5.0 out of 5 stars Can only speak for mine, which is great even without considering the price.

A.C. · November 28, 2016

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } First is that this is a battle axe and not a tomahawk or wood chopping axe, it's blade geometry is meant for slashing (not chopping)and stabbing against flesh, bone and thin wood(a shield) and not chopping thick branches or logs, it bites in deeply on every hit and gets stuck on almost every hit which is also why it shouldn't chop against an opponent( please don't be stupid and use this against ANYTHING alive).After reading so many reviews about the head being loose, the haft being garbage and needing to be sanded or whatever I got supplies to deal with these along with the axe. They were a waste of money as the head was secured tightly with or without the screw( which in my opinion is there only for shipping purposes), the shaft was perfectly straight and had the grain going the right way( in line with the axe blade) and had no coating on the head or shaft at all. The only modification I made was purely aesthetic, a simple darker stain and the axe looked and preformed great. The blade came with a usable edge but I still sharpened it until it was shaving sharp, which is honestly too sharp for a wood axe( it risks damaging the edge if it's too fine due to the tremendous force an axe can hit with which is far greater than a knife or even a sword) but I use this axe for martial arts training and "trick" cutting against water bottles and other human analog targets, not repeatedly against cured hard woods.All in all the axe was an absolute steal at $35.00, it had none of the problems the other reviewer's had, looks and feels great, has decent battle axe head geometry(which again is not that of a wood chopping axe),is light and well balanced and is made from quality materials that make it rugged and durable. It's worth far, far more than the asking price and I would definitely buy it again. I'm on a super tight budget and 35.00 is actually a lot of money to me for something that turns out to junk, my particular axe is a great item and not " for the money it's good", just good( I have yet to see something those axes that cost four or five or even ten times the price do that this one can't, $12.00 worth of wood stain and gun blue and it even looks as good as those ones). Not saying those other reviewer's were wrong, maybe cold steel improved their qc or maybe I just got lucky but there is no way anyone could say the one I got had any faults.As far as the head goes it's affixed to the shaft like a tomahawk, meaning the end of the shaft flares out slightly larger than the eye of the axe head and is held in place by friction. It's not like many battle axes that are held in place by a wedge being driven into the haft. I prefer it friction held as I can remove the head quickly, this makes it easier to sharpen, to replace the shaft when the time comes and to more safely store it ( have kids so that's an important issue to me). In a pinch I can also use the head as a makeshift ulu style knife, with which I can skin animals, scrape bark, hold the beard(not by the sharp part) and push on the top point with my left thumb for controlled cuts like in feather sticking and can use the sharp edge of the eye to strike sparks of a ferro rod (yes I can make a fancy bushcrafty fire with my battle axe or any tomahawk). It's not at all optimal for these things but it can do them. So for me I would never glue or permanently attach the head. A few good swings securely resets the head when I put it back on. Again I can only speak for myself but the friction method has been used for centuries so that's good enough for me. One last thing, for safety if your axes head does not sit securely enough for you then the only safe way to make it secure is by using a wedge, axes swing with incredible power and no amount of just glue, string or tape no matter how strong will hold on the head if used for any length of time, especially if striking objects, they only give a false sense of security.All these things are just my opinion so take them for what they are and make the best decision for you.

5.0 out of 5 stars U must learn how to sand the handle to fit the axe head

A.T. · September 21, 2023

Like all cold steel’s tomahawks & most of their historical axes, these handles have to be sanded and hand momentum fitted. They don’t tell people this & include a screw that temporarily fixes the ax head in place but will destroy the handle fairly quickly w use-especially if u don’t fit the handle and use the screw. The alignment will be off as well if not properly fitted and the screw is skipped. That’s why so many people say to throw that useless screw away in the comments. It seems like a good thing to a novice but will mess up ur handle quickly, even if u fit the head properly, but much worse if u don’t. Look up how to fit a tomahawk handle properly before attempting this or any hawks w wood handles by cold steel. This not being known is the main reason for negative reviews along w fairly poor quality control. Guess they get so many repeat customers they think everyone knows, but first timers often have no idea and get upset when the axe or hawks head is loose. Make sure u know what ur doing first, by watching so YouTube vids or whatever, then if there’s still issues u can send it back if u got a dud. Most complaints are just people who aren’t used to momentum secured hawks and axes.My first one came and it was super dull, too dull to sharpen by hand, and the handle was too thin at the top to fit properly. Sent it back for a replacement & the second ones handle fit perfectly, and was close enough to sharp that I could finish it by hand. The steel on these is heat treated/ tempered well, has multiple layers of heat treat & is surprisingly hard. Quality control isn’t the best on these and pretty much all are at least a minor project of fitting the handle and sharpening, but are great quality for the $ and as good as many of the far more expensive ones once u take care of that, and customize the head and handle if u want something that looks good on a wall. They come pretty plain but the bearded ax has a great shape & has a lot of potential for customization as a wall hanger or camping tool, zombie killer or whatever u want it to do. You can easily spend 2-4 times or more on a cheaply built wall hanger, so these are great and tend to perform well. Just requires a little more work out the gate than most. CRKT has a lot of the same issues and charges 2-3 times as much, although some of their stuff is prettier out of the box

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, But Quality Control Not the Best

P. · January 17, 2025

Overall I like the axe. It's not the most efficient chopper in my arsenal, but it looks cool, and it's fun to play with. My only gripe is that the handle came with a big chip in the top section. The axe still functions fine, but I prefer to put my own chips and dings in my equipment. I'm hoping that the factory quality control people tighten things up a bit.

must change the handle

L.W. · January 27, 2021

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } The original shaft is too thin, I replaced it ,now its a nice thing.for the price, it should be good , cost me another 20 euro to replace the shaft4 stars because I'm a handy man and I could fix it. the seller delivered fast etc.

Muy buen precio/calidad.

D.M. · November 11, 2019

Muy buen diseño, muy buen tamaño, peso, puede usarse en dos manos, ideal para modificar color, agregar grabados, cuero.El acero es de muy buena calidad, por error golpeé el concreto y la hoja tuvo una mini dentadura, nada grave.

Très bien... c'est cold steel@!!!

Y.t.Q.d. · March 21, 2025

Je l'ai modifié à mon goût...un 2h de travail... j'ai vieillis les 2 pièces et surtout ajouté un tranchant pour agir dans l'autre axe

Was für Ragnar..🤩

M.M. · December 31, 2020

Geile Bartaxt. Hab sie nach Erhalt selbst noch etwas gepimt. Original ist der Holzstiel blank. Aber mit wenig Aufwand kann man die noch richtig gut aufwerten. Ich hab das Holz dunkler gemacht und eine Lederwicklung mit Nieten aufgebracht..E voila 🤩

5 stars as a ‘kit’ only 4 as a finished item.

J. · August 19, 2022

Okay as a finished piece it’s fine. It will work, the set screw to keep the head from sliding down the handle is cheesy, just hammer the head down good and hard, that’s how your average Dane did it and it still works a thousand years later. Haft is superb, but if you aren’t going to work on it you will need a lanyard or similar to ensure it doesn’t go flying, there is no ‘pommel’ or goats foot to keep it from sliding out of sweaty handsHowever I bought it as the basis of a project. A kit. And as that it’s excellent!Forging slightly lopsided and has an ugly finish, but no worse than other much more expensive axes. Most fighting axes sold today have a completely stupid geometry for combat, but this one is actually correctly designed. The head has a good overall shape, it’s got the correct profile, which is VERY different from most of the just slightly massaged woodsman’s axes. Woodsman axes or woodcraft hatchets are too heavy, blade is a wedge which wont really penetrate, edges are too short and curved the wrong way. This axe head has a much thinner edge, swelling to enough meat at the haft end, it will sink itself to the haft during test cuts into pork sides (actually a good butchery tool if you have the skill. I’ve used it to cut up beef quarters and whole pigs into primal cuts, it cuts instead of wedging itself into the meat, applicable to combat, I would say), and it has six inches of curved edge tha can be used for draw and push cuts when choked up on the haft.For the next step I’ve decided to remove the annoying surface finish and try my hand at gold damascening the cheeks of it, so as I said, I view it as a kit.The haft provided was absolutely perfect. The grain was straight, no warp or twist, it has a teardrop cross section which helps in edge alignment. It’s a bit slender in my huge hands, but I plan to do some haft leather and such anyway, and seriously the haft is the best quality I’ve ever seen come stock on a tool or weapon. Hickory I think, although it’s harder to tell for sure than most people think. Hard, springy but not easily flexed, straight even grain. Not a single flaw in it anywhere. When I finish the current project I might grab another and do something different, I just wish they made a proper sized Dane axe.