within 2 weeks a new hatchet was at my door. I’ll add growing up I split a lot of wood and rarely used an axe; I always had better luck with a splitting maul or a wedge and sledge.
It's still understandable how people develop a fondness for something over time. For the most part, you're right. Any steel will do. Personally, I've developed a preference for a simple wooden hatchet handle. I also prefer the steel to be shorter and thicker than the Harbor Freight's. But I have no brand, or even particular hatchet, loyalty. As for splitting, I use a heavy axe. Abuse has given my axe a unique geometry over time; its mushroomed eye helps it to spread an opening quickly and then pivot out of being stuck. To assist with opening up the tough splits, I also use cured Maple or Beech wedges and a hatchet.
There’s a lot to be said for a cheap, budget brand axe, for all the reasons you gave and more. But if we’re talking cheap, I pick up axes at the garbage dump that have been thrown away simply because of a broke handle. Some of these are high quality and with a bit of time and restoration can be restored something quite attractive and functional.
Cross Country Outdoors didn’t know that little tidbit about heat treating but the old black smiths would forge their axe head around a Rod and then weld it shut putting in a piece of steel for the front cutting edge or take a large blank of iron drift a hole in it split the front insert hard steel and weld it. Back in the day steel was expensive and iron was cheaper and more abundant so they put the small piece of steel at the front for the cutting edge to keep it sharp but also keep down cost. They also use this trick from many cutting-edge tools such as chisels and plain chisels.
A marble in a long clear cylinder with a slightly larger inside diameter than of the marble is a good hardness check. Count the bounces and how high. Best way to ruin a nice file is trying to file hardened steel. “Skate” an old file. I’ll bet that axe was near 60HRC. Special Purpose Axe? Thanks for the detailed post and good follow up to the recommended first video
About the 2 colors on the axe head, I've always guessed it was difference in heat treatment that changed the color/hardness of the oxidized metal (of course I could be way off, I really have no idea). I'd find it interesting to see if you can harden the edge on the cheap hatchet with a blowtorch to see if it gives it the same contrasting color effect as the older axe head.
Carbon tool steels etch darker than mild steels, as mild steel tends to be etched much more easily, and on the other hand the alloys in the tool steel prevent it from being etched nearly as much. I hope this helped ;3
Not an Axe expert but I do forge and blacksmith and I'm pretty sure the color difference is just the harden edge the back is soft from not being hardened
They seem quite good to me for the money. Definitely a good enough tool if you just do any other chores. Now, if you're a huge axe/knife aficionado then there are some real nice and interesting options out there for around $50. Good thing this answers the question "is it necessary to spend over $50 on a small chopping axe?" Def no, it's not necessary.
If you're skilled at carving with a hatchet, you can forge or grind these to a knife edge, and then harden and temper the edge so that it is too hard to file. The edge will last a lot longer, but don't do this on an axe you're using for brute work. Hitting a rock or nail may cause it to chip instead of bending. The steel used on these cheap tools is equal to that used on expensive tools. The cheap ones are usually supplied in a softer temper to protect the consumer who may abuse them.
Carbide vs high speed steel. When it comes to jointer blades I'll take HHS over carbide any day. Just like I would take a softer steel on a hatchet over one where the file skips right over it. In other words; super sharp for not long over fairly sharp for a longer time. (I have an axe coming from El Salvador - good steel, forged, 1/4 the cost of a Swedish axe. Call me cheap, I don't care!)
I agree with someone else in the comments regarding your $3 axe head. Not 2 different kinds of steel. 1 kind of steel. The edge was hardened so it would be strong and hold once sharpened. The rest was probably not hardened to keep it more flexible and less brittle so it would be less likely to break on impact with something hard.
The transition between the two parts looked quite sharp, almost too sharp for being a hamon. Also, axes and hatchet heads were (and some still are) made from 2 different steels (laminated) with the higher carbon content steel as the edge, this way, heat treating is much easier, you don't need to differentially heat treat anything because the body of the axe head is made of mild-steel/not enough carbon to harden steel, so it doesn't have a full austenitizing temp and after quench you won't get martensite there, but only on the edge.
In the 7 minute part, that axe head has been heat treated at the blade edge. You can tell heat treated metal as it has a ring when tapped with something metal. Metal not heat treated has more of a dull sound when tapped with something metal.
Another great video. How did you make it look like the hatchet was stuck in your back on the “alternate ending” blip you snuck in? I’m ready for a new topic though. You’ve been on hatchets and wood cutting all winter/spring.
Not exactly, but I'm going to build a simple structure in the back for firewood, and it'll be multiple parts. I filmed the 'site survey' (part one) video last month, and I'll probably start building it soon.
Forest wood area is not diminishing earth wide. Here in Northern Michigan it is increasing since the end of the 19th century’s lumbering boom. Efficient use of forests includes leaving dead trees stand for nesting and feeding birds. Instead of burning underbrush,,pile it for small animal habitat. The park like forest is not nature. It’s a yard. Enjoyed your low budget axe review. Barney, a 4th generation logging family. 🪓
Thank you for disagreeing with that statement respectfully, but I'll have to respond in kind. First, I acknowledge the distinction you've made between 'forest' and nature. In my own personal "yard," I deliberately keep stores of coarse woody debris, standing deadwood, and brush spots that effectively mimic what is in nature. However, real nature is gone from my area. The last of the old-growth forests were pillaged here over 20 years ago. I was lucky enough to be raised near one such forest, where the native trees grew to dizzying heights before wind-falling from old age or nasty storm. As a kid, there were fallen trees for me to climb that were still high enough to provide excitement. Now, nothing in my area remains untouched for two decades before being 'selectively' plucked for its timber. This means that local biomass, water, and carbon reserves are all at a permanent reduction here, and the imbalance means that the replacement takes longer. The drought this year was the worst I've ever seen, and the older locals agree. But this isn't about my area; that would be anecdotal, and you're making the claim that *net* forest destruction is decreasing worldwide. And here's the thing about that claim: it's a _rate of change_ claim. Like, if you were to flap your arms after jumping off a building, you would be decreasing the danger of your fall. Yes. But you'd still be speeding towards the sidewalk. Please take a look at Google Maps. Notice the gray areas that should be green? All of the States now look dirty. Rivers are gross. I need not cite our history of ecological catastrophe, or the related statistical evidence; just look at the satellite imagery. Zoom down to Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil. All of this brown, once bright green. Consider the coast on the Yucatan peninsula. All people. Although this sort of "lumbering boom" might slow (or even end) in any one localized region, the overall boom is here to stay. We humans are on an exponential growth rate, and as such, it is a guarantee that we will continue to deplete resources faster than we ever have before. This is not some partisan claim or value judgment, it is a mathematical reality. Logging seemed harmless and endless for generations, but it has finally caught up with us. Don't get angry with me for pointing this out, but we're finally starting to cut it down faster than it can grow back.
Sve je ovo divno, bajno, krasno ali nije prikazano niti objašnjeno kako se ta vrsta sjekire koja je pukla i što vidim na videu odrezana ponovo osposobilo za daljnju uporabu tj, kako držalo od te puknute ili odrezane sjekire može nasaditi na sječivo kao kod drvenih držala sjekira hvala pozdrav iz HRVATSKE
