COUNCIL TOOL Sport Utility Flying Fox Woodsman Hatchet - 1.625 lbs Throwing Axe with 16" Curved Hickory Handle & Hardened Poll - SU162FF16C

I got my Flying Fox today.I saw the reviews before I got it, ignored the negative ones and got it as I want to learn to throw.It came in a bag with the blade edge plastidipped. Meh, it's something.The edge itself came well ground; straight, even and reasonably sharp. No problem.Both poll and bit have the blue color of hardening present so that's good too.The head was well and firmly placed without any loose or sloppy areas and well trimmed.The hickory handle is of surprisingly high quality whether by design or accident.The grain is all uniformly vertical as is seen in the handle's end and there's no apparent grain runoff the length of it.It's lightly finished but nasty and best refinished.I'd say I got an excellent appearing product and I'm initially very pleased.I'll update some day after getting up off the couch and trying to throw it at something.

Such a good value axe. Strong and tempered to perfection. The lightweight flying fox is great for camping as well as throwing. Sticks with ease. The handle can use a little sanding but when you do it is very comfortable in the hand with little to no hot spots. Easy to sharpen it holds its edge with the best of them. It is a production tool so when you recieve it I always suggest you check the head alignment in case it is off you can return it easily to get another one. This usually isn't a big issue with council tool as their QC is pretty good with most if not all being hand inspected. At least that is one of their claims. I personally love their products and recommend the flying fox as a great little camp axe!

For starters, this not a top tier production axe like Granfors Bruks, but it also by no means a $15 dollar store special. This is a great intro axe for someone wanting their first quality axe without the $150+ price tag. On the other hand, this is an excellent choice for a yard/rough work axe in those situations where you don’t want to risk damaging a $200 axe. This one also has a hardened poll, which makes it an ideal yard tool. That said, mine arrived unsharped, which was not a huge issue for me to fix, but sharpening and profiling an axe bit is not a skill everyone has. If you are experienced in axe maintenance (or sharpening in general) and have a file and puck handy you have nothing to worry about. I actually kind of liked being able to customize the edge to my preference out of the gate. It’s not quite as hard of steel like some higher end axes, but does that lends to better field maintainability. The haft isn’t of the most ideal grain orientation, but it’s adequate for a work axe. So, you get what you pay for folks. It’s got “good bones” if you will regardless. Even if you need to put a better haft on it at some point, the head itself honestly is great quality, and i had little trouble getting mine to perform on par with some of my higher end axes.

This is my sixth axe/hatchet, but first Council Tool item. The head to haft fit is very well done, very tight, with no gaps. It arrived very sharp, surprisingly sharp. It is much sharper than the three Gransfors Bruks I have purchased and better finish on the metal overall.The handle is very comfortable in hand. The finish on the wood is minimal, if any, and needs some tung oil or linseed oil. Frankly, I’d rather do my own finishing on the wood, so that is fine with me.As to this model, the size is handy in the large hatchet to small pack axe size. It handles really nicely.Overall, A+ for Council Tools. Based on the quality of this one, I’ll buy some of their other sizes.Recommend. 😊👍

Very good quality. I threw the axe a few times and it seems to be great for that but I like this as a normal use axe so much that I am never throwing it again. I have a few watl axes I can throw instead. This axe is staying with my camping gear. The quality and durability on this axe is amazing. I took a few inches off the handle, stained it and got a head cover. Awesome axe

very nice axe would like to see more handle options

I love this, it’s lightweight and throws well in Axe competition. It’s accurate and stable. I had a hatchet master take off the black and make it chrome looking. Beautiful piece of art and yet perfect for functional daily throwing.

This is actually the second one of these I’ve purchase. I’ve had the first for a little over a year and have used it both camping and around the house.These are a great size and not too heavy. The handle is short enough to work in tighter spaces but long enough to make chopping of smaller trees or logs easy. The bits come relatively sharp and after a little touch up they are amazing. One thing I really love about these is the hardened pole. Feel free to hammer away in things without risk of damage. Also, the eye walls are thicker than European axes so you don’t need to worry about them spreading.Now, for this specific hatchet. The grain is pretty good. It’s on a bit of a diagonal to the direction of swinging but acceptable for the price and length of handle. No grain run-out and plenty of growth rings. I have no doubts about the strength and longevity of the handle. The head looks great and you can see the discoloration from the heat treatment on both ends. The handle is fit perfectly to the head with a hardwood wedge and additional steel spreader.It chops well out of the box. I honestly believe the sport utility serious from Council Tool is by far the best deal in axes.