Silky ONO Professional Axe (568-10)

Wow. Incredible Japanese steel, comfortable handle, no risk of breaking the head off, this is the ultimate packable camping hatchet. I had previously purchased the Mora Outdoor hatchet, which is terrible, and the Silky NATA, which is a great brush chopper and kindling splitter, but not great for woodworking, the blade is just too long and heavy for carving. Yes, for the price I spent on the wrong hatchets I could have a Gransfors, but I like Japanese steel and Silky saws, and I love the low pack profile and weight. This isn't old school looking, but it is heirloom quality, and I appreciate innovative, tasteful design. Old is good in my book, but not necessarily better. This hatchet purchased at $80 (price fluctuates a lot I've noticed) is an excellent value, you'll spend at least $20 more on a high end Swedish hatchet, which will be bulkier and require more upkeep than this cutting machine, for marginally better performance if at all. If there comes a time that the handle wears out (they're removable and supposed to be replaceable but I've never seen them sold anywhere online), you could wrap it with cord or leather. That said, the handle it comes with (the same handle as the NATA by the way) offers 2 hand positions for precision or aggressive chopping, and holding it at the head for slicing and woodworking is a pleasure. It really is a marvel of simple design and balance. I tried the Nata after a few miserable trips with the Mora. I wish I had gone with the ONO instead, it is the better camping tool, the Nata is close but a few niggling complaints. As mentioned, the balance of the Nata is not good for woodworking and shaping. No fault of the tool, the blade is long and heavy, gravity's a b****. The blade was not as sharp as the ONO, and has an almost 45degree microbevel (90degree inclusive, I'm not kidding, it's sharp but very stout, not sure if it's intentional or a bad day at the factory but it's a bad slicer right out of the box) I slightly reprofiled and sharpened and it's better now, but out of the box, the ONO is still the better slicer even after some work on the NATA blade (which is tricky in itself, it's big and has a slight curve to it near the ends). The edge on the ONO is visibly more acute, it would take a while to get the Nata there, this steel is no joke. The ONO sheath is excellent. Even with it on, the head is thinner than the handle. The NATA sheath is simply not intended to be put in a pack, I just made a heavy cloth roll for it, problem solved, but not that elegant. So if you have brush to clear, a slight edge goes to the NATA, but that's about it. Really the only downside to the ONO is its small blade (and it's over 4 inches, which is actually pretty big for a hatchet), it's every bit as good a brush chopper as the Nata but you of course need to be more accurate, and you won't cut as wide a swath. If you're beating through a jungle that could apply. The ONO is a better precision pruner, I've been disappointed how crudely the double beveled Nata cuts through small green branches, but again, that's not the exact intention of the tool. The Nata is a 4 star tool, this ONO is a 5 plus.

What I mean they use this ax for is to split wood going with the grain and the downward motion. I haven't yet used it too much to chop wood like a chopper against the grain, or sideways. I feel like the shape and geometry of the blade itself lends itself more to splitting the wood to make smaller pieces for kindling and the like. It is about as heavy as say a Fiskars x7, maybe an ounce or two plus or minus either way. What I do like about the silky Ono is that it is made out of a good quality stainless steel. The case and sheath for it however you want to call it is really nice. Love the velcro, and also the push buttons. That sucker isn't going anywhere. Lol. If you have to choose between bringing a EDC or Bushcraft knife, and bringing the Ono ax, I honestly bring the ax because it kind of does it all. You can cut food with it, or cut wood with it, it's all the same.

I debated getting this versus a more traditional hatchet for some time. Finally pulled the trigger on it and couldn’t be more pleased! It has carved spoon blanks, split kindling…just a nice, lightweight option for utility around camp. Seems to hold its edge well. Definitely not for splitting larger wood, but that is not its purpose. Easily fits in a backpack or slips into a bike pannier. Comes with a heavy-duty nylon sheath w/ belt-loop.

Wonderful tool, I no longer need to drag out the AXE to do light duty jobs and this little hatchet is very sharp and holds a blade well I read this is made from a Japanese tool steel and I believe it as it holds an edge extremely well. The handle is very grippy and comfortable in the hand, the sheath is incredibly well thought out and of durable high quality, such a nice perfect little tool I really like it. I use this in conjunction with a Silky folding hand saw and they are a great combination to work with. Highly recommend this tool to anyone.

The Silky ONO Chopper, I viewed initially watching a You Tube presentation and was intrigued. I have a couple of the Silky saws and have been extremely pleased with their performance, quality, and generally overall design. The ONO Chopper has certainly lived up to my expectation of the Silky product line. More of a camp level chopper and light weight utility hatchet. A cross between a meat cleaver and a hatchet would be more accurate, and certainly equally capable of performing both jobs.

This thing is a beast. I've been using it for a lot of different chores and its still razor sharp. Its like a bushcraft knife on steroids. Its a little heavy, but that is due to the build quality. Cant wait to try out their saws!

I really like the Silky brand, but this hatchet is extremely disappointing. It's not sharp at all, and it's not heavy enough to work on inertia alone. I don't know if something went wrong with my particular item, or if this is how they all are. It's unfortunate.

Comes from the box sharp as a razor. I used it to trim some trees and it keep its sharpness. The handle fits your hand great and is comfortable to use.

Very happy with this puchase!

Das Beil ist super scharf und macht einen sehr robusten Eindruck. Klare Kaufempfehlung. Kann in jedem Rucksack Platz finden. Der Klingenschutz ist auch sehr sicher.

Well happy with this axe, Sorry for the PUNN - but I saw this axe on you tube and decided to buy it then and there, I was not disappointed, it goes through wood like nothing I have used before, I threw my Hultafors axe out also.