Review on Estwing Carpenter's Hatchet with Smooth Reduction by John Brouillard

Let me start by saying that I have used an Estwing hammer since I was 12 and it was older than me when I bought it in the 1990's. So I have a very positive attitude towards these products. This hatchet arrived in bubble wrap but the top edge of the blade was clearly in contact with something hard and concrete like as the top quarter was damaged by an inch and had a stone brown stain stuck to it. I assume someone dropped it on the hard floor. In terms of quality, steel feels very good under the whetstone. quite hard, but soft enough to sharpen. The handle looks great, very solid although the palmar curvature is less than my hammers. The balance is heavily forward, which would be too much for a hammer, but makes sense for an axe. The shape of the head is really amazing, you can comfortably hold the head to use as a scraper or plane, it's more versatile as a woodworking tool than I expected. The hammer side works really well which is great for tent pegs, I prefer it over the ax back method, here you have a hardened face and a round face that is less likely to find your fingers and less likely to come loose. Skin than the square corner on the back of a regular ax when you do this. Criticism: The cut is less even than with my hammers, looks rather wobbly on the thin part of the handle. The finish of the knob plate is very rough and uneven. The edge out of the box was very average and slightly damaged, although after a bit of sharpening it recovered. I'll keep it for myself, it's a good and useful tool and the price is ok. If I had time I could buy one at the store so I can choose a good example, not the first one off the shelf, but then I'm picky with my tools. Basically satisfied. Arrived quickly.