Fiskars Hatchet - Chopping a Fallen Tree - Tough Job, Tough Tool

[AlanChunkyMunky]

great demonstration! good looking hatchet as well

[ColinOutdoors]

@AlanChunkyMunky Thanks my friend.

[ColinOutdoors]

@LLUrbanAchiever Thats for the downer and disrespectful comment. I never claim to be anything other than a trier. I guess I will look at your videos and see how its done.... What? no videos, I thought as much, get a lift pal

[survivalkiing]

I got the 14" and the 8" hatchets. I carry the 8" on day hikes and the big one camping or 2+ day hikes. They are amazing.

[ColinOutdoors]

@survivalkiing Nice one my friend, yeah the are great axes :-)

[JustinBaker2567]

Haha, when you grunt you sound like some medieval viking.

[ColinOutdoors]

@JustinBaker2567 Haha, thanks my friend :-)

[juggalostoner3000]

i have that one, chops pretty good

[ColinOutdoors]

@juggalostoner3000 Nice one my friend, yeah its decent hatchet

[blacksmither1]

i bought a fiskars splitting axe and it works for chopping trees and splitting wood,kjust a great brand of axe

[ColinOutdoors]

@blacksmither1 Great choice my friend, sounds like it works great for you

[cvrivcharles]

Second, the handle has a larger flare at the bottom too. To better prevent slippage while striking I guess. Lastly,... the head of the hatchet is a bit thicker too. This I dont know if I like. The older one was a lot thinner towards edge. The older one was razor sharp right out fo the box. Mine is thicker and not as razor sharp. I could not slice paper with mine. Im pretty sure I will be able to chew through wood pretty quick despite the edge not being as razor sharp.

[ColinOutdoors]

@cvrivcharles Ah, so seems they have changed it quite a bit then, well I hope it works well for you in the field

[cvrivcharles]

Hey I got my New Fiskars hatchet. Its definitely different from the first one I had. I do believe the one you have is the one I had prior to this new one. There are 3 differences I noticed right away. First being the plastic protect holder is better. It has this little latch thing that you have to turn in order to release the hatchet from the holder. The holder it self looks better made too.

[ColinOutdoors]

@cvrivcharles Nice one my friend, sounds like some good improvements have been made to the axe

[cvrivcharles]

i wont lie,... i did slice my leg up good rught through my jeans when the axe skid right off the log. people need to know that these axes are razor blades with handles.

[ColinOutdoors]

@cvrivcharles Sounds nasty, hope it healed well my friend, yeah axes can be dangerous thats for sure

[cvrivcharles]

My father always said if you don't see chips flying you ain't cutting. I Just ordered one of these. It will be my second one. Lost the first. This axe is amazing. The steel extremely hard. Just doesn't dull. I cut up several sections of a dead tree at about 6 - 8" in diameter in minutes and I could still shave with the axe when I got done. The 14" model.

[ColinOutdoors]

@cvrivcharles Sorry to hear about you losing your first axe, glad you are getting another seems like it works well for you.

[cvrivcharles]

Dude needs to cut at a greater angle in both direction.

[ColinOutdoors]

@cvrivcharles Cheers for the tip mate.

[TheNeedyCat]

Put your finger horizontally along the tree where colin is cutting and feel lien a god when you don't get cut :P

[ColinOutdoors]

@TheNeedyCat Lol, that could turn out nasty

[CanItAlready]

Great vid. If more people did this more often, there might not be a Biggest Loser. LOL

Also great demo of the hatchet. Doesn't look like much with that hollow handle, but obviously more capable than it seems.

[ColinOutdoors]

@CanItAlready Thanks my friend, yeah its sure does burn alot of calories but a very useful and strong tool :-)

[bushcraftboyz1]

i think that hatchet is just as good if not better then the gerber ones!!!!

[ColinOutdoors]

@bushcraftboyz1 Cheers mate, I believe they are the same though, Fiskars make both :-)

[bushcraftboyz1]

@ColinOutdoors oh didn't know that all right cool nice vids

[ColinOutdoors]

@bushcraftboyz1 Thanks for the kind words my friend, take care

[bushcraftboyz1]

@ColinOutdoors you to !!!

[Strikesnake1994]

i would take a couple of swings at that thing, then look up,

"I think we need a bigger axe..."

[ColinOutdoors]

@Strikesnake1994 Fair point, thanks for watching :-)

[nazkirik]

they dont work good on dead dry trees

[ColinOutdoors]

@nazkirik Lol, I find they do for my me :-) 

[fog360]

get a chainsaw colin it works for me bud lol what a good work out this should of been a fitness video lol.

[ColinOutdoors]

@fog360 Lol, yeah it sure was a good workout :-) thanks mate

[JustinBaker2567]

Great video, a ton of work though! If I needed a fire, I would probably cut down a small dead conifer, split that one down into starter fuel and try and drag bigger logs like this into the fire. Still, a great test and thank you for making this video.

[ColinOutdoors]

@JustinBaker2567 Thanks my friend, I agree with you. I appreciate your support, Merry Christmas :-)

[gjholcomb]

i think the sound afects worked.you really went through it a lot faster that way.lol.exscent video and review.thanks my friend and take care:)

[ColinOutdoors]

@gjholcomb Lol, thank you so much my friend, I really appreciate your support. Take care

[QualityKnives]

Darn Colin I can tell you now I would have never got threw that. I would have quit trying. That seemed very hard to chop through. Great video buddy! :)

[ColinOutdoors]

@QualityKnives Lol, I was really tough. I was knackered after it, had to lie down for 10 mins lol. Thank you my friend, take care

[2flukey]

use a saw for that!

[ColinOutdoors]

@2flukey Watch the vid, I said a saw is more efficient. Pay attention lol

[xPumaFangx]

Ya thats alot of energy spent on a log. You could change the way your hitting the wood mid way thro the act. That why you will use different musle groups. Ya you have proved you can do it. Also every time I watch you use a shorter handled axe. Makes me want to keep a longer handled axe around. Normaly I use a saw. I do like your wooded handled axe more. Its just looks cooler.

[ColinOutdoors]

@xPumaFangx Thank you my friend, I too like a saw, I think they are great tools and as you say use less energy :-)

[Survivalonabudget]

Colin you can tell by your aggression you and the woman must of had a fight the night before lol just kidding mate. Great vid, its nice to see just what these little axes can do. I am really torn between going fisk or husq right now. You see the gerber ones all over the states here at retail shops.. but the money goes up even though its fisk due to the gerber name. I'll just order online.

[ColinOutdoors]

@Survivalonabudget Lol hehe, funny my friend :-) Yeah same here with the Gerber name, it takes up the price. Hope you get one, its a great axe

[hoosierarcher]

fallen wood that big is why I carry a folding bow saw and a pocket chainsaw in my kit. But valiant effort Colin!

[ColinOutdoors]

@hoosierarcher Thanks my friend, certainly a saw is alot more efficient 

[kniedelm]

i like my chainsaw haha to lazy for ax unless splitting wood

[ColinOutdoors]

@kniedelm Lol, yeah chainsaws work much better. Mind you I wouldn't like to carry one on my back :-) Thanks for watching

[TheBillGuillermo]

Hey I would check out the SOG tomahawk its blade geometry is set up better for chopping but what you have there looks like it could be a great splitting hatchet.

[ColinOutdoors]

@TheBillGuillermo Thank you my friend, I will check it out :-)

[drumgodtim]

i meant to ask how u r liking your husqvarna hatchet? how does it cut compared to the fiskars? have you sparked a firesteel with either hatchet? i have noticed that my fingers get tired relatively quick whilst chopping...much more so than my arms...good/grippy gloves make a pig difference for me...actually put tennis racket tape on the handle of my cheap home depot hatchet...the wood was slick and the tape gave me a thicker handle to hold as well as more traction between my hand and the handle.

[ColinOutdoors]

@drumgodtim Hi Tim, well I love the Husqvarna. I use it for more elegant tasks like carving and such and the Fiskars is more for heavier duty work like splitting and chopping. Great way to create more traction on your handle, nice tip my friend, Thank you.

[gimepepe]

And now the rest of the three :-)

I switched to a large blade for collecting fire wood

[ColinOutdoors]

@gimepepe Lol, yeah a large blade is very useful

[Joxman2k]

Oh. and I'd like to add that if you turn the log 90 degrees away from you (so the V is pointing towards you), when you are over half way through, you'll actually cut quicker and easier through the remainder of the wood. If that makes any sense. :)

Also be careful to not sweat too much :)

Great video once again Colin :)

:P

[ColinOutdoors]

@Joxman2k Thanks for the great tip my friend 

[Joxman2k]

Chopping wood warms you twice, once when cutting, and once when burning.

Good vid Colin :)

:P

[ColinOutdoors]

@Joxman2k It sure does, thanks my friend

[medicjimr]

Gets hard trying to chop petrified wood lol. Good idea with sunglasses Colin that is why I always by safety glasses/ sunglasses

[ColinOutdoors]

@medicjimr Thanks Jim, I agree, always important to protect the eyes. 'Petrified wood' lol :-)

[banditblue95]

the tree bark on the right at 413 sec looks like a old women? :)

[ColinOutdoors]

@banditblue95 haha LOL :-)

[zixym]

I had the same problem once.

Small ax and the wood hard as the devil.

Just who's tried this knows how difficult it can be.

Cheers friend!

[ColinOutdoors]

@zixym Thanks my friend

[drumgodtim]

Damn!!! That wood was as hard as a coffin nail Colin!!!! Great Job!!!!

[ColinOutdoors]

@drumgodtim Lol, thank you Tim

[Wingsfan7]

Hey, good to see chopping, but here's a tip I find helpful. When you're going to chop a log, and want to keep things easy toward the end (instead of possible deflections from the V in the log) is to make the start of the cut through (top of the V) roughly the length of the diameter of the log. Hope this helps, and keep up the good work!

[ColinOutdoors]

@Wingsfan7 Thank you for the great tip my friend, I will try that next time :-)

[investigator76]

Great work on that video!!

[ColinOutdoors]

@investigator76 Cheers buddy :-)

[576ito1080p]

:o) that looked like hard work Col.. mate keep it under ya hat but use a saw next time ....lol.....

[ColinOutdoors]

@576ito1080p Lol, aye a saw is far easier I must admit, Cheer T :=-)

[576ito1080p]

@ColinOutdoors see that made you smile :o)

[ColinOutdoors]

@576ito1080p :-)

[skroonk]

Looks like the dead fall that missed me by an inch.

[ColinOutdoors]

@skroonk Lol, glad your ok :-) 

[TheAmishking]

Another great video, Colin.

[ColinOutdoors]

@TheAmishking Thanks mate :-)

[brown55061]

Chuck Norris could have done that in one shot... by looking at the wood. All trees fear Chuck! lol

That was a 5-6" thick tree so I'd say that hatchet worked fairly well for something small enough to sport on a pack. Nicely done. Glad you did the test for us so we don't have to test it or sweat.

[ColinOutdoors]

@brown55061 Thank you my friend, I sure did work up a sweat lol.

Chuck Norris lol :-)

[RDPproject]

Chopped through it in under 7mins....

Good work.

Rob.

[ColinOutdoors]

@RDPproject Thank you Rob

[gandelff999]

no worries big man,keep it real,keep it safe,thanks for being a big positive in all aspects

[ColinOutdoors]

@gandelff999 Cheers mate :-)

[gandelff999]

bear in mind pal, its what your carrying in your pack,so you don't want the big but what if scenario kit in there,but you do remarkably well with the gear you have for everyday stuff which is what you present yourself as if you do mind me saying.

there's loads out there that deal with the bigger picture of outdoor's but you nail it with the after 9 to 5 brigade as i call us.,thanks for at least having the balls to go out there and do it and film it.

[ColinOutdoors]

@gandelff999 Thank you so much my friend, great comment, your kind words really mean alot to my and it encourages me to do more and keep going, take care

[zanierm]

Great videos love the stuff you post.

Just a tip for you. If you watch the video the log is bouncing when you chop it.

This bouncing is absorbing a lot of the energy in each chop making the whole process inefficient. Brace the log with something under it, a rock or another log so that is solid and does not bounce. You work will be cut down (pun intended) and your chopping will be more efficient.

[ColinOutdoors]

@zanierm Thank you my friend, that is a fantastic tip about the log, when I was doing it the log felt pretty secure but as you seen on the video it moved slightly. Cheers my friend I will try your technique next time I am out :-)

[jasongiddensviper478]

I would hate to make you mad! LOL JK Give that axe a good what for!

I canot wait to see how it holds up.

[ColinOutdoors]

@jasongiddensviper478 Lol, cheers my friend, yeah I am really impressed with how the axe has held up so far, might need to do some more work with it before I give it a sharpen.

[prvthudson]

dude i have been there with the hatchet, I find sometimes its easier to use a machete that has a really sharp edge on it, seems sometimes i can get a wider swing. but do prefer a saw, have you done any vids on a good machete?

[ColinOutdoors]

@prvthudson Thanks my friend, actually I haven't used a machete before, its something I would like to try in the future hopefully

[ColinOutdoors]

@johnlowengard Thanks my friend, yeah I saw is better suited for the task, I only had my think leather gloves, I find its easier without them when using this hatchet :-)

[gandelff999]

the old saying he who cuts the wood gets twice as warm would seem appropriate ey colin, haha, i remeber my dad did a log cutting race years back at a pub garden fate,huge 12" thing,3 men 3 seperate logs,using huge axes(long before hse stepped in) the quickest guy did it in about 10 minutes, my dad came in last much longer,so you at least show how much work is involved in using a good hatchet can actually be,oh you can see how sharp it is btw,but it is still hard work from your perspective.bravo

[ColinOutdoors]

@gandelff999 That saying is so true my friend. Wow that log cutting race your Dad did sounds really tough. I sure did find this one hard word, thanks for your great support my friend :-)

[thawkins426]

That wood is dried out and hard as you know what. I was looking at this hatchet online and wondered if it would hold up. I think you proved that and I am going to get one soon for my truck.

[ColinOutdoors]

@thawkins426 Thank you my friend, I think its a great choice for your truck, I like this hatchet alot :-)

[zhsy00001]

Thumbs up for breaking a sweat.

[ColinOutdoors]

@zhsy00001 Cheers my friend

[hinckleypoland]

whew that was a workout! Great vid CO!

[ColinOutdoors]

@hinckleypoland Lol it sure was, thanks my friend 

[bushcraftbartons]

Excellent job Colin...

[ColinOutdoors]

@bushcraftbartons Thank you Mike

[ravenwind123]

Get your farmer out and saw it up :)

[ColinOutdoors]

@ravenwind123 Lol, that would be a great test for the Farmer, I might try that soon ;-)

[themedicintraining]

sounds like you were angry at the wood.... hahah nice video

[ColinOutdoors]

@themedicintraining Lol, I was :-) thanks my friend

[sabr686]

Good work out for you and the ax, huh? Hopefully, you can split that up and burn it on the next vids. Nicely done Colin (and camera man/woman).

[ColinOutdoors]

@sabr686 Thanks Sabr, aye it was a good work out thats for sure, hopefully I can do more fire videos in the future :-)

[recon66661]

great video thanks Colin!!

[ColinOutdoors]

@recon66661 Thanks mate :-)

[Killahofosho]

you kicked that logs ass hahaha! great vid!

[ColinOutdoors]

@Killahofosho Hehe, cheers my friend, it felt like it kicked mines afterwards though :-)

[MrColt45acp]

just imagine building a cabin using that method.

Have you ever heard of Dick Proenneke and the cabin he built at Twin Lakes, Alaska.

Great video and story about his life in the wilderness.

[ColinOutdoors]

@MrColt45acp That would be one almighty task building a log cabin. I haven't heard of Dick Proenneke, but he sounds very interesting and I would love the find out more, thank you for the great information my friend

[LeonRFpoa]

lol Colin XD your grunts were saying "Well bloody hell, why's this log so tough!" 

[ColinOutdoors]

@LeonRFpoa Haha, yeah it was a tough log, tougher than I thought, cheers my friend 

[superdznuts99]

hard ass tree

[ColinOutdoors]

@superdznuts99 Lol it sure was

[tamww]

I think if you had dug a hole about 4 feet deep next to the log, you would have been able to do the work without hurting your back and knees. Also you would have been able to plant the top half of the tree again.

[TheBeebopper]

@tamww a comedian.

[tamww]

@TheBeebopper

Indeed :-D

Like there's anything wrong with his technique?

Job started, job completed with the desired outcome. Looks like success to me.

[ColinOutdoors]

@tamww Very kind words, thank you so much :-)

[ColinOutdoors]

@tamww I take your point on board, thanks for watching :-) Lol

[mizooch70]

Hey Colin! Man grunts...we've all been there in during some sort of laborious job. Many people would shut off the camera and just show the final product. Not you and I think that's great! You cut a realistic size log that anyone would choose to use and then demo'd the effort it takes to work JUST ONE CUT. Thanks Colin. As far as the other comments about using saws, there's no right answer about what tool to take with you. You were simply demonstrating this specific tool, again great job.

[ColinOutdoors]

@mizooch70 Thank you so much for the fantastic comment my friend, I always appreciate your support and I can't thank you enough, it is a pleasure to be your friend, take care

[Waldhandwerk]

Good job, much work, good hatchet ; ) All the best Sepp

[ColinOutdoors]

@Waldhandwerk Thank you Sepp, your support means alot to me

[ipodtouchguy951]

grat vid/ demo

[ColinOutdoors]

@ipodtouchguy951 Cheers my friend

[SNAFU111999]

I'm surprised that such a small hatchet can do that much chopping.

[ColinOutdoors]

@SNAFU111999 Yeah me too my friend, I was very impressed with it :-)

[IAmNutria]

Great job Colin :-)

[ColinOutdoors]

@IAmNutria Cheers my friend

[LastUrbanSurvivor]

Hey Colin, great video! I was curious as to what the best hatchet for the value would be. I'm a bit afraid of the plastic handle on the Gerber or Fiskars hatchet, but you seem to like it. Let me know what your top one is. Thanks!!

[wcropp1]

@LastUrbanSurvivor I'm not Colin, but the handle on the Fiskars hatchets are very tough--there's a video I've seen of a truck running over one with no ill effect. That being said, it's just not what many people want an axe handle to be made out of, as wood is far easier to repair if it breaks (though more likely to break to begin with). I'd look into the Fiskars (a cheaper alternative, and the same as the Gerber axes, but without the nylon sheath, unfortunately), or Husqvarna/Hults Bruks if you

[ColinOutdoors]

@wcropp1 Great information my friend, wow a truck ran over one and its fine, thats awesome my friend. Thank you for your great support, take care

[ColinOutdoors]

@LastUrbanSurvivor Well I really like the Fiskars, the handle is actually really strong from my use. I think its a great hatchet and if you get one I think you will be pleased with the choice, thanks my friend

[faithgoshi]

you beat that wood bro,nice video!!!

[ColinOutdoors]

@faithgoshi Thank you my friend

[shillelaghslaw]

Good video, just something to consider, when making a starting chop, make the spacing between each initial hit (effectively creating the 'V') make them the same width as the width of the piece you are cutting. In other words, if the wood log is 6 inches, make the initial cuts 6 inches from each other. I always found that worked for me. Again i reiterate, good video, i love my fiskars, its light and does what i want on a day hike.

[ColinOutdoors]

@shillelaghslaw Thanks for the great tip my friend, I will be sure to try that technique next time I am out. Take care

[dakdak88]

well Colin..You got your workout for the day!...Good job...as for the comments from people that tell you "how" you are supposed to do it...I looked and they had zero vids on how to?...LOL... people need to post their own vids and show us..not just watch and bitch...take care ★★★★★

[ColinOutdoors]

@dakdak88 Lol yeah it was a tough workout thats for sure. Thank you for your great comment and great support, it means alot to me.

[mrsparex]

c'mon folks...

This is a vid to show another task than can be done with a Fiskars hatchet. He plainly states in the vid that he just showing us what a FH can do. The man has chain saws and hand saws galore! I'm not trying to be a "know it all" but when you're hiking WAY out into the woods...you are limited to what you take. Thanks for the vid.

[ColinOutdoors]

@mrsparex Thank you so much for your great support my friend, I can't thank you enough, take care :-)

[1jump2many]

Using an axe to chop expends too much energy compared to using a saw. Saws like the Sawvivor or Unbelievable Saw are small compact and very effective. I only carry a hatchet and that is to split wood. Good video, it realistically shows how much energy you have to use to chop wood.

[ColinOutdoors]

@1jump2many I agree, very valid point my friend, thanks for your support. This tired me out for a bit thats for sure.

[sweetypie000]

looks like it can be alot sharper dude - would have been eaiser for ya

good vid and nice little axe

[ColinOutdoors]

@sweetypie000 Nope, it paper shaving sharp, thanks for watching 

[sweetypie000]

@ColinOutdoors really ? damn. The log must be a real hard wood I guess

[ColinOutdoors]

@sweetypie000 Well I think it was well seasoned, initially I thought it was rotten but turned out to be some nice wood, thanks my friend

[hitmanface]

slowly slowly catchy monkey!

[ColinOutdoors]

@hitmanface Ok, thanks for watching

[MetalTillIDie461]

also, i hope you collected them chippings for future firemaking ^_^

[ColinOutdoors]

@MetalTillIDie461 Sure did :-)

[MetalTillIDie461]

Great video, and as always, great surroundings (i wish the area I lived in had so many nice areas as in scotland).

Love the sound effects as well :)

Will you be doing a video on sharpening your axe?

[ColinOutdoors]

@MetalTillIDie461 Thank you my friend, I really appreciate yours support. Yeah I will be doing an axe sharpening video very soon.

[facatube]

perhaps you are cutting in a high angule?

[ColinOutdoors]

@facatube Maybe, but I found it worked well, thanks for watching

[absolutgsxr]

you can tell just from the sound, its hard wood. good to see you putting some work in with that fiskars. job well done. Have a good holiday.

[ColinOutdoors]

@absolutgsxr Thank you so much my friend, great comment :-)

[asg00001]

Great video Colin

do you like hatchets with a streight edge,or one with a belly or curve i it?

take care!!

[ColinOutdoors]

@asg00001 Cheers my friend, I like the curve with a convex edge, has worked well for me so far :-)

[asg00001]

@ColinOutdoors

yeah they seem to dig into the wood deepper

take care!!

[ColinOutdoors]

@asg00001 Thats what I think too :-) Thank you my friend, I really appreciate your support as always, take care.

[MBlackford100]

You did good. Like most of us common men, who are not using an axe every day, your form is not perfect but that is the way most people will use an axe or hatchet. Keep it up, Finesse comes with repeated practice!