Vaughan22 Ounce Half Hatchet, Made in The USA, Hickory Handle, for Construction Trades and Handymen, VN20520

A good item, quality maker, made in usa, for the price and weight class. Also the product is rust proof coated not oiled like some imports from india in HD for same price, which the ad does not say. The item arrived early free shipping (with other purchases).While i have a large axe and wedge i needed this for a planking a technique i'm trying to learn (to make rough planks from logs) (and for smaller brush/trees de-barking, its far easier than a large axe). Perfect for $ minded garage where not every tool needs to be snap-on tools quality.RESPONSE to other ads.> Worse yet, today I was cutting a yucca stump (not a very hard wood) and the handle broke off at the base of the head (and had to sharpen many timesBULL FEATHERSI beleive those lower star comments are all fake, posted by a competitor. for instance: breaking a handle on a large axe (by improper use) is not a-typical, by hitting the handle against the log by mistake. But there is practically NO WAY your going to break a handle on a small axe!! It's not heavy enough to product that kind of shock even if you hit the handle (not blade) against wood. see below. The attatchment is same as any "good" axe. The handle is light but sturdy wood (good) and easily replaced if ever there is a need (unlike fiberglass models). It has two axe handle wedges properly placed, not one, it's all shellaced in, not junk, no way it's coming out unless it's used badly/improperly and you'd have to throw any other axe away. their stories dont match up to even the right kind of axe!I tested this item on a one foot in diameter log. i hammered it in with a 10 lb. heave one-hand sledge hammer (part of a wood splitting / planking technique) to test it's steel. i did some debarking (small axe is great for that). then a little cross-chopping - which by weight is a little light for but ok (light way better for some jobs like debarking - depends on use).i inspected the blade, wear from hammering. the blade was still sharp no visible wear. I'm experience with using an axe all day for cutting or for chopping (trees falling in yard). I have an old rusty made in usa axe. i can tell you that any axe any brand: befefore you go out for a few/several days of chopping you are going to sharpen it first. and that is the case with this tool. or even competition axes: shapened before each competition.checking the hammer side to see if the sledge put dents - no - the surface is still flat (it is not soft steel it can stand up to some sledge hammering with no dents or unusual wear - just like any typical hammer axe etc - you can hammer this into wood, sledge it out because it's stuck many times: no problems)actually i'm impressed this item was made in USA and arrived at door for same price as a definitely lower quality india import found at local hw store HD - i bought it just because it said made in usa to tell you the truth !

This is a very well made hatchet. It is very sturdy and well balanced. As with most hatchets and axes purchased online, you'll have to sharpen it. Buy an axe sharpener at the same time and you're all set for life. This is my second hatchet. The first I loaned to a neighbor who never returned it - don't loan your tools! I primarily use this hatchet for making kindling from split wood for starting a fire. It is strong and is perfect for that job. It is 100% made in the U.S.! (I agree with one of the earlier posters, negative reviews are false.)

Quality tool for the price. Hickory handle with fair grain alignment. Solid head attached tightly with no gaps.When it arrived, edge was terribly dull and full of burrs. However, about 45 minutes of stone, sand, and leather later I got a razor sharp edge on it and a better profile. Knocked some kindling out of a chopped piece of hardwood, no problem. Surprisingly effective considering how short the handle is. I wanted a hatchet that carried well on a belt and had a good hammer poll. This short handled tool fit the bill.You need to provide your own sheath, though. I would recommend this tool highly.

its a quality tool but is far from "ready" off the shelf.it will chop and makes a decent hammer but the edge leaves a lot to be desired. if you don't have a proper file you might consider getting one specifically for this hatchet.

I received this hatchet thinking it would be great because well "made in USA" yet the hatchet I received had an edge so dull I basically just spent $20 for a hammer. You can say im being overdramatic and that I can just sharpen it well guess what Ive already put 15 hours worth of work into it and its barely got any kind of edge on it now. The profile of the head is horrible and only barely similar to a traditional carpenter's hatchet. The profile starts ok with an elongated triangle but soon bows outward with lots of extra unneeded material right near where you want it to straighten out to a fine edge. For anyone who doesnt use traditional old carpenter hatchets what you want is more of an elongated isosceles triangle that tapers to a fine point because its a carpenter's hatchet so you can do at least some small carving tasks if you need to. This hatchet has the profile more like a full size axe with a 45+ degree bevel so if you actually want to use it as a carpenter's hatchet you have to do tons of hours of modifying. Thats not even the worst part. Instead of it having a proper wedge its got two mini wedges inside so if one just happens to get loose and come out without you noticing well due to the design your hatchet is no longer safe to use. I bought this instead of restoring my heirloom plumb and stanley hatchets but clearly that was a bad move. Think about this I could order any number of cheap knives from china and they will all have some fair to ok edge on them yet this hatchet that is made in the USA has absolutely zero edge at all? Really you are going to have to spend countless hours to reprofile it or even just give it a decent edge. There is also a crack in the bottom of the handle that looks like it had come apart and had been glued back together so I really dont know how far into the handle the crack goes. The most infuriating part is they actually put a clear coat on the head of the hatchet. Yes to some this may be a benefit but all the clear coat has done is clog up my very nice arkansas sharpening stones and files to the point that I have to clean them with a wire brush just to make them usable again. This is just unforgiveable and I certainly will not buy another one ever again. If you want a good made in USA hatchet look elsewhere. (I will post pictures soon to show just what im talking about in comparison to a real carpenter's hatchet)

Made in U.S.A...Vaughan makes great tools!