Marbles Large Double Bit Axe

The media could not be loaded.  I use an ax a lot. I maintain a mile and a half of walking trails through woods. I primarily use an Imacasa machete, which is also from el Salvidor and a fantastic tool. I carry an axe for slightly larger growth (1” -6” hardwoods). The chainsaw comes out when it gets larger than that. I’ve been using the same axe for about 15 years, from Home Depot and it has only one cutting edge (not the axe this review is about). I’m on probably my third handle on that one, so I get several years out of each handle. I wanted a double bit axe so I can keep one side for cutting roots to remove stumps without having resharpen before felling trees again ( 2 minutes in the dirt will dull an edge like 2 hours of felling trees). The head on this Marbles axe is high quality. My hardness testing files test it at 55 HRC, which is 10-15 HRC harder than my old axe. I’ll be sharpening my felling side to a finer angle with a belt sander, although it’s actually pretty sharp right out of the box. I read other reviews complaining that their handle broke. I was sure that was just user error. You only get to miss so many times (overshoot and strike what you were trying to cut with the handle instead of the head) before you break any handle. With my 20lb sledge hammer, the limit is approximately one - I have broken several handles on lots of tools in my less experienced days. So, I was surprised and sickened when I tried out this seemingly well made brand new El Salvador double bit axe for the first time and the handle broke before I even made 10 swings. I did NOT miss. I was attempting to cut a 4” oak limb from a tree I was chain sawing into firewood. The axe was swinging and cutting well but broke when I was halfway through the limb. The wood of the handle looks a little funny at the break. I wonder if it was compressed too much when installed into the head and had already lost a lot of integrity. However, I started looking to order a replacement, and I found handles made for 3-5 lb double bit axes that are 2-5/8” - 3” wide. The eye in the head of this axe is 1-3/4”x13/16”. I also noticed it’s quite a bit smaller than the eye in my single bit axe. So that’s a design deficiency - they used a smaller than standard cross section handle. What a pity. I’ll still mount it to a new handle and use it. We’ll have to wait and see if I can get years from a single handle like I did with my old axe. Also, the shipping packaging was poor. Nothing protected the edge (or protected people from the edge) but a single layer of foam the thickness of a paper towel, and the cardboard box that the axe was loosely floating around in. Of course the box was unintuitively balanced with all the weight at one end. Drop this thing on your foot and it might as well not be in a box at all. Mine had cut partially through the cardboard when I received it. The axe didn’t seem damaged so I assume somebody’s foot was.Update (8/10/2020 - a few days later)I replaced the handle and the second one lasted about 10 minutes. I cut half way through an 11” hickory tree. Now already suspicious, I filmed it - Every swing on the second handle is recorded. I’m not sure if it will let me upload a video that long though. I lowered my review from 3 stars (for the good hard steel) to one. I now believe that the axe is just under designed. The photos are from the first break. If the video works, that is the second. Man, I’m disappointed - I so wanted this axe to be good. Now I’ve wasted a couple of hours fussing with it.

I bought this axe as a supplement to my chainsaw. It has proved itself to be far more useful than I originally intended. I use one side as a chopping edge and one as a splitting and grubbing edge. The axe is made of high quality steel that holds a razor sharp edge. It arrived very sharp, with very little effort it is shaving sharp. The handle is high quality (ash I believe) with proper grain orientation. The craftsmanship care and attention to detail shows. I fell and split a very large cherry to test it out, and all I can say is wow. It is a very efficient axe. The head and length of handle will cut deep and true. I would not hesitate to recommend this axe. I am thinking of buying one more as a gift.Update: I have been using this axe for about a year now, I have split countless piles of logs with it and it is still working wonderfully. For the money, this axe is extremely hard to beat. I considered ordering a dedicated felling axe from a Swedish or American company but I can not justify it when I have this one at half the cost. The only down side (if you can call it that) is this axe is made in El Salvador.

For the price, nice axe. Could have done without the El Salvador sticker that I couldn't peel off, but other than that, pretty decent chopper.

This is not a good axe to buy plain as that, the axe came with the axe head UPSIDE DOWN!! the eye of the axe is to small for the length and weight, the axe head is crooked by about 1/4 inch on the handle, the shape of the handle is...bad...the grain of the wood is poor, they failed to properly fit the handle to the eye of the axe and filled the empty spaces with woodfiller...the axe has a bad angle on the edges. Marbles use to produce quality axes, the company has obviously been rebranded under different ownership and the labor is being outsourced to elsalvador. Bad in every way, poor craftsmanship, poor shipping even

Took a good edge when sharpened, cut really well but the head came loose the first time I used it. Can easily be fixed, will get years of good use when It is.

This axe works great. Seems very high quality steel and stays sharp. I sharpened it further as it was not very sharp. The grain orientation on the handle is wrong, but has not broke yet with a fair amount of testing and chopping. It is not perfectly symmetrical, but I think that is normal for a double bit.

its a little small.. but for the price you can't go wrong.

Everything about this axe is great , from the handle to the blade . Awesome ~ Thank you El Salvador for putting such a. Awesome tool in my hand .