I generally like axes and mauls with wood handles because they can be repaired fairly easily and I find them more comfortable to use. That said, sometimes you want an axe or hatchet that you don’t mind leaving outside or for using in ways that you shouldn’t necessarily use them. That is why I own and use several Fiskars axes, hatchets, and mauls.
I recently posted a picture of a Fiskars X27 Splitting Axe that I have grown to like quite a bit on Instagram. Several of you chimed in with your experiences as well which were mostly positive. However, a reader sent me a message regarding their experience with Fiskars axes which included the edge chipping during the first time they used it. Every single one of mine has done the same thing so I figured I should post what I have learned here.
Fiskars axes, for whatever reason, seem to be prone to chipping… at least on the factory edge. There is online speculation that this is due to the heat treatment being ruined during whatever automated sharpening process these axes go through at the factory. I don’t really know but I do know that they will chip and that there is an easy solution.
All you need to do is file the original edge back to remove the problem steel. Once you have removed the steel at the very edge, it will be far less prone to chipping. I also take that opportunity to round over the bevel to improve chopping performance. I generally take a file to them before I even use them now but you can also wait until the chipping happens and then file back until the chips are removed.
This isn’t earth shattering news and I am not the first to do it. Don’t give up on a Fiskars axe just because of some minor edge chipping. There is good steel under there somewhere.
I sharpen mine on Japanese water stones, and you can easily makes feather sticks with them. They also are super for processing wood.