I found after using my chainsaw i needed a good AXe try finding a good one at a fair

[happysawer]

It depends on what you want to do with the axe, the Fisker's splitting axe performs extremely well for splitting but is a fairly miserable tool for limbing and chopping. For limbing and chopping I have always preferred a 2.5 lb double bit cruiser's axe. It is light enough to not be terribly fatiguing to use and pack around.
Just my preference and 2 cents in the discussion.

It's always good to hear from people that have used the tools, so we can better understand how they preformed.

 

[cqaigy2]

I agree about the Fisker splitting axe, good for splitting but not for chopping like one would use a regular axe for, Fisker shape is designed for "easy" entry into the wood and quick flare for splitting.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Now I'm getting a good lesson here from you guys thanks for that....
even though not yet ready for one to split wood until spring.....
yeah lots happening once we move into our house, so all this time is soaking up info time....so thanks for all this....

 

[Mat4644]

Fisker's makes both chopping and splitting axe designs. Any axe or maul with a wood handle is an instant no-go for me. Finding quality wood replacement handles is getting difficult and costly. Most stocked being low quality.

An axe mattock will chop out roots easier than any axe.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I'm having trouble envisioning how you're going to use an axe for stump removal. Not only is it hard work, but stump wood is arguably the hardest wood in the tree.

Anyway, these points have mostly been made I guess, but as a former axe enthusiast I'll summarize my take on them:

1. If you just need an axe to cut wood in the forest, I wouldn't spend a great deal of money on a _brand_. I'd focus more on what you want for axe head weight and the kind of handle.
2. If the handle is wood it's eventually going to break, learning to re-hang an axe is a good skill but hard to master, so maybe one of these newfangled fiberglass handles is what you want.
3. I've had to stop chopping wood because of my back so my memory is imperfect, but my favorite axe head for forest work was a 4+ pound one from harbor freight, vs. the lighter ones sold at home depot. The only problem was that it flew off its handle because of improper manufacturing on the first use, but that doesn't diminish the head once you rehang it. (A safety hazard though!)
4. The most important thing to minimize your chopping will be your care of the blade. Any 8 year old kid in 1850 knew a lot more than most 2020 adults about how to treat their blades and keep them sharp. Make sure you don't take a grinder to it and lose the temper because you overheated it. I like a file and a mild stropping to de-burr.

All that said, I have various fancier axes, but really I was happiest with my harbor freight head. Keep it sharp and it really moved wood.

If you're doing _other_ kinds of things with an axe, like woodworking projects, then you need to look at completely different axes. A broad axe is a really good thing to have, especially if you want to make a go of making your own axe handles with ... an axe ... because you want to be a badass.
Again, I don't spend money on brands, in fact my favorite broad axe is a "second", a no-name brand sold at reduced price because of flaws. It was like $12 online, new.

Confession: I was a big Roy Underhill fan, and really liked not using power tools. Now I'm old and powertools are what I'm forced to use. Dangerous, noisy, gas powered garbage. Though I'm moving to electrics for some things.

 

[happysawer]

I bought this axe yesterday from Harbor Freight gave it a little filing to dress it's edge, took it out and wacked at a hard dead bucked tree item, it really made to chips fly and head stayed on solid.

So for $29 i will keep and use it since the other axe ordered from Garett Wade, is back ordered and have no idea when it will ship out.
4-1/2 lb. Hickory Axe

 

[happysawer]

I'm having trouble envisioning how you're going to use an axe for stump removal. Not only is it hard work, but stump wood is arguably the hardest wood in the tree.

Anyway, these points have mostly been made I guess, but as a former axe enthusiast I'll summarize my take on them:

1. If you just need an axe to cut wood in the forest, I wouldn't spend a great deal of money on a _brand_. I'd focus more on what you want for axe head weight and the kind of handle.
2. If the handle is wood it's eventually going to break, learning to re-hang an axe is a good skill but hard to master, so maybe one of these newfangled fiberglass handles is what you want.
3. I've had to stop chopping wood because of my back so my memory is imperfect, but my favorite axe head for forest work was a 4+ pound one from harbor freight, vs. the lighter ones sold at home depot. The only problem was that it flew off its handle because of improper manufacturing on the first use, but that doesn't diminish the head once you rehang it. (A safety hazard though!)
4. The most important thing to minimize your chopping will be your care of the blade. Any 8 year old kid in 1850 knew a lot more than most 2020 adults about how to treat their blades and keep them sharp. Make sure you don't take a grinder to it and lose the temper because you overheated it. I like a file and a mild stropping to de-burr.

All that said, I have various fancier axes, but really I was happiest with my harbor freight head. Keep it sharp and it really moved wood.

If you're doing _other_ kinds of things with an axe, like woodworking projects, then you need to look at completely different axes. A broad axe is a really good thing to have, especially if you want to make a go of making your own axe handles with ... an axe ... because you want to be a badass.
Again, I don't spend money on brands, in fact my favorite broad axe is a "second", a no-name brand sold at reduced price because of flaws. It was like $12 online, new.

Confession: I was a big Roy Underhill fan, and really liked not using power tools. Now I'm old and powertools are what I'm forced to use. Dangerous, noisy, gas powered garbage. Though I'm moving to electrics for some things.

It's the stump of a holly bush i cut down, just a small stump not a tree stump, i wacked it a little to test the $29 dollar 4.5# 35" Harbor Frieght axe bought yesterday, worked very well this morning hope i have made things cleaer.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

It's the stump of a holly bush i cut down, just a small stump not a tree stump, i wacked it a little to test the $29 dollar 4.5# 35" Harbor Frieght axe bought yesterday, worked very well this morning hope i have made things cleaer.

Seems you like the same axe head I did Just careful with that crappy HF manufacturing, when my axe head flew off it could have hit someone, and there were people around that day. But the head is just a very nice weight.

 

[happysawer]

Seems you like the same axe head I did Just careful with that crappy HF manufacturing, when my axe head flew off it could have hit someone, and there were people around that day. But the head is just a very nice weight.

Please post a picture of your axe you say head flew off, think your wrong about the Mfg. quality of the Harbor Frieght Axe.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

Please post a picture of your axe you say head flew off, think your wrong about the Mfg. quality of the Harbor Frieght Axe.

Lol, pictures or it didn't happen eh? It was tragic, I blogged about it at the time. Here are the pics:

The handle after it fell out of the axe:

The fluff which was in the handle (fluff?):

And the handle, which had many flaws which were filled with some kind of putty:

Not knowing how poorly this handle was mounted in the axe, naturally it flew off with my first or second swing.