28 Ounce Rig Builders Hatchet, Hickory Handle, Made in the USA, RB, VN20420

This is the second one I've bought. My father liked mine so well I bought him one. Great quality well-balanced tool. Hatchet will need sharpening upon arrival. They seem to ship with a dulled edge. But a couple minutes with a file or stone fixes the edge. Once sharpened it holds the edge well. Perfect tool to have when felling with a chainsaw to drive wedges and cut small limbs.

Nice tool, sturdily constructed, excellent, well-fitted handle. Factory edge is a little haphazard but a few minutes with a bastard file and a sharpening puck takes care of that in short order.

I did not know at first the extent of this hammer for framing. Come to find out, it was the original primary framing hammer. Of course, people appear afraid because of the axe function of the tool. However, it is the most well-balanced hammer I've ever had. It is heavy enough to pound nails, and yet feels light enough with the right amount of balance. I love this hammer and thankful that it is still being produced. I will use this hammer as my primary hammer for framing.

Great bushcraft hatchet. It came dull as expected. I reprofiled it to a thick knife edge to suit its job. It can cut, split , carve and shave the hair off your arm. I made a sheath for it and a drop holster so I have somewhere to put it while I carry firewood. It cost me 24 bucks. Can't beat that. Even compared to my council tool velvicut boys axe and Hudson Bay axe @ over $135 a piece it still holds its own. Yes! You have to sharpen it yourself ! Get over it. Good job Vaughn!

This should make a great bushcraft camp axe. The hickory handle is high quality and perfectly hung. The palm swell in the middle is very comfortable and leaves enough room behind for two handed blows. Of course, you will need to sand the varnish off of the handle and the blade. I used 320 grit sand paper and then applied a protective coating of Renaissance Wax 200ml . The edge will need to be sharpened. I wish it could have been ordered with a sheath.

Bought this for camping...has worked out great. Extra length to handle provides more umph when chopping larger firewood and hammer side comes in hand driving stakes, breaking nuts open, etc.....

This is a fine hammer if all you need is a heavy hammer, but the axe bit is ridiculous. It came with a 45 degree bevel, the edge was thick at the heel and became very thin at the toe. Behind the edge the cheeks were actually concave, thinning out to about 1/8" at the toe. Also the alignment from poll to edge is actually curved. In essence, the hatchet side is useless; even re-beveling the edge would still leave you with a very poor cutting tool. Vaughn has obviously changed the manufacturing of this tool as evidenced by the discrepancy in the photos showing a nail notch when there isn't one. The quality of the tool I received is on the level of a department store, not a professional tool. I would give it zero stars because it does not meet the definition of the tool they are advertising and anyone buying this will be disappointed upon initial visual contact, even if you are just buying it for a hammer.

tough product ,built to last, will take some effort to get combat sharp, but was purchased to add to bugout gear,,,the handle has a plastic flag wrap and a sticker

I use this for axe throwing and it works well. The blade comes to a nice narrow edge so it penetrates the wood easily. The head is a bit heavy so it feels a little off but it throws well and is easy to get used to. I also have the Vaughan SH2 22 oz half hatchet 13 inch long, it is very nice and throws great I just found the handle a little short, too bad it did not come with a longer handle. Both are high quality heads with narrow blades that are easy to put a nice sharp edge on. For the price you are getting a great quality product.

I wanted the slot to pull nails still but when it showed up there wasn’t one at all. I can put one myself but it’s not the same. Since I’m doing some milling anyway might add a nail set to it too…. Not sure why or how some have the slot and some don’t. Perhaps specify if you want it when you order? Hope this helps.

I got this on sale for a pretty good price, it splits like a beast

Had high hopes for this piece. Not concerned that out-of-the-box it isn't sharp, that's on me to remedy to my taste, however either the haft had torqued since manufacturing or the head was installed without enough attention, but the blade is turned off axis by ~5°, and the head is loose to boot, despite 3 steel wedges. Handle grain was acceptable but not stellar. Returning after only 10 minutes in the hand. Would consider this item in the future but not without the option of choosing from a selection to get the right one.

Things a beauty. Isn’t my first Vaughan and definitely won’t be my last.