The 10 Best Hickory hatchets (2023 reviews)
We consider a hickory hatchet to be a worthy investment in the long run.
We are here to help you choose the right one for your needs from all the best available products in market today.
Our review process:
Our Top Picks:
Best Overall: Buy: Prandi Hickory Hatchet READ REVIEWBest For emergency situations: Buy: Cold Steel Hickory Hatchet READ REVIEWBest For stakes: Buy: Vaughan & Bushnell Hickory Hatchet READ REVIEWBest For professional Axe Throwing: Buy: JXE JXO Hickory Hatchet READ REVIEWBest For Very refined Work: Buy: Hults Bruk Hickory Hatchet READ REVIEWBest For bushcraft: Buy: Condor Tool Knife Hickory Hatchet READ REVIEWBest Little Camp Hatchet: Buy: Adler Axe Hickory Hatchet READ REVIEWBest With Saw: Buy: Talximuk Hickory Hatchet READ REVIEWBest For beginner: Buy: bladed Hickory Hatchet READ REVIEWBest With Hammer Head: Buy: Kings County tools Hickory Hatchet READ REVIEWBest Overall: Prandi Hickory Hatchet
Buy on Amazon The prandi hickory hatchet is capable of outshining several other hatchet featured in this list in overall features. This axe is awesome for delimbing. It is light and compact with a clean looking head. The handle fills the eye well and the grain orientation is good. It is great for the more aggressive kind of thrower. It is easy to sharpen and holds a great edge. The branding is just painted on as opposed to bring hammered in. You can spend a little time and make this much nicer looking and better finished if you want.Why We Like This:
- Very thick and deep brown leather
- Great for camping and small chopping tasks
- Feels great and strong in the hand
Best For emergency situations: Cold Steel Hickory Hatchet
Buy on Amazon If you often find yourself scrambling for convenient and suitable hatchet, cold steel hickory hatchet is your end point. The Stylish and iconic hatchet is as eye catching as it is durable. It features a differentially heat treated, drop-forged 1055 carbon steel head, which has a hard edge capable of reaching razor sharpness, but a soft steel body for absorbing impact. It effortlessly cuts through various materials, making it a reliable tool for outdoor enthusiasts, campers, and those engaged in woodwork or survival activities. It's a straight handle and can easily be shortened. This one fits through the eye from the bottom and is secured by a wedge. It gives you a lighter weight without sacrificing much swing power. The handle has a pronounced oval shape, whereas the tomahawk handles are more rounded and comfortable to grip. It is very sturdy, and well balanced.Why We Like This:
- Extra length allows for a firm swing
- Good for throwing, didn't break yet after some abuse
- Good brand reputation
Best For stakes: Vaughan & Bushnell Hickory Hatchet
Buy on Amazon If you often find yourself scrambling for convenient and suitable hatchet, vaughan & bushnell hickory hatchet should be your first option for buying. This hammer is well balanced and you could set the nail with one strike and drive it home with the next. It's great for large nails or stakes. It is manufactured with it and is well-balanced for its design. The handle length as it is is well-balanced for this particular tool. The hammer head also comes in handy. It's not too thick and perfect for construction workers. It's easy to replace the handles on these and they're made in the USA.Why We Like This:
- Strong and holds up for a long time
- Good investment for long term
Best For professional Axe Throwing: JXE JXO Hickory Hatchet
Buy on Amazon Best part: jxe jxo hickory hatchet costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. These small axes have a weight and balance that have made them extremely easy to throw. It fits the throwing rules plus comes with an edge cover. It is great for beginners or professional axe throwing. The blade is quite sharp and the head is heavy enough to help chop through thicker trunks or branches. It is also very sturdy. The Handles are finished well and have fairly straight grained wood too. It doesn't require a lot of effort to throw, so if you sharpen it well it'll stick every time.Why We Like This:
- Well made, maple handle, very sharp
- Easy for teen boys to wield and chop at logs, or long spars
- New and hot release
Best For Very refined Work: Hults Bruk Hickory Hatchet
Buy on Amazon We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate hatchet. The hults bruk hickory hatchet is exactly that - it's a simple hatchet that hits all the right notes. The Jonaker is a small hatchet only 9.4 inches long so it is best for making kindling and light clearing tasks. It cuts wood like butter. It is perfect for very refined work and stout enough for roughing. It is a very well made product. The wooden handle is gorgeous and built ergonomically perfectly for the tasks suited to this hatchet. The axe is very ergonomic, meaning that it does very well for roughing out carving pieces, while not causing fatigue. It is a small hand axe. It is perfect for kindling and other small chopping tasks.Why We Like This:
- Good overall tool for wood carving
- Good investment for long term
Best For bushcraft: Condor Tool Knife Hickory Hatchet
Buy on Amazon Not everyone likes to purchase hatchet for their daily usage, but the condor tool knife hickory hatchet would be an anomoly. This little hatchet holds a really good edge. It is easy to sharpen with a puck style stone and gets quite sharp which helps due to it's size. It does have an very, very nice leather sheath. The leather sheath is fantastic, very thick leather and strong rivets/snaps. It is better for splitting wood rather than slicing/chopping. The sheath it comes with is very well made and sturdy. This item is supplied with a leather sheath of excellent quality and the American hickory handle is straight grained, as it should be. The handle is attached very sturdily with a circular wedge.Why We Like This:
- Light and strong for its size
- Holds an edgegreat valuegreat for camping, yard work, or carving
- Nice small hatchet, will need sharpening
- Great size for back packing & camping
Best Little Camp Hatchet: Adler Axe Hickory Hatchet
Buy on Amazon Adler Axe offers a variety of hatchet for personal choice and yet maintaining quality in all the variants. The leather sheath is high-quality. It cuts through firewood easily and makes quick work of kindling. The handle has a good grip on it. It comes with a nice sheathe. The metal head is solid and does a great job pounding in tent stakes also. The handle is hung properly with no gaps at the eye. It's decently sharp.Why We Like This:
- An all-purpose companion in the wilderness or for managing tasks closer to home
- Hickory handle with unique anti-slip paint for better grip
- Good brand reputation
Best With Saw: Talximuk Hickory Hatchet
Buy on Amazon Best part: talximuk hickory hatchet costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. It features a very sturdy, durable straight-grained american hickory handle. It is used to chop kindling, clear roads and trails, to build blinds and even to chop down a fair sized tree. The sharp ax blade can easily split the wood in half, and is equipped with a leather protective cover to protect the product blade. The flatness on the sides of the handles give a good grip and control during the throw, even with larger hands. It reduces physical injury to add to that has a wide range of applications. Layer anti-rust technology with triple wedge structure, the hammer head's high-strength glue will firmly fix the hammer head on the handle and never fall off. They're lighter than Kobalts and a little longer, so they rotate slower, but only slightly. It is good enough to deal with small trees, durable, and can also perform other small tasks, such as clearing trails, cutting down the jungle, or preparing firewood for fireflies.Why We Like This:
- Lb forged steel head, induction heat treatment process, durable
- Chops/cuts good even with a dull blade
- One of the new comers and featured product
Best For beginner: bladed Hickory Hatchet
Buy on Amazon We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention bladed hickory hatchet for daily usage. Each bladed axe is handcrafted for a balanced feel that’s not too light (causing the axe to become uncontrollable), or too heavy (making it hard to use), so you’ll enjoy throws that feel solid, fun, and easy to stick. It comes with a custom usa made leather sheath. It has a nice weight too, not too heavy and not too light. The axe also has a small leather covering that snaps on to protect the blade. It is professionally sharpened to ensure maximum penetration under current axe throwing rules and regulations. This is perfect for a beginner but is also useful as a regular axe for camping and occasional use. It is perfect for a beginner but is also useful as a regular axe for camping and occasional use.Why We Like This:
- Multipurpose axe for camping, chopping and survival
- Cool tomahawk, sharp, nicely cast, comfortable handle
- Sturdy, sharp blade and solid handle
- Usa made throwing axe designed, forged, and assembled with american quality
Best With Hammer Head: Kings County tools Hickory Hatchet
Buy on Amazon Compared with other hatchet in this category, the kings county tools hickory hatchet has a convenient design. This versatile hatchet has a strikingly broad curved head with a rear poll for driving wedges, hammering nails or tent stakes. It's light in the hand and has a broad edge, much more like a tomahawk than a hatchet. The drop forged steel head measures 8 with a cutting edge. The head has a nice weight and the handle is smooth and polymer coated at the end of the grip to give it some more life. It comes with a wedge and the handle cut for assembly. It is great for playing around in the woods or an everyday work tool. It is ideal to prepare kindling, clear branches and only weighs 2-pounds making it well-balanced too for hikes or making camp.Why We Like This:
- Sharp and really easy to use
- Feels good, cuts good, finish could be better
- Light and balanced well to throw