Hackmasters: 15 Must-Own Axes, Tomahawks, Hatchets & Machetes

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Camillus Camtrax
Camillus Camtrax: There is a never-ending argument among experienced woodsmen on whether a hatchet or a saw is the most useful bushcraft tool. Well, why not carry both? Camillus’ new Camtrax 3-in-I Hatchet combines a folding saw, hammer and chopping blade all into one handy tool. Edge length: 2.75 inches Overall length: 12 inches Weight: 16 ounces Steel: Stainless titanium Handle: Glass-filled nylon Sheath: Molded nylon MSRP: $40

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Condor Eco-Survival Golok Machete
Condor Eco-Survival Golok Machete: This is one of Condor Tool & Knife jungle expert Joe Flower’s designs. Its high-visibility orange handle is especially useful when working in heavy vegetation where just setting your cutting tools down can be a serious safety hazard. Blade length: 14.5 inches Overall length: 20.75 inches Weight: 20 ounces Steel: 1075 carbon Handle: High-impact polypropylene Sheath: Ballistic nylon MSRP: $55

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Condor Cloudburst Axe
Condor Cloudburst Axe: Yet another of Joe Flower’s designed from real-world experience tools, the Condor Tool & Knife Cloudburst is a very practically sized chopper for pack and canoe use. Edge length: 3.25 inches Overall length: 23 inches Weight: 2.55 pounds Steel: 1060 carbon Handle: American hickory Sheath: Leather MSRP: $90

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CRKT Birler
CRKT Birler: Designed by Vietnam veteran Elmer Roush, the Birler from Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) is a light and compact axe that is still burley enough to do everything you need it to in the field. The handle is made of durable and attractive Tennessee hickory. Edge length: 5.17 inches Overall length: 16 inches Weight: 10.3 ounces Steel: 1055 carbon Handle: Tennessee hickory Sheath: N/A MSRP: $90

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Camillus M-13 Machete
Camillus M-13 Machete: This skeletonized blade offers a significant savings in weight, but at the same time, the point-heavy design makes it a powerful chopping tool. There is also a handy vine hook mounted on the spine of the knife. Blade length: 13 inches Overall length: 18.5 inches Weight: 24 ounces Steel: Stainless titanium Handle: Glass-filled nylon Sheath: Glass-filled nylon MSRP: $40

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ESEE Lite Machete
ESEE Lite Machete: Jungle survival instructor Jeff Randall certainly has all of the proper credentials to design a durable, handy machete that will stand up to the worst a green hell can throw at it. Interestingly, the ESEE Lite Machete uses an El Salvadorian Imacasa blade on an American-made handle. Blade length: 17.25 inches Overall length: 23.25 inches Weight: 18 ounces Steel: 1075 carbon Handle: Micarta Sheath: Nylon MSRP: $108

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Lansky Wilderness Pack
Lansky Wilderness Pack: Clearing brush, making kindling, processing firewood—the saw-back Lansky Wilderness Pack Machete will take it all in stride. Better yet, Lansky includes one of its excellent “puck” axe and machete hones with each tool so you’ll be able to keep it sharp. Blade length: 14 inches Overall length: 21 inches Weight: 19 ounces Steel: Carbon Handle: Zytel Sheath: Nylon MSRP: $42

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Ontario Bushcraft Machete
Ontario Bushcraft Machete: As machetes go, this model is shorter and stiffer than the average Latin American model, so it is better suited to chopping serious firewood as well as clearing undergrowth. Its relatively low hardness (HRC 53-55) also makes for a very tough blade that can be easily resharpened after hard use. Blade length: 16 inches Overall length: 22 inches Weight: 18.5 ounces Steel: 5160 alloy carbon Handle: Laminated hardwood Sheath: Nylon MSRP: $156

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Heckler & Koch Clout Tactical Axe
Heckler & Koch Clout Tactical Axe: This is Benchmade’s latest addition to its Heckler & Koch tactical gear line. The combination axe and hammer head is a little more traditional than some of the new tomahawks on the market, but it is a totally practical combination. Edge length: 5.9 inches Overall length: 14.96 inches Weight: 42.5 ounces Steel: 420J stainless Handle: Glass-filled nylon Sheath: Nylon MSRP: $65

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SOG Folding Saw
SOG Folding Saw: The SOG Folding Saw comes with two tempered steel blades. The wood saw is designed to cut on both push and pull strokes to easily get through branches and small logs. The bone saw is useful for breaking down game or crafting tools out of hard materials. The blades can be changed easily without tools. Blade length: 8.25 inches Overall length: 17.25 inches Weight: 5.9 ounces Steel: High carbon Handle: Steel/TRP Sheath: Ballistic nylon MSRP: $26

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Spyderco SzaboHawk
Spyderco SzaboHawk: Designed by martial artist Laci Szabo to be a devastating close-combat weapon and a superbly functional tool with the added advantage of a pry-bar tip on the handle, the SzaboHawk can do it all in an emergency situation. And before you ask, the SzaboHawk can even be thrown with deadly accuracy. Edge length: 2.16 inches Overall length: 11.88 inches Weight: 24.9 ounces Steel: D2 tool Handle: G10 Sheath: Boltaron MSRP: $350

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Timberline MSS
Timberline MSS: If you are looking for a true magnum of a machete, the Timberline Machete Survival System (MSS) should meet your needs perfectly. Patterned after a popular African machete style, this heavy-duty jungle tool offers both a cutting edge and serious saw-backed spine. Blade length: 16.5 inches Overall length: 23 inches Weight: 33.5 ounces Steel: 440C stainless Handle: TPR Sheath: Nylon MSRP: $150

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Wetterlings Bushman Axe
Wetterlings Bushman Axe: Canadian survival expert and TV reality show star Les Stroud designed this tool for the Swedish axe company Wetterlings to be his version of the ideal bushcraft chopper. The combination axe/hammer head works well for fine cutting and whittling, and its compact length makes it a perfect pack axe. Edge length: 3.5 inches Overall length: 21.6 inches Weight: 2.5 pounds Steel: 1095 carbon Handle: Hickory Sheath: Leather MSRP: $169

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Zippo 4-In-I Woodsman
Zippo 4-In-I Woodsman: As its name implies, this handy tomahawk from Zippo can serve as four different tools: an axe, a hammer, a stake-puller and a cross-cut saw. The blades for the saw are stored in the handle and are easily mounted with the head cover in place. Edge length: 4.25 inches Overall length: 23 inches Weight: 3 pounds Steel: Stainless Handle: Fiberglass-reinforced nylon Sheath: Plastic MSRP: $80

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TOPS Micro Hawk
TOPS Micro Hawk: The Micro Hawk was designed for everyday carry. The designer, Shawn Owens, has effectively combined the traits of a karambit, tomahawk and a traditional knife into one piece. When flying his own light aircraft, weight is always a concern, so this tool goes with him everywhere he can possibly take it. Edge length: 1.95 inches Overall length: 6.9 inches Weight: 11.2 ounces Steel: 1095 carbon Handle: Paracord Sheath: Kydex MSRP: $180

It doesn’t matter much whether you’re trying to survive the aftermath of a hurricane, an earthquake, a massive flood, an extreme blizzard or a volcanic eruption—once you’ve bugged out to your safe zone, you are probably going to be heating large quantities of water over an open fire.

RELATED STORY: 11 Quick-Draw Neck Knives For Everyday Carry

Once that fire is going, you are going to equally need the tools to feed it 24/7 for days on end. Around the world, the primary means for this has long been basic axes, tomahawks, hatchets and machetes. Tomahawks and hatchets, in particular, have served Americans as combination tools and weapons from the earliest days of European settlement. Machetes have performed much of the same functions in the lusher vegetation of Central and South America.

The modern bushcraft and backcountry survival movement has given birth to a wide range of new models especially designed to fill this need. Here are a few of the more interesting ones we have found.