My son, 13, wants a hatchet. Best value? Best value for the money?

He wants the Bear Grylls by Gerber, and he may purchase it him self which takes my opinion out of the equation. It's been snowing a lot this year and we pay him to shovel.
I know it isn't going to be used for much of anything other than the cachet of owning that name/brand. It might get used to chop or split campfire wood when he's older.
Until Dad bought a brush hog, I had to chop brush in our woodlot growing up and knew that for me, then, the ability to be buried in the ground and resharpened on a grinding wheel was the most important issue because I hated that chore.

Is the Gerber worth four or five times the cost of cheep?
Are any of the Harbor Freight models worth the roughly $10 they cost?

Thanks.
Don

For a 13 year-old kid, let him earn and spend his own money on what he wants. Then he will take care of it. You give him a cheap $10 Chinese hatchet it sends the wrong message that the tool is disposable and not to be taken care of.

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Originally Posted by Outpost75

For a 13 year-old kid, let him earn and spend his own money on what he wants. Then he will take care of it. You give him a cheap $10 Chinese hatchet it sends the wrong message that the tool is disposable and not to be taken care of.

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yep! May not be "worth it" but will be worth it in his eyes if he works hard to pay for it himself.

I always wanted a hatchet, too. Finally bought one, an Estwing. Used for a few years to split kindling, (which was mostly scrap pine and fir) It just sits in one of my cabinets now. BTW, I looked at one of those Bear Grylls knives, and they were made in China.

If you want a good quality tool for a decent price look at FISKARS. Kinda like the bear gryllis but made in Finland. I bought a camp axe and it works great and holds an edge well. IMHO

Let him buy what he wants.

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Originally Posted by Junior1942

Let him buy what he wants.

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This!

Then be sure to tell him "Now, don't chop anything!"
By the end of the day there will be piles of chips beside anything wood!

Any where but China,they are way too deep in our pockets now.

I bought one for $5.00 from Menards....has a tubular steel handle, rubber hand grip & is ergonomic...I did have to sharpen it a bit---took me a few minutes...works superbly. I looked at other offerings and they were at many times the price. If I break this one, the store will replace it... I know that I will have no issues with it as I will not abuse it and will take care of it... IMHO a good lesson to teach my son or daughter... Also, many of the other offerings aren't made in the USA anyway.

One of these has been in my family for almost 50 years now. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Boy-Scout-Ha...item3a8ac5ca3d. Attachment 95373
My father gave it to me for Christmas when I was 12 or 13. I gave it to my brother as he was coming up thru scouts. I asked him awhile ago if he still had it and if he did if I might get it back. He said he did and that he didn't think returning it was such a good idea, but not in so many words. I found one on evilbay and in a fit of nostalgia bought it. The grip was cracked the full length and it was dull. I sharpened it and put a Re-Grip on it (those things work great) and it's as good as new.

[Is the Gerber worth four or five times the cost of cheep?
Thanks.
Don[/QUOTE]
I don't know about the Bear Grylls hatchet, but the standard Gerber is the best I've ever owned.

What brand to get is irrelevant, teenagers would get whatever they want anyway, it is best to let them learn for their own as to buying based on history of quality VS hype of endorsement advertising.
At least the hatchets are not too expensive to be used to learn about reality of life.

More important is whatever he get, ensure that he know to keep his limbs out of the way and ensure that he know how to keep it sharp. There are nothing more dangerous than a blunt knife, hatchet or axe.

Be wary of the handles or the joints between the handle and the head of cheap or old hatchets, they are usually not made well and may fail at importune moments.

My first hatchet was a Boy Scout model, which served me well until I was a senior in high school and I made a new one for myself in metal shop and learned basic blacksmithing. I copied a Snow & Kneeley kindling axe. I still have it.

Double post

Get him the very best.
No mans son is worth less than the best.

But even that should be tempered with enough no's in his life not to spoil him.

Don't get a hatchet (or a knife) made in China. I've found that the Chinese can take metal which has intrinsic value, and make it LOSE that value by making it into a "cutting tool". Chinese-made blades of any sort are junk, and you'll spend more time trying to get it to take and keep an edge than you will spend using it. I have an old Gerber backpaxe (hatchet) from the time before they had all their stuff made in China. It works awesomely, and holds a good edge.

Also, the Bear Grylls stuff is all made in China, and you pay a premium just for the fact that it wears his name. Don't waste any money on that name.

Let him get what he wants BUT make him understand that only a fool buys the first thing to come along or a whizz bang gimmick.
Make him understand what it means to cry now or cry later.

At 13 years old, he already knows more about the Internet than the rest of us. Tell him it be hooves him to,study reviews and search, search and REsearch.

Maybe make a father son hour of looking over available options. If he understood the dynamics of a quality tool and how to take care of it; that'd carry over his lifetime.



As far as the Bear Grylls thing? There are MUCH better options. Don't talk him out of anything, just be sure he's well informed.

Cheap tools equals bad results in the woods..... Ive had my share of terrible equipment in the woods and Murphy's law always wins

….Another option that would be really fun and healthy for the father son relationship would be a project. Shop antique shops and old hardware stores for a diamond in the rough. Here's an old hatchet that was really nasty. I ground the profile of the blade to suit me. Cleaned it up nice. Sharpened it to a razor edge and made a new handle for it. The handle is Teak with Purpleheart sides scales and Bloodwood pommel scales. Finished with a coat of linseed oil every day for several weeks.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/...l/DSC02780.jpg

Anything marked Bear Grylls you are jus paying for the name, and its what the "cool" kids have. it is junk. You can get a good hatchet at the hardware store that will be cheaper and better quality. A tomohawk is a better tool innny opinion.