By hackers, we mean people who like to hack stuff into bits. You know, like lumberjacks and axe murderers. Got those in your life? Here’s the perfect gift: the Best Made Axe Kit.
Instead of giving them another pre-built axe like all of their friends this Christmas, help your beloved axe-wielder set their creativity in motion with this halfway-finished edge tool. That way, they can feel an even greater sense of satisfaction and pride every time they swing that long piece of wood with a deadly blade on its head.
Designed in cooperation with Wetterlings, the Best Made Axe Kit gets you one hand-forged 6-inch axe head, two 20-inch long rough-cut hickory wood pieces, wedges and sandpaper. The idea is that you’ll fashion the shape and design of the helve yourself, using all the elementary school craft skills you can muster. After all, you can’t call yourself a real axe man until you make your own axe (unless your name is “Axeman,” that is, which is cheating).
According to the product page, the hickory sticks were intentionally cut in a rough shape to force people to cut through their helves manually. For some reason, it’s supposed to minimize the effectiveness of power tools (don’t ask me how), making you put some real, gritty, old-school labor into the damn thing.
If you do it right, the expected end result is similar to a large Swedish hunting axe, which the product page describes as a “balanced, lightweight tool with a handle long enough to be used with one or two hands, but compact enough to throw in a rucksack.” The Best Made Axe Kit is available now, priced at $140.