GEDORE OX 620 H-1257 Universal Forestry Axe ROTBAND-Plus

I love this thing. If you're looking for just an ornament axe then spend a bit more I'd say. But if you want a really nicely made working axe you're gonna USE. THIS IS IT. GREAT AXE. Needs sharpening a little out of the box, and the clear paint to protect it needs cleaned off for real use. But it's a tall blade at 4.6", and the sheath that comes with it is GARBAGE, just for shipping. Not many sheaths out there tall enough to fit this. We'll balanced, heavy head for it's overall size. Swings well. Harder steel than most. THICK handle.

The axe is the picture of perfection. Clearly a lifetime tool to be passed on to the kids. The blade guard is the exact opposite. It was very thin, cheaply made and the rivets were torn out which made it un-repairable.

First off, I sought this axe after I used several of my peers. They both had the Stihl rebrand version, which is only different in color scheme, otherwise it’s the exact same axe.I’m a full time ISA certified climbing arborist out of NC and a have an unhealthy addiction to felling large trees against their lean with wedges...and lemme tell you, this thing is awesome and durable. It flips and orients easily in the hand when alternating between banging the wedge and cutting so you can drive it deeper. It’s been the only axe I’ve seen to last a year of abuse. I am incredibly happy with the craftsmanship and attention to detail in this tool. I’m no “Viking” but at only 5’8” and 172lbs I swing this axe like it’s a toy mainly because it’s so comfortable, ergonomically designed, and quite possibly the best axe I’ve ever used.

This axe is exactly what I wanted; not a dedicated chopper and not a dedicated splitter but one that can handle both.Very sharp and very capable of moderate splitting. The handle is thick and bulky, but I’m gonna leave it because I can abuse it.This is not a light nimble ax, but it is perfect for abusive duties.Not every car is a Ferrari, sometimes you need a 1 ton truck.This is a great value

Just received axe, packaging would be considered minimally adequate. Blade sheath is beyond POS it is embarrassing for Osenkopf and insulting to the customer. Infinitely better to have sent nothing. Grain orientation is spot on, however the rest on the hafting leaves much to be desired. The best word to describe the haft is neanderthal. Haft is clunky and brutish in need of a finish sanding and then some. Fit of Rotband and wood is laughable, the pictures do not do it justice. The bit itself appears to be of a very good quality. Sharpness out of the box is not Granfors but either is the price, to be fair. I really want to like this axe and after a few hours of tuning it may be a acceptable tool. The question is that for the price should it require hours of work to reach that point ? Overall the unit is very heavy. I am feeling the Rotband was a bad choice from a weight standpoint. This is a truck axe there is no carrying this behemoth around on foot. This has the grace of a splitting maul. I was so hoping for something special. At this point I am not sure if it is going back of not. It cannot be returned if I tune it up and it remains disappointing, therein lies the problem.

The weight and balance of the axe is great and the craftsmanship of the product is top notch. I have been using this tool for several months now for general brushing, limbing, chopping and firewood processing, together with some kindling splitting. In all this time I have found this to be one of my favorite axes. I recommend this tool to anyone serious about their tools.

I wanted an all purpose axe with a metal handle guard, to that end the axe is well built the handle is a nice length and the head is secured to the handle with a steel plate. Really pretty axe. Those things are done well. The axe head however is too light for the handle and guard which gives it an odd balance below the head. I also had to give the edge a little love to get it sharp enough to chop nicely. The edge is also relatively soft, easy to get a fine edge but dulls too quickly… I’m going to harden it later with a torch and bucket. Over all I give it 3/5 bc it’s about $30 too expensive and has a odd weight that takes some getting used to.

Very well made tool. Quality tooling, fit and finish. Great addition