Pros: Construction
Cons: None
Great Axe
This axe is very useful around camp. It is a really great size to carry on your pack.
Reviews and Ratings for Condor Tool & Knife CTK4052C15 Woodworker Axe 5-1/2" Carbon Steel Head, American Hickory Handle, Leather Sheath
(7 reviews) 3.7 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews
Bill H.
OklahomaJul 24, 2014
Randy
Small Town IowaNov 06, 2012
Pros: Construction
Cons: None
This is a Hatchet !
The title AXE is misleading. This is a pound and a quarter hatchet with an 18 inch overall long handle. That aside this is a very well made cutting tool that is well suited for light delimbing and small camp chore splitting. It would fit well inside of a pack or strapped to the outside without beating your legs with the handle every time you take a step. I have used it to do some basic carving and tinder producing and it did very well. The bearded style head allow you to choke up and get your hand behind the cutting surface for better control. You will not be doing heavy forestry felling with this axe. As long as you understand that you will be as happy with this purchase as I am. The wood grain on the Genuine American Hickory handle is cross grain to what an axe handle should have but this will never be used in a heavy enough application to make that an issue. The wood is straight grained with no heartwood. It will be just fine.
J Johnson
MarylandAug 01, 2011
Pros: Construction
Cons: None
BUSHCRAFTER
This did not have the same head as the scout...it was tapered well, and dug in as much as my wetterlings 12", but it splits wood 8,000 times better. I like it cause I can beat the piss out of it, and it holds a good edge and cuts down all the limbs I need with minimal effort, but splits wood like a real axe. Grain was DEAD ON
Ben D.
New YorkSep 26, 2012
Pros: None
Cons: None
Great Axe for the Money
For the dollar, this is a great tool. Mine arrived sharp with very good grain orientation in the handle. I've taken it on a few trips and it's a good size for a backpack. While leading a scout trip with my son's troop, three of us spent over an hour chopping a felled oak log into 24" segments and the axe was still sharp enough to shave tinder afterward. I like the grind profile for overall use, but this is definitely not a dedicated wood working axe. The sheath is high quality.
Ralph Curcio
East Meadow, NyJun 27, 2012
Pros: Handle Material
Cons: None
Old production?
Received what appears to be an older production axe before Condor worked on the consistency of their quality control on these. the handle was a bit dinged up and the wood grain orientation is running the wrong direction for a strong handle. When I saw this I looked at the QC sticker and saw that it was from early 2012 and that the 2011 product catalog was in the box.
Tomcat
PADec 14, 2020
Pros: Handle Material
Cons: None
Not Fantastic but not bad
This is a very unique design overall, I loved that it had more of a flat face to it. The handle length in my opinion is basically perfect, has a great balance to it for multiple tasks. I usually carry a pocket knife and this just because I can use this to process my wood all the way through and avoid batoning. CONS: The edge was just awful, I mean it looked almost unfinished or even untouched, it was flat. So I had to reprofile the entire edge which to me is unacceptable that it passed any QC at all. Touch up, or not shaving sharp okay, but it was flat. I kept it as its not a huge deal to me to fix. The handle is actually slightly turned at the bottom where the grip is and not directly in line with the head. Again its fixable but im just going to leave it as I do abuse it. Should you buy?: I would say pass, heres why...The QC on this and others tells me Condor has some issues to solve. I believe their are better hatchets and axes in this price range. The designs they put out are amazing but execution has to be there. The competition has much better QC and I would of rather had a hatchet I could use than one i needed to doctor up especially for the price I paid. I think condor has the best designs hands down but i will continue to avoid them until I see QC improve on their products.
Dave
Vancouver, WAApr 24, 2015
Pros: Construction, Balance
Cons: None
Design didn't fit my needs
Nice steel and high quality sheath. Good size for a pack. I ran into a problem splitting kindling from scrap boards. The profile of the blade is more tear shaped instead of a wedge. Once the blade bit into the boards it would skew/twist once it transitioned from the cheek to the eye of the blade head. It would cause the wood to ride down the handle most of the time. This shape saves on some weight in the pack but hurts the functionality in my opinion. Fine for limbing and falling, not so much for splitting boards for kindling. I will look for a more wedge shaped blade design and make my son pack this one around. He's more likely to go out felling trees.