Well for the price this is a good tool for the beginner or throwaway Chinese. Mine just arrived today, I really wasn't expecting much and it didn't surprise me. The grip is appropriate. I brushed mine with teak oil, I reckon it will survive a couple of weeks out on the fire so teak would be a sensible helper. If it were primarily an indoor tool, I'd probably choose cooked flaxseed. Blade. Yes, the steel is a bit wavy, more like a Queens wave than a caffeinated triennial. However, the edge itself comes out flat after the plentiful paint has been filed away. And indeed, this is a FROE, not a plane or chisel. They are primarily designed to chip a piece of wood from a larger piece of wood that is split primarily along the grain lines. If you want a mill quality first cut you need a sawmill, save up and buy one of these. He appears to be able to accomplish his task of splitting a piece of wood into two pieces whose side is flat enough to be planed or cut with a knife. Steel. It's not the best, nor is it anywhere near the price of a high-carbon carbide blade. The steel feels soft under the file, the solution is not to use a metal based hammer to push it through the cut. If you've just run out of hammers, a piece of kindling has worked for a few hundred years. No one is paying for this review, they want their money back. I also do not rely on any of the previous reviews, just giving my honest opinion on the points I read before buying. I'm sure the weld will eventually fail and if it does I will buy another, possibly a different brand or style depending of course on my ongoing welding needs. In any case, I'll have a decent piece of sharp steel and a hammer.