Love my hatchets. Just ordered a fiskars, can't wait to try it out. The hype is killing me. Anyway, just picked up an $8 yellow (minus 20 percent coupon, so $6), plastic-handled hatchet at Harbour Freight. Bought it just to have fun grinding on and try different grinding methods to shape, sharpen, shine up, and maybe get a little polish out of it. You know, when life is too much, and you just have to get away.
Might even use it sometime to cut the little branches out of the way, or put it to truly noble use and tap in a wedge. (Sorry to delve into cheap-hatchet talk.) Well, I figure if the steel is a little soft it'll be that much easier to work on and sharpen, as long as it doesn't chip all to pieces or something when I try to actually use it.
And, I love the yellow plastic handle. Nice shape, size and feel. Probably give me blisters. Even has a nice hole in the end to snap it into your ring for climbing. (no, no, please, just kidding, don't do this!) I'll be able to find the bright yellow laying on the ground in the field without searching all over the place, even weeks later, or after a snowstorm, or in the Spring. (the handle will probably break off if I miss and hit it on a branch, and then I'll surely miss it) Anyway, this reminds me of a quote by Albert Einstein, "When you design and build something, make it as good as needed, but not any gooder than that!" I hope the handle doesn't break off.
