looking for the best hatchet?

Wayne, do yourself a favor and checkout the Estwing line. They are all steel and can be sharpened to near shaving sharpness. I have several of the other brands mentioned above, but the Estwing is the one that I reach for most of the time.

Good Luck

Wetterlings seems to be the best globally available hatchets and axes for the price. Gransfors-bruks are at least as good, but cost more. Both these are heavy, hand-forged, pro-grade tools you can hand down to your grandchildren. Heavy is good in a splitting and/or hewing tool.

If you want an extremely lightweight hatchet for camping or casual use, I recommend Fiskars. They weigh a fraction of what a proper smithed axe weighs, and will do the job for you (although probably not for your grandkids).

I have a Fiskars axe as noted above and it's great. The composite handle is incredibly strong and light. The weight is in the head so it's easy to bring down. If I was looking for a hatchet I'd definitely look at Fiskars.

Hi. If you're shopping for an axe or hatchet, check out Garrett Wade. They have a wide selection. The Wetterlings' Belt Axe, Wetterling's Camping Axe and the vinatge but never used Swiss Army Axes are well worth considering.

Fiskars, as mentioned above.

What for? Different hatchets for different jobs. For general use, you can't go wrong with Gransfors or Fiskars. If you need something nice and light for camping, I love the Gerber Gator Axe 2 combo (not actually an axe).