Any thoughts on this axe from mil-tec?

[Jakob.sievers]

Hi there
I recently bought this axe

from mil-tec and so far have been ok with its performance but somewhat disappointed with the cover and the handle. I cant find any reviews anywhere and so I was wondering if I might've accidentally bought a shitty product (in terms of long-term durability etc). Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance
Jakob

 

[MrEd]

Looks a bit pointless to me, also buy cheap buy twice

 

[The Lord Poncho]

Being all metal construction, there looks little to go wrong with that axe, and I'm sure that it will accomplish some tasks admirably. At that cost, perhaps the steel isn't so good/well heat treated- so plausibly it might be too hard (brittle) or soft (require frequent sharpening) - but then again, it might be spot on. I would be concerned that the handle would not lend itself to comfortable long term/sustained use either.

Most people within this forum will favour more traditional styles of axe, and mostly those with a significantly higher price tag as well - so don't be dispirited if you receive some negative comments. Only you will know the exact purpose that you put that axe to, and be able to judge its performance for those uses yourself.

As an aside, i suspect that at the very least, it might make rather a nice throwing axe!

 

[TeeDee]

I suspect it lacks a decent blade geometry ( angle ) to be an axe and is more likely thin bladed and act like a light tomahawk/machete.

 

[Jakob.sievers]

I suspect it lacks a decent blade geometry ( angle ) to be an axe and is more likely thin bladed and act like a light tomahawk/machete.

Yes the blade is only 4mm thick so I dont think it will be useful to chop wood outright. At least not big pieces

 

[bobnewboy]

A bit ‘tactical’ looking for me (yes, I am one of those old fashioned people ), and the blade is quite thin at 4mm. However, as always, it depends upon what you want to do with it. It is probably fairly lightweight, so handy for backpacking, and a thin blade can be quite good for working dry or seasoned wood, like a carpenter’s axe. If you were looking for that kind of function, then it might be quite handy. I would agree with TeeDee though, its probably fine for machete type tasks, but not ideal for chopping bigger firewood etc.

 

[Jakob.sievers]

Being all metal construction, there looks little to go wrong with that axe, and I'm sure that it will accomplish some tasks admirably. At that cost, perhaps the steel isn't so good/well heat treated- so plausibly it might be too hard (brittle) or soft (require frequent sharpening) - but then again, it might be spot on. I would be concerned that the handle would not lend itself to comfortable long term/sustained use either.

Most people within this forum will favour more traditional styles of axe, and mostly those with a significantly higher price tag as well - so don't be dispirited if you receive some negative comments. Only you will know the exact purpose that you put that axe to, and be able to judge its performance for those uses yourself.

As an aside, i suspect that at the very least, it might make rather a nice throwing axe!

Yeah the paracord handle definitely is a bit too flimsy and likely uncomfortable during sustained use so I am already thinking of ways to improve that at some point in the future if I am happy with all other aspects of the axe in my use cases.

Thanks for your comments about the aspect of personal taste and what not. I'm fairly new to bushcraft and didnt have the cash to buy a really expensive axe and this admittedly batman-esque axe caught my eye. Eventually I'll likely get myself a proper traditional axe as well. Especially since, as has been pointed out, the blade is quite thin and so this is really more of a machete/axe hybrid type thing. Definitely not geared towards serious wood chopping

 

[lostplanet]

Try one of these back to back, I recently cut through a 10 inch?? diameter fallen tree after i gave it a bit of a sharpen, it did well. The sheath is rubbish as its just a rubber thing to save cutting you.

Pardon our interruption...

 

[forrestdweller]

everyone to their own but not my cup of tea...
they may have improved by now but many, many years ago when i (not voluntarily!) ended being dressed in camo and lugging an assault rifle mil-tec had a reputation for low quality...

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Unless you like wasting money or just want a bit of fun I would avoid anything Mil-Tec........it's just cheap Chinese made tat.

 

[Woody girl]

To be honest, I bought an axe from a tool store. Hickory handle and a 2 1/2lbs head. I use it daily to chop kindling for the fire and out and about when I'm collecting firewood.
Its absolutely fine and pretty bullet proof. Keeps a nice edge, and best of all cost me only £10.
My origional axe was given to me 40 years ago, and is still going strong.
It was second hand as far as the chap that gave it to me, had inherited it from his father.
You dont have to spend a fortune on axes.
Yes I'd like a "bushcraft axe" but I wont spend silly money for a name, when something cheaper and just as useable is available.

 

[TLM]

In my opinion that is not an axe or hatchet - in their traditional meanings. I don't know what to call it. That does not mean it could not be a fairly handy tool for cutting and splitting smaller diameter wood. I see no reason why not. On the plus side when produced from flat plate the cost could be low even with reasonable material. The really negative aspect is that when seen carrying anything shaped like that one gets called Rambo. To avoid that it should be painted in Hello Kitty colours.

 

[Woody girl]

Now that's an idea ! hello kitty knives axes and other bushcraft gear could be quite good fun!
I'm ordering my hello kitty rucksack and tarp today!

 

[BradGad]

Well... truth in advertising, I guess... they call it mil-tek, and it does look pretty darned military and technical.

Looks durable though.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Looks utter rubbish...actually looks like a shorter word beginning with c.

There are a few things that axes and tomahawks are used for. In the bush, they are used for cutting and splitting wood, and in combat they are used for breaking through walls and barriers, chopping and prying. This looks like it was trying to tap into the combat market. Problem with this is that it has steel all the way through the handle, so no shock absorption, and a cord wrap does nothing worthwhile to protect the hand. Put steel in the handle and you carry the weight, but if you want it for chopping, it does you no good there, just transmits shock.

The poll is useless for hammering, or striking, or smashing, its just not shaped for anything. The shaft up near the head won't he comfortable to choke up on, but has been shaped to provide a weak point if you ever use as a flat pry bar. Holes in the head...no reason other than looks. 4mm stock means that no one would really take it into a combat situation, it is too thin for that. Actually, the size and stock thickness make it sort of parang weight, but with rubbish edge geometry and terrible handle.


So, what to do with it....Well, I think it could be improved by grinding off the handle at the top of the cord wrap, drill three 6mm holes through the tang at1" spacing above that, and fit a wood axe handle, cut the handle to have a slot and then glue and pin. Maybe wire wrap, but shouldn't be needed. Grind a taller bevel on the main edge. Then you will have something faster that can swipe through softer vegetation, like a parang but with a short edge.

Maybe that is a bit extreme....maybe could just grind off enough of the handle to turn it into a hidden tang in a block-wood handle, like a parang. That at least would help with the shock and keeping hold of it.

Look at any well evolved handle on a chopping/swinging blade and they almost invariably have some big lump on the end to stop the whole lot slipping from the grip and going into orbit. It seem to be only the new fangled modern blades (made to look cool?) that leave this out and instead introduce finger cut-outs and high friction grips, as if the way to use the blade is to lock it to the hand in a tight fist.

 

[Robbi]

"Looks utter rubbish...actually looks like a shorter word beginning with c."

Coat ?

 

[Erbswurst]

MIL-TEC is a German brand, the production is located anywhere, but not in Germany.

Here it is generally called MÜLL-TEC, what can be translated with GARBAGE-TEC.
The reason for this in Germany very popular nickname is the usually abysmal quality of these products.

I highly recommend to send it back to the seller!

Every relatively straight mounted Aldi or Lidl hatchet or another cheap Chinese made 600g hatchet from every serious hardware shop in your area is surely 100 times better than this MÜLL-TEC hatchet.

If you look for a decent but relatively inexpensive all purpose camping, bushcraft and household hatchet, that is well balanced and light enough to be called portable, I highly recommend you to invest in a Finnish made Fiskars X7 hatchet.
I use my Fiskars hatchet since surely 30 years without any issues.
Regarding that usual lifetime of Fiskars axes, the Fiskars X7 provides an incredible good value for the money.

https://www.fiskars.com/en-gb/search-results-page?searchterm=X7

 

[Jakob.sievers]

Here it is generally called MÜLL-TEC, what can be translated with GARBAGE-TEC.
The reason for this in Germany very popular nickname is the usually abysmal quality of these products.

I highly recommend to send it back to the seller!

Actually, I've just had to add a couple of extra metal pins (nippels?) to the cover because it began falling apart. This was simply due to taking the axe (or whatever you wanna call it) in and out of the cover some 30 times. So that definitely indicates some quality issues. But I got it fairly cheaply and so it almost doesn't make sense to send it back. So now I will just bring it out into the woods and see if I cant use it anyway.

If you look for a decent but relatively inexpensive all purpose camping, bushcraft and household hatchet, that is well balanced and light enough to be called portable, I highly recommend you to invest in a Finnish made Fiskars X7 hatchet.
I use my Fiskars hatchet since surely 30 years without any issues.
Regarding that usual lifetime of Fiskars axes, the Fiskars X7 provides an incredible good value for the money.

https://www.fiskars.com/en-gb/search-results-page?searchterm=X7

That actually looks like a really neat hatchet. I might consider buying that instead and then at least KNOW that I have a useful and durable product for many years to come

 

[Woody girl]

This, to my mind is a trap that newbies often fall into. Buying stuff advertised as "bushcraft".
Put that label on it, give it a tactical look, and hike the price, and you are making a small fortune out of people with no experience and only you tube knowledge.
Just go to tools r us or any half decent tool or farm supply shop and you'll get a decent working tool at a reasonable price to start off with.
People who need tools for their jobs such as farmers wont buy rubbish.
Sadly with the increase of on line buying, a lot can be gotten away with as regards to quality as you cannot see before you buy. When they have your money, they can be as tardy and obstrepourous as they like in refunding.
You'll get a perfectly reasonable and useful tool at much more pocket friendly prices , and see the quality of the goods before you buy, if you go to the places I recommend.
It may not be fancy, or look so obviously bushcraft, but it realy doesn't matter.
I've made a lot of my own gear, including a zebra style pot from a suitable sugar storage canister my own snares, and many other things besides. For me, it adds to the satisfaction of watching my water boil in a pot I made myself, on a twig stove or Pepsi can stove I also made, from next to nothing at almost zero cost.
Bushcraft is a cheap hobby... unless you become a gear monkey, which a lot of us are!

 

[TLM]

Looks utter rubbish.

Maybe, it is made to look "tacticool", that does not mean much. Could it be made better>certainly, does the shape make sense>no. While I agree that Miltec usually produces rubbish, every blue moon something is not, it probably is against the company rules but I have met some items that actually fit the intended purpose. I was more commenting on the idea of making a hatchet like thing from plate, not a bad idea in itself, I would start from 6 or 8mm plate, shape it on differently from decent low alloy carbon steel and I think I would end up with a fairly versatile bush tool that would be cheap and quite light weight. Not to say practically indestructible. I wonder why no decent maker has caught the idea.