I’ve only been working for Crate Club a few months now and in that time I’ve seen some awesome stuff come through the Crates. But this is by far my favorite piece of gear. This isn’t an off the shelf item, but an ax designed by the Crate Club crew. It’s production numbers are limited to 8,500 and is one of Crate Club exclusive pieces of gear.
Is it an Axe or a Tomahawk?
Handaxe, hatchet, and tomahawk are often interchangeable terms used to describe a small ax like tool or weapon. There are some important and sometimes controversial differences to understand but the Crate Club Battle Axe is all ax. It’s designed to be more survival tool than a weapon. It’s small, lightweight, and easy to carry. It’s a great companion to both a standard bug out bag and an urban escape pack.
The blade and handle are a one-piece design made from steel. The blade is roughly 3 inches in length and the overall package is remarkably balanced. Opposite the blade is a small spike for deep piercing or even digging. Of course, it’s a little head heavy, but that’s to be expected. The handles are polymer ribbed material attach with 4 TORX screws. The bottom of the handle is outfitted with a lanyard loop and of course a lanyard.
When chopping and hacking the last thing you want to do is lose your grip and send an ax flying at your feet. A lanyard is a bit like a seatbelt… you should wear it when the vehicle/tool is in use.
The metal wears a black stonewash finish that’s proved to be exceptionally tough. I’ve chopped, sliced and thrown the Crate Club Battle Axe for about a month now.
In Use
This is the Little Battle Axe that can. It chewed through everything with some significant force. I chopped through limbs, through vines, through thick palmetto bushes and more with extreme prejudice. You can baton through limbs and split wood with a few good swipes. I live in the tropical rainforest known as North Florida. Here we are constantly fighting back the fast-growing green of nature, and a tool like this helps fight that war. It cleared a good portion of fence line without complaint. Don’t let its small size deceive you. This thing is a real honey badger.
The Battle Axe features a nice long beard that allows you to choke up on the ax. This provides you with a grip under and behind the blade. The spike on the opposite side is rounded off so it doesn’t dig in your hand when you are choking up on the ax. With this grip, you can strip the bark off limbs, build stakes, and smooth out sticks for use as bow drills for making fire.
Throwing The Crate Club Battle Axe
With the one-piece design, it’s actually a great throwing tool. The one-piece design means the head won’t separate from the body after repeated throwings. It’s light and easy to throw. I spent a little time building a simple throwing tomahawk target and spent a couple evenings learning to throw the Battle Axe. It took time, but once I figured it out it was remarkably simple. So much so I think I found a new hobby.
The Crate Club Battle Axe is a simple, but effective tool. It’s my favorite piece of gear so far, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what originals come next.
