Norden N12 Splitting Axe

After muddling along with a cheapo hatchet for years, I'm very happy with this purchase. After a quick sharpening with the Lansky, it goes right through 4-5 inch rounds with almost zero effort. If I was in a Fellowship of the Ring scenario, instead of being like Gimli and offering my ax, I would keep quiet and hang out in the background. I'm not giving this ax to anybody. Honestly, the 19-inch N12 may be a little bit of overkill just for camping-related wood splitting. The 17-inch N10 would likely be plenty for most people, and a little bit smaller. Can't go wrong with either one though.

As a splitting tool the n12 is very good. The weight and balance is right for that task. But I want to add that it is also a really good camp tool and if your me ... a good trekking axe. I can pack it and it works well for bucking up to two inch soft woods in one whack. Felling anything bigger than say, 3 1/2 to 4 inch is harder but if you need to fell trees you need a felling axe. This will feather stick, notch and tool prep. It will spark a fero rod. It might be heavy for some backpacking but I’m the type that makes due with weight for what I get.

I have 3 other Fiskars spitting axes, the X27, the x7 and the splitting maul. I'm not a pro, just a homeowner turned wood splitting enthusiast from living on a wooded lot. We need to have tress taken down from time to time and I have grown to really enjoy the process of cutting, splitting and seasoning wood to burn in our high efficiency Loki fireplace and outdoor fire pit. I love the Fiskars but recently I started longing for a wood handle axe, mostly for nostalgic and tactile reasons. Almost pulled the trigger on other more expensive German and Swiss splitting axes but Fiskars released this just in time. The modern lines and components of thier original Fiskars is what drew me to them in the first place so this was the best of all worlds for me. I am a designer as my profession so form matters. It is beautiful to look at, particularly the way the wood meets the resin head with a metal ring. Great details and I will never have to worry about the head flying off. If the handle breaks (although I can't image it will), I'm sure Fiskars will replace. They are a great company that stand behind their product. The balance is perfect, I use one handed and both hands for splitting smaller logs or kindling. I hope they decide to release a larger version, somewhere in the 24-28" range. Highly recommnded.

I have purchased the N12, N10, and N7. I believe all are a worthwhile purchase and would likely be considered a mid-level hand axes to purchase. If you like the X series of hand axes that Fiskars makes then you will enjoy these even more with the improved appearance. The N12 is impressive for splitting small to medium size logs given its size. It really shines when it comes to splitting kindling. It will likely have a permanent spot in the truck for camping season as I can grab a piece of firewood and have it into kindling within a minute or two. The N10 is probably the most versatile of the three in that it can chop fairly well and still work as a splitting axe. If you can only bring one and aren't going super light it is good choice. The N7 seems like a nice backpacking hatchet, but I haven't had a chance to play with it as much. I would give all the axes five stars, but it just seems like they got the last 10% on the finishing touches with these axes and slacked off. On all three there was a rough spot in the plastic molding that required using a file to smooth out. I believe it resulted in the way the molding was poured, and then snapped out of the mold. Just kind of a silly thing to overlook on a semi-premium axe, but it isn't that annoying. The real annoying thing is the sheath that comes with it. I mean it works in protecting the edge of the axe, but how hard would it have really been to make it a little more substantial and add a belt loop or hook? With the black/gray coloring and no solid means to secure it to your belt it is at high risk for getting lost every time you remove the sheath. I highly recommend putting it in a deep pocket or at least using the button snap to secure it to a belt loop or something. I will likely have to look at picking up a more suitable sheath from a small business like others have mentioned.

I've been using this at home and camping. It works great to split up bigger pieces of wood.

Great axe for bushcraft and camping enthusiasts that intend on bringing an axe that is long enough to split wood effectively, but still short enough to strap onto the outside of a backpack. Stellar build quality throughout, and checks all of the boxes as far as look, feel, durability, and functionality.

Used this for chopping some smaller logs and making kindling, broke after a month of regular use

Not only looks cool, but splits mesquite and oak with ease. The classic wood handle is extremely comfortable, and for a relatively short handle, you can definitely put this axe to work with minimal effort.