Fiskars X7 Hatchet Review

Fiskars is a Finnish company representing the oldest company in Finland and possibly one of the oldest in the world. Today, they still sell billions of products, mostly related to outdoor activities. One of their most popular product lines is the X-Series hatchets.

In this Fiskars X7 hatchet review, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at the performance of the axe. Let’s take a look at the specs:

• Item weight: 1.4 pounds
• Item dimensions: (L,W,H) 16.5 x 5.5 x 1 inch
• Color: Orange
• Head weight: 640g
• Material: Carbon steel

What We Like

 The first thing to mention is how budget-friendly it is – you will likely have change from $30. I didn’t have the highest expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised.

One of the most significant parts of the hatchet is the cutting edge; no matter what you need your hatchet for, a blunt blade is no good. Thankfully, the X7 arrived with a ready-to-use sharp blade, though I did opt to spend a few minutes sharpening it to get that perfect sharp edge, it was probably unnecessary. I’m confident this hatchet can fell small trees, process tinder, and make cleaner cuts than many of the more expensive splitting axes on the market.

The next thing I noticed was the grip, and the Fibercomp handle is lightweight yet strong despite being hollow.  Some customers have mentioned using the hollow handle as a storage compartment. Handle material is a bit of a stickler for some, and I admit to preferring a wooden handle. Still, the fiberglass handle contributes to this being a lightweight hatchet without losing any of the comforts in wielding it. If an irreplaceable handle is a deal-breaker, you may want to look elsewhere for a survival hatchet. With most of the weight in the axe head, the axe is well centered and easy to swing. The low-friction coating and weight distribution reduce the risk of the head becoming stuck or lodged when you’re chopping wood.

The size and weight contribute hugely to the overall experience in terms of comfort. This axe is an ideal addition to your camping trip at just a little over a pound.  It will fit nicely into most backpacks. It can also be clipped to a pack if desired. It’s an ideal addition to your outdoor toolkit or as a camping hatchet, as it can be used for felling trees and chopping wood without any hassle; you can chop small and medium-sized logs without any hesitation. Hikers may also enjoy the portability of an axe that you can attach to a pack or belt.

Fiskars axes are overall trustworthy and durable, and they always seem to take it a step further above their competition. Like the Fiskars 14 hatchet, a lifetime warranty is offered on the X7. While this warranty won’t apply to wear and tear or things that can be fixed with a little TLC, Fiskars will send you a new or comparable one if your hatchet ever totally breaks. Most competitors only provide a 5-10 year warranty.

What We Wish Was Different

Fiskars is a big name with a big reputation, so I was surprised to hear that the X7 hatchet has had quite a few complaints about quality control. As they’ve increased in popularity and moved parts of the manufacturing process out of Finland, presumably to cut costs, it seems that some mistakes are made that cut quality too.

While I didn’t face these problems this time around, it’s widely reported that some customers have issues with the steelhead rolling or chipping too quickly.  With that being said, Fiskars do seem to be amenable to fixing it when there is a problem on their end.

What Other Customers Are Saying

We should also take a look at what other customers think of the Fiskars X7, particularly the complaints and warranty process, which is something you should consider if you’re worried about falling victim to poor quality control.

“I mainly use this bad boy on my outdoor adventures and camping trips. Which involves cutting a lot of brush and firewood. The last trip I took this on was a cold camping night where we had to keep the fire going all night which means you need a lot of firewood. We had no deadwood near us hardly at the spot, so I had to use this hatchet to cut down a pretty big tree in diameter and then cut and spilt a good bit of wood for the night.

It was a very hard task either way you look at it, but for a 14″ hatchet to accomplish this was insane to me!!! Good quality blade and is easy to swing around.  The balance for me seemed perfect and made easy work of all brush tasks and small tasks. Like I mentioned above I even cut down a huge tree with it! This is my go-to buddy for the woods and I am very pleased :)” – Bearded Tool Guy.

“My son-in-law has this hatchet and their splitting axe, good product. The one I ordered would not hold an edge, and it kept rolling over. I emailed my complaint to Fiskers, and they said I would have a replacement soon; I received a shipping confirmation the next day. If the product is a good one I will rate them with 5 stars. If you purchase locally you can probably have a replacement when you return it. Anyone can produce a bad part in mass manufacturing, it’s how they handle the complaint that matters to me.” – Jeff.

 “The hatchet looks very good and feels good in hands. However, after just a total of 20min of use across two camping trips, the blade is badly chipped.  This hatchet is 3x more expensive than Walmart brand, but performs worse where it counts.” – CTNY.

“This hatchet is amazing. I can think of literally nothing bad about it. Splits well. Looks like the blade gets dinged easily, but it has made no measurable impact on the metal’s ability to split, shave, or hack. The handle is a hollow, hard, plastic composite material, but it has been incredibly sturdy so far. It also makes the hatchet very light. The handle has shown no sign of degradation despite heavy, abusive use.

 I used this hatchet regularly for two months on a road trip through western Canada and the U.S. No problems. 

Believe the hype. This hatchet is the real deal—worth every penny and probably more.” – Justin H.

Wrapping Up

The Fiskars X7 hatchet was picked as the best overall axe in our list of the best bushcraft axes

Overall, the Fiskars X7 will make a trusty camp axe for you.   It is a modern take on the traditional axe and has an excellent carbon steel blade which accounts for most of the weight of the hatchet, and it’s easy to wield and very portable.   However, there are occasional quality control issues. Though, Fiskars is a big name brand that takes its reputation seriously. It offers a lifetime warranty on many of its most popular products, including the X7, so if you do run into an issue, they’ll be happy to help. It’s worth the small risk to pay just $25 for your next-favorite hatchet.