I recently received the SOG Hand Axe for review. I would call it more of a hand hatchet just because of its size. The SOG Hand Axe is a smaller lightweight hatchet, but don’t let that fool you. Just because of its smaller size doesn’t mean it won’t perform.
Two things I noticed immediately once I picked this up was the construction. This hand axe is made from a single piece of steel (full tang). That alone gives the hand axe increased strength and the user more confidence in the tool. The second thing was the heft. Yes, it’s on the smaller side, but for the size this still has a nice heft to it. That tells me this thing isn’t going to break easily and will be able to take some abuse in the field, as an impromptu entry tool or as a weapon against zombies.
The handle is ergonomic and comfortable to use. I recently used the hand axe to break down some smaller branches in preparation for a fire. It does take a little elbow grease, but it gets the job done. I recommend wearing gloves if you’re going to be using this for an extended period of time to avoid any hot spots or blisters.
Although this hand axe is full tang, it is narrow, so I wouldn’t be using this for pounding tent stakes in or anything.
The head of the axe is a decent size for what you are getting. The edge seems to be adequate for what its intended purpose is. After processing the branches, I tried some finer work with the axe. Because of the overall design of the SOG Hand Axe I was able to choke up onto the head to do some finer carving tasks.
The sheath is just your basic nylon sheath. I would have liked to see either a kydex sheath or injection molded plastic.
For the money though, you’re getting a nice axe that can be thrown into your day pack and not draw attention to yourself. I see the SOG Hand Axe being a good tool for some basic wood prep, small game prep, and if need be a good improvised entry tool.
Specs (courtesy of sogknives.com)
