Can anybody tell us why you’d buy an 8-inch hatchet — what good is a hatchet this short? You’re not going to get much of a swing with it, and you’re not really gaining much portability over a 14-inch hatchet.
Although it’s short, the hatchet seems well-constructed. Fiskars starts with a 7/8lb, drop-forged steel head, hardens it, and puts a non-stick coating on it. They designed the reinforced fiberglass composite handle to prevent the blade from loosening or separating altogether.
The tiny hatchet retails for a not-so-tiny $34, but at least a sheath is included.
8″ Hatchet [Fiskars]
Street Pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
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18 Responses to What Good Is This Lilliputian Hatchet?
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I could see using it for hacking out the roots when trying to remove a stump. Assuming one doesn’t mind dulling the blade on dirt, rocks, etc.
This could also be used to split wood for shingles or kindling by holding it with one hand and hitting the back of it with a hammer or mallet.
It actually looks pretty handy to me, and I have the bigger fiskars hatchett, and it is well built and comfortable.
i’d use it to hack up the bodies in my trunk
I’d use it for car camping to split kindling and to drive tent stakes.
If anyone here watches Little People Big World on TLC, they will remember seeing Fiskars at a Little People convention. They had people taking measurements, of hands, postures, etc to work on products. This product looks like they are aimed at shorter folks (dwarfs and such).
throwing?
weeding
I’ve got their hatchet that’s one size up, I think. I keep it in my 4×4 and have mostly used it for what Chris said — kindling and tent pegs. Oh, and hitchhikers — but mostly camping. You could possibly cut down a very small tree, if you had a lot of time and energy. It’s got a pretty good quality blade that takes an edge nicely. I like the fact that their axes and hatchets come with a handy snap-on plastic holder/blade protector thingy.
I think this one would be pretty good for motorcycle camping, or something?
I can hack the Side View Mirror off a car that is pissing me off whilst riding my bicycle.
It’s actually designed for backpacking and survival kits where size is a factor. Fit’s nice in a glove box, tool box, etc.
In use, the longer handles are better, can’t think of any examples where they are not. Remember in physics the velosity is squared, the mass is not….
I dunno, but it made me think of this:
http://svtplay.se/v/1371063/oppet_arkiv/traskomakeri__traskedstillverkning__stolmakeri__utan_ljud__1923?cb,a1364145,1,f,103007/pb,a1364142,1,f,103007/pl,v,,1371063/sb,k103004,1,f,103007
Pretty cool video – stick with it – it gets good around 30 secs into it.
Lizzie Borden would probably need 60 whacks with this one.
@jeffery: cordless saws-all, buckets and large plastic bags. Let the saw do the work. Start with the feet and let the fluids drain out. Less mess. Then it is just like a big chicken – joints are easiest.
@Tim: funny
Actually, where accuracy is really important. Like if you are trying to split thin wood. And traveling light.
@MeasureOnceCutTwice: that was cool.
Good for camping and survival, though a bit heavy perhaps. Safer to carry it in your pack than on your belt in case you fall. Looks strong and durable.
It’s probably all you need for dealing with firewood, and if you need heavier blows than the short handle will provide, you can use a “baton” (basically a heavy stick of wood you find lying around or cut) to hit the back of the head with. That would let you cut down thin trees for an emergency shelter, though slowly. You can do the baton whacking thing with any strong knife as well, to pretty much the same effect.
If the head is better steel than the $2-3 hatchets in the 99 cent store, and both holds an edge, and doesn’t deform or chip, then it may be worth the price. With the very cheapest hatchets, the head is liable to come off the handle almost immediately in use; bad news if you’re out in the woods. And someone is liable to get hurt by the head if it flies.
It looks fairly murderous. Hope it’s just the photo, and it isn’t finding a thug market.
I don’t know what worse that someone made a reference to a fictional race in a fairy tale or that i actually understood it -_-
Just reading the comments is worth the price.
I like mine. I have the Gerber version. I use it as a hammer, too. I carry that and my small Gerber shovel in a case on my 4-wheeler.