SE 3-in-1 Multi-Function Hatchet - 881MA

So mixed emotions on this review because it is such an awesome little camping tool. Yes it is worth a 5 stars rating but now that I've said this more people will buy them and I will have to wait for them to come in. Why it is great is it does everything a camper (not deep woods survival zombie type but normal national park, state park tent camping) needs in one little tool. I bought one years ago (10+) and had it in the tent box and for ten bucks I had the perfect little tool to take camping. It drives stakes, breaks up the ground, clears small limbs and using the same tool I can remove the nails, stakes I put in. I'm buying this new one because on the last camping trip I left it out in the open and someone felt they needed it more than me!! I will be buying more and giving them out as Xmas gifts because it lasts forever (Forged from Solid Iron) and for less than $10 I'm giving a gift that will actually be used year after year by my camping buddies.

I'm building up a couple of emergency preparedness kits and decided to order 2 of these. When they arrived, a side-by-side comparison showed significant differences between the forging of the two products. They lacked the refinement of your average mass-produced metal tool. So, I'm forced to conclude that these are hand-forged. An interesting observation in this day and age. (There was no indication of what country they were made in.) The black part of the metal is paint, which was inconsistently applied. The also appear to be clear-coated. (Probably to reduce rust.) I wasn't impressed with the sharpness of the blade. So, I quickly ran them through my bench-grinder. The hammerhead thickness was inconsistent from side-to-side. Functionally, they are equivalent in all ways. As mentioned in the title, these are light-duty tools. The hatchet head lacks the weight necessary to hack through large timber. (If you had to cut through more than one 4-inch log, you'll pass out from exhaustion and suffer significant blisters.) All that being said, this is an EMERGENCY SURVIVAL HATCHET. It's light and small enough to carry in a backpack. The steel is strong enough to get the job done. The rubber handle is solid and well-constructed. The price seems appropriate. I would have given it a higher star rating, if the head was heavier. (In an emergency/survival situation, I'll need to conserve my strength.) So, these are just "OK" for my needs.

For less than 20 bucks, it's a good hatchet. Came sharp enough for the price, but not razor sharp. I've abused it enough to feel that it's not going to break under pressure. I bought it as a multifunction survival tool... Pry bar and axe. But it's a LOT smaller than it looks in the pictures. Ironically, the pry bar gets in the way when batoning wood that doesn't wanna split. Once you've smacked it down all the way into the wood to the point that the pry bar part is resting on the top of the log, it won't go down any further. So you have to either position it so the pry bar part clears the edge of the log and you're batoning it in a way that only the posterior half of the axe edge is cutting. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it's a frustrating process. Would I return it? Absolutely not. It's strong metal, and it's far lighter than carrying an axe and a pry bar with you. I'd 100% want this thing with me in a SHTF situation, but there are camping tools that will get the job done a lot more easily if weight isn't an issue and you can just throw anything you're not using in your car or your tent.

BUYER BEWARE! Like many other reviewers, I ordered this as a versatile camping tool. When the package arrived I tried to imagine what else I'd bought as the box was WAY TOO SMALL for a hatchet... I was wrong. I opened it and was surprised by how small it was. I thought, "Oh well, it'll store easier." It was also not pretty, but I didn't buy it to make other campers envious... I wanted a tool for setting tent stakes, cutting kindling, etc. Today I had my first opportunity to use it by prying something, but after no more than a few seconds and a few pounds of pressure, one of the pry teeth snapped off. Not very happy with the product and wish I'd waited for something else. I'm sure (ok, I hope) the hammer and hatchet will be usable so that it wasn't a total waste of money, but I think I'll buy a backup just in case. I don't want to be without a hatchet or hammer when I get to the campsite, and I don't have a lot of confidence that this item won't break further.

Awesome tool for the price. I wasn't expecting it to be the world's best tool, but for a multi-purpose tool and hatchet, I bought a few for myself and a few for friends and family. It's a great extra to have in a tool box, camping bag, survival pack, or just about anywhere. I have one in my car under the seat for breaking glass in case of emergency or breaking someone's bones if need be. Pretty useful to have a hammer, claw, and cutting hatchet all in one. At the couple dollar price, you'd be a fool to only buy one...

This thing is freaking awesome! Solid construction with steel all through the handle. Essential tool for tent camping. Dog and I went camping cross-country for 4 weeks, and this was about the only thing that didn't break. It is small -- but that was a good thing for us. Between the dog kennel, all the camping gear, and everything, there was NO room left in my little Ford Ranger. I would advise not trying to cut down the mightiest tree in the forest with this guy (or a herring) -- but for just splitting some kindling, nailing in tent posts, pulling them up, and the like, it worked great. A few minutes with a whetstone and the edge got good and solid and stayed that way for almost a month.

This is a piece of junk, lol. Ok, it's great to use and abuse, and that's what it's for. You can hack with it, hammer, and pry. The paint on the piece is bubbled up, and I'm not certain the rubber handle is well affixed. However, when I ordered mine it was cheap, and although I've never used it I have it in one of the compartments under the rear seat of my crew cab pickup for just such an occasion as described above without having to carry a hatchet, hammer, and prybar.

I love the design of this ax. The hammer head on back and pry bar on the top are awesome. Unfortunately the quality leaves something to be desired. It is a functional hunk of metal and the handle is comfortable but this is definitely not a high quality item. The worst part is when I received my ax it had a decent amount of rust on it. The only things that save this item for me are the design and the price. At only $12 its hard to complain. I bought this as an addition to a bugout bag and I am satisfied enough to rate this at 3 stars. Would have been 4 if it hadn't had any rust. Also, make sure you sharpen it.