Top 6 Carving Axes & Hatchets in 2023

Designed in a simple yet efficient way, carving axes have been around helping woodworkers and craftsmen for many many years. While the essential structure remained the same, a carving axe has been improved over time to become easier to use for different fields of woodworking such as wood carving.

Wood carving is a popular hobby nowadays, and a carving hatchet is an important tool in one’s toolkit. Hatchets can be used for chopping and separating wood, but also for the finest carving techniques such as the tapping technique. I’ve been experimenting with a few different carving axes and in this post, I would like to share that experience with you guys.
While talking about carving tools, if you need to buy a new leather strop, check out my recent reviews – Top 6 Leather Strops Reviews. I also wrote about what my preferences are on knives and chisels, so you might want to check that out as well. If you are thinking of switching to power carving, perhaps you want to know about Best Power Wood Carving Tools in 2021. Besides leather strops, sandpaper is important to keep our knives sharp and our carvings smooth, so take a look at Best 6 Sandpapers for Wood review.

Types of Hatchets and How to Choose Best for Carving

I wrote each axe review in this post having in mind the important factors of the best hatchet. This means, first and foremost, the quality of the steel of which the head is made, and the cutting edge – if it is thin enough to be sharpened well and make precise cuts. 

Secondly, I evaluated the design of the handle and the material used to make it. The handle of a wood carving axe is very important because it enables you control and it mustn’t be slippery for things to get out of hand (literally). 

Some carving hatchets have a more elegant design, which I really appreciate because it tells how much effort the manufacturer has invested in making a top-notch tool. Other designs are more rough and basic, which is also acceptable if the axe can give great results. 

When I was checking out where can I buy a hatchet, I found pretty good prices on Amazon. That being said, the best carving hatchet can sometimes also be found on sale and you can cut yourself a pretty good deal with the best budget hatchet.

Blade Material

When it comes to the material a hatchet head is made of, you should be careful to choose hardened and well-treated carbon steel, that will not be prone to fracturing. Blade fractures can be very dangerous, so pay attention to this feature when purchasing your tool. Most axes use medium-carbon steel.

Sometimes a hatchet comes with a leather sheath for the head, and sometimes you can purchase it separately, but I would recommend you having one either way. The blades are usually not sharpened prior to the delivery because of safety reasons, so before you start using one make sure you stroked it with a sharpening stone and sandpaper.

Hatchet Handle

An important aspect I was estimating is the length and the weight of each tool, but it is important to tell that what I find convenient might not be the same for you, so you should make sure what you want in a hatchet. I personally like the heavier and shorter hatchets, because that way I am more in control when I wish to achieve precision.

There are many different types of axes, and some might prefer a long-handled axe that you can swing, which is why the weight of the head matters a lot. A good hatchet, on the other hand, in my opinion, is a wooden hatchet with a short handle that is comfortable to grip. A wood-handled hatchet can be made out of hickory or ash, and these are the most common materials. Ash is very durable, although hickory is among the strongest hardwood you can find.

Axes can also have a curved or straight handle. A curved axe is designed to bring the blade a little bit more forward which doesn’t suit everybody’s style.

Axe Head

There are many different types of axe heads, upon which we differentiate Jersey axe, double bit axe, forest axe, and over 30 others. These axe head types are designed for different purposes, so, for example, a felling axe that is very common is designed for swinging with a lot of power and “falling” onto the wood you are cutting.

Hatchet head types can vary depending on the type of woodworking or woodcarving they are designed for. The blades can be in a teardrop shape or with very sharp tips on both ends of the edge.

Prandi German Style Hatchet – A beautifully designed tool for everyday use

This beautiful tool is one of my favorite carving hatchets in the world, and mostly due to its elegant design. Besides the German-style, it is made in Italy and has a guaranteed quality that comes with this brand.

My initial contact with the handle was a little slippery, but then I sanded it a bit and covered it with oil. I had no problems with it ever since, the grip is perfect. The head is dull upon arrival, for safety reasons, and needs to be sharpened. There is also a fancy leather sheet to cover up the edge of the blade.

Otherwise, the design is one of the prettiest. The head has a golden symbol of the manufacturer – Prandi on it, and a rope at the end of the handle so I can leave it hanging in my workshop. The handle is over 15 inches long, while the head size is 4 inches and it weighs 600 grams.

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Husqvarna 13 in. Wooden Handle Hatchet – A small and heavy multi-purpose hatchet

This is another handmade wood carving hatchet, very beautiful, and handy to use. Husqvarna has two models of woodcutting hatchets that differ in the sizes of the handle. A popular one is a 20-inch axe, but I found that the smaller 13 inches give me better control when making delicate cuts.

This tool is designed as a multipurpose one, but it can do far more than just cutting. It is also heavier than most woodworking hatchets, but that is something that I found to be working for me. The handle is curved and comfortable for a strong grip.

What qualifies this tool to be among the best carving hatchets is the high-quality head. The edge is not razor-sharp upon delivery, but once you give it a few strokes with a sharpening stone it is just right.

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BRUFER 203651-3 Hatchet Axe with Genuine Hickory Wood Handle 600g 21oz – A throwing axe with great application in carving

The texture of the wooden handle on this carving axe is designed to enable additional control and prevent the handle from slipping out of your hands. Along with the thin blade edge, this quality qualifies this tool for one of the best axes for wood carving.

The axe is 14 and a half inches long, while the head weighs around 21 ounces. It is not designed with wood carving in mind, but rather for other types of work around the house. It is popular as a camping tool, but this doesn’t mean it doesn’t get the job done for the woodcarvers. 

The edge is made of high carbon steel, and I made sure that it holds an edge for a surprisingly long time. Most people use it for throwing as a hobby, but the fact the blade is so thin makes this tool great for making thin precise cuts for carving.

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Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet 13.50 Inch, Axe – Small lightweight hatchet to bring on a camping trip

This is a smaller size carving axe, easy to use and carry with you. This manufacturer guarantees a certain quality, so this woodworking axe can’t be a disappointment. The handle is lightly oiled hickory, while the head is made of good quality steel.

The small size of the carving axe and the lightweight of it makes this tool easy to carry along on a road trip. Gransfors Bruks has a larger tool to offer if you are not finding this one handy. I, personally, love the smaller tools, but the lack of heavyweight is a problem for me because more weight helps me acquire more control.

Gränsfors small carving hatchet is a nice tool to have around since it is easy to carry with you if you are going to nature. It is also very cheap for carving axes.

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mapsyst Bearded Hatchet/Axe Combined with Curved Adze Blade – Carving axe for experienced carvers

This is a professional wood-chopper axe, designed to cut through hardwood and softwood without a problem. It is medium-long but it is also quite light and very special in its design and quality.

The head is designed like no other and will cut through literally anything, especially once you sharpen the edge. Now, the axe review for this tool you can find online says that anything is possible with this tool, but I don’t quite agree. 

In my experience, this is the best axe when it comes to chopping the wood and making curved lines out of a big wooden block. However, I don’t find it overly useful for the tiny, delicate parts of the project, and I would rather use something more simple in that phase.

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mapsyst Viking Type Light Bearded Axe/Hatchet with Handle – The manly tool for a woodchopper

This is a classic best carpenters axe you can find. It is designed in a powerful way, very old-school, and ready to chop. The handle is basic, but it is still ergonomic and it suits my grip very well.

The blade is also made for chopping more than cutting thin slices of wood while wood carving. It is strong and responds well to sharpening. It is specially designed to resemble a Viking axe and it feels quite manly using it.

The head of the axe is strong and will certainly not be a disappointment as it is made of a very versatile steel. For this axe review I should also make a comment that this axe is cheaper than the previous Mapsyst axe I mentioned, but it is still very expensive in comparison to other carving hatchets I’ve used.

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That would be the 6 best carving axes and hatchets I’ve used and my experience in using them in various projects of mine. Some of them are pretty basic and designed for a more general use (camping trips, chopping wooden logs, scouting). Even so, if the handle is comfortable and the head edge is thin enough, they can be very useful in carving projects.

The best carving hatchet, in my opinion, has to be a little shorter and a little heavier than most carving hatchets you can find. If you check out each of my axe reviews, you will notice that most axes won’t fail you when you chop the logs before you start carving. But for these specific types of projects that include delicate work and require a lot of control over the tools, I find that the heavy and small axes simply do a better job.

Another important feature the best carving hatchet must have is a strong and thin cutting edge. Most of these axes are made of great quality steel that will hardly ever break (perhaps only if you play throwing the axes), but it is another thing to make the edges in a way to make precise and very thin cuts to remove the outside layers of the wood.

All things considered, the best hatchet for the money is definitely the Prandi German Style Hatchet, and it is the most elegant tool on the list as well. Why I think this tool could be the best carving hatchet is that it probably satisfies most of my criteria – it is small, heavy enough, and the edge is designed in such a way I can make the most with this tool. This is also the manufacturer that is known for good quality of the blades, and the only downside of this tool is that you should sand and oil the wooden handle before the first use.

Axes are valuable tools, but they can also be quite expensive. This is why I usually try to find them on sale, where I can buy them for nearly half the price. I hope my experience helped you choose the carving axe for your next purchase, and that you will have as much fun using it in wood carving as I do.

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