Four hot hatchets pack more punch for their size than most.

There’s a good reason hatchets have always been a staple of camp tools. They pack more punch for their size than just about anything else you can put in your hand. Sure, an axe can outperform its smaller sibling but can be both size and weight prohibitive on many outings. Saws are lighter but their blades can break, leaving you empty-handed without a hatchet in the wings.

CAS Iberia APOC Hundr

The CAS Iberia APOC Hundr gets its name from the Old Norse word meaning hound in reference to man’s best friend. It is a bearded-style hatchet with a main handle and head of quarter-inch-thick 9260 carbon steel. Quarter-inch-thick smooth black G-10 scales bring the handle’s overall thickness to three quarters of an inch. The sheath is a black thermoplastic unit that slides open-backed over the hatchet head and is secured by two nylon straps that snap into place.

CAS Iberia/APOC Hundr Hatchet
Blade material: 9260 carbon steel
Cutting edge: 3.75”
Head length: 4.65”
Head @ thickest: .235”
Handle material: G-10 composite
Design feature: Bearded style
Weight: 1 lb., 7 ozs.
Overall length: 12”
Carry: Black synthetic sheath, MOLLE compatible, snap on
Country of origin: China
MSRP: $89

SOG Camp Axe

The SOG Camp Axe is the most modern looking entry and second bearded-style hatchet of the test bunch. Its 5-inch-long head is the longest of the review pieces, too. The head is attached by four Phillips-head screws to a black, ovate GRN (glass-reinforced nylon) handle, and an aluminum collar adds strength. The poll is a healthy .6 inch thick and the main handle is ribbed for added purchase. A minimalist blade cover has a strap that wraps around the back side of the hatchet head and, in a clever touch, hooks horizontally over the SOG logo on the opposite side.

SOG Camp Axe Specs
Blade steel: 2Cr13 stainless
Cutting edge: 3.1”
Head length: 5”
Head @ thickest: .6”
Blade coating: Bright finish w/dark recess
Handle material: GRN (glass-reinforced nylon)
Design feature: Added poll thickness
Weight: 16.1 ozs.
Overall length: 11.5”
Carry: Molded nylon sheath
Country of origin: China
MSRP: $68.69

Schrade Bedrock Axe

Dubbed the Bedrock Axe, Schrade’s entry has the test group’s largest poll, measuring 1.75 by .75 inch. Six-and-a-half inches of the handle is a grippy, black, hard rubber overmold. It is the heftiest of the review hatchets at 1 pound, 8.6 ounces. The black polyester sheath has a fabric-fastener flap at the rear.

Schrade Bedrock Axe
Blade steel: 3Cr13MoV stainless
Cutting edge: 3.5”
Head length: 4.7”
Head @ thickest: .79”
Blade coating: Satin/black oxide
Handle material: Black overmold
Design feature: Thick poll
Weight: 1 lb., 8.6 ozs.
Overall length: 11.75”
Carry: Black polyester/fabric-fastener sheath
Country of origin: China
MSRP: $39.99

Winkler Knives Highland Hatchet

The Winkler Knives Highland Hatchet has all the period visual trappings of Daniel Winkler’s full-blown custom work, though is made via the stock removal method only instead of mostly being forged. While it may be the smallest hatchet of the test bunch, it has the heart of a ram. The maple handle tapers gently toward the base and a lanyard hole. A heat-formed black Kydex sheath with two black nylon drop loops slips over the hatchet head and secures by a heavy-duty elastic rod that wraps around the sheath.

Winkler Knives Highland Hatchet
Blade material: 80CrV2 carbon steel
Cutting edge: 2.55”
Head length: 4.8”
Head @ thickest: .3”
Blade finish: Black Caswell
Handle material: Maple
Sharp stuff: Period design
Weight: 1 lb., 5 ozs.
Overall length: 11”
Carry: Kydex sheath, nylon straps
MSRP: $550
Country of origin: USA

Testing Hatchets

I started by checking out the hatchets’ bite with swinging overhand chops on a 14-inch-wide-by-12-inch-deep crosscut slice of seasoned oak. I took each hatchet and buried the upper blade into the cross-grain of the stump, and they all stood up on their own. From there I worked the edge at alternate angles with each hatchet to get an idea of its bite. None of the candidates gave any resistance and all averaged cuts of ¾-to-1-inch deep. I repeated the alternate cuts on a length of 2-inch-diameter green oak tree limb and got similar results with all the subjects.

I tested the hatchets on specific tasks such as pointing stakes, shaving bark and baton work, and the exercises brought out the differences in their dimensions and configurations. For instance, the two bearded hatchets—the SOG and CAS Iberia/APOC—excelled at shaving bark. The ability to grip them behind the blade to direct them simply makes shaving with precision much easier. The Schrade Bedrock, with its large, thin blade, edged out its brethren in pointing stakes.

The hatchets with thicker polls, the SOG and Schrade, did better at hammering tent stakes due to their ease of target acquisition and scope of impact. The Winkler Highland Hatchet excelled at baton work, its wedge shape and streamlined profile ideal for the task. The individual advantages along with the size of the hatchet can be priorities in choosing the right one for your needs. Keep in mind, however, just because I called out certain models as excelling at specific tasks, such as pointing stakes, doesn’t mean the others won’t serve you to some degree.

Hatchet Carry

The sheaths range from the premium one provided with the Winkler Knives Highland Hatchet to the minimalist one accompanying the avante garde SOG Camp Axe. In my days of extended trips in the wild I preferred to pack-carry a hatchet, but some may like it on the belt, and the SOG can accommodate you there. Hatchets are typically made to take abuse but are relatively easy to sharpen, either with a bench stone around the shop or a portable sharpener in the field or on the trail.

Final Cut

Options abound in the hatchet world and those on a budget should have no trouble finding competent fare in the category. The Winkler may seem pricey but once you try it you’ll appreciate its rock solid construction and extraordinary fit and finish. You’ll never be caught saying, “They don’t make ’em like that anymore.” The best news is there is enough diversity in the category that you can choose a hatchet to fit both your needs and budget, and that’s always a good thing.

More Axes, Hatchets And Tomahawks:

• Bearded Axe: Best Bashers From Here To Valhalla
• Best Tomahawks: Our Top Hawks For Backwoods To Battlefields
• Wicked Breacher: Ben Seward’s SWAT Axe
• Awesome Axes for Chopping Wood Like a True Lumberjack