Fiskars Pro Chopping Axe
Fiskars makes the best axes for the money -- light, sharp and virtually unbreakable. The handle is a fiberglass reinforced composite that is amazingly strong. A couple years ago I was carving a dugout canoe with my 28" Pro Chopping axe. The handle held up through a 30" diameter tree before breaking while I was working on the canoe (a quaking aspen log -- not the best for a canoe, but all I could get at the time). Still, the axe was returned to Lowe's and replaced for free. I have used similar-priced axes in the $30 range and the wooden handles either break in no time or the blade is dull or both. I have used my axe for around three years now and went quite a while without sharpening it. Eventually, I bought the Fiskars companion sharpener for $10 and with a few passes through it, the axe is ready to go.
-- Benjamin Thompson
Fiskars Pro Chopping Axe
$33
(w/free shipping)
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Fiskars Brands, Inc.
Favorite (15)
Matthew Battles
The grand axe is made by Estwing; it's a classic American tool. Handle and head are forged from a single piece of steel--the handle is more like the tang of a knife--making the thing essentially unbreakable. The classic hatchet's handle is clad in leather like WWII bayonets.
http://www.estwing.com/product.php?product_id=1600
johnmocha
I picked one up this summer and used it - along with several other root busting implements - to dig out about a dozen sizable stumps. It holds its edge well, is easy to sharpen and has a good working feel to it. It does take a while to get used to the light weight and plastic parts though. That said, it does hold up.