Cold Steel Trail Boss Axe, 27 Inch

I was looking for an inexpensive, no-frills axe to get some work done on a friend's property (teaching him how to swing an axe by felling some sick trees). I want a Gransfors Bruks just as much as any axe enthusiast or woodsman, amateur or veteran, but my budget at this time just does not allow for it, so I was looking for a budget-minded axe that was already complete, since I do not have confidence in restoring an antique axe head and hanging it on a hand-made handle. I've had a hit-or-miss experience with Cold Steel in the pass, albeit more hit than miss, but I guess I've just been lucky. I must have hit the gold-mine of luck with this one. I waited to see if the price would drop under $30, and I was lucky to snag one for $28. I know what to expect for anything less than a Gransfors in terms of axes, namely sub-par sharpening and a lacquered handle, so I was not disappointed when that's all I found wrong with this axe. PROS: -PERFECT weight, length, and shape for a good all-around, jack of all trades axe. light enough to get good speed to cut into tree trunks deeply and sends chips flying, but still has just enough thickness and heft to split firewood without too much hassle. -Though the axe did not come sharp enough for my standards, the edge grind was actually very decent for the price. -The head is hung VERY well for the price range. could not slip my thinnest feeler gauge in between the head and the handle on either end, and it is made doubly and triply secure with a wooden wedge and TWO round stepped wedges (I mean who does that at this price range?) -the ergonomics of the handle are very nice. I'm partial to straighter handles, and while this has a curved end, the body really isn't far off from straight. the hook and palm swell also give you quite a bit of purchase when swinging. -the head, upon removing the paint from and forcing a patina onto it, reveals a very clear temper line, which is good news for hardness, sharpness, and edge retention. CONS: -the head came with a matte black paint job, and both the head and handle came with a varnish/polyurethane coat on them, both of which I do not like. Although I did enjoy doing a patina on the head, and staining and oiling the handle, the extra steps taken to remove the coats already on there is a pain, and just an unnecessary step in the manufacturing process that Cold Steel could save money on by skipping, in order to give us a sheath with this axe, maybe? -the head rusts surprisingly easy. This is not a problem if you leave the varnish on, but it will wear off eventually and then it will become a problem. Luckily, my patina job has taken care of any rust problems for the foreseeable future. -the axe head is slightly offset from the handle. it is nowhere near severe enough to hider performance or durability, but it is noticeable cosmetically (although, again, it can be forgiven at $28) -the grain orientation on the handle was 45 degrees off parallel to the axe edge. not a huge deal, just a personal nitpick of mine, as I just prefer it to be as close to parallel as possible. I'm glad I did not get one with a perpendicular grain orientation. All in all, if you have a bit of know-how, you can fix up this budget axe into a nice little project and get the thing ready to fell all but the largest of trees (I'd prefer a dedicated Connecticut or otherwise dedicated heavy feller's axe for those jobs anyway). I say it's absolutely worth the investment for amateur homesteaders, lumberjacks, or campers alike.

(Look for update at the bottom) Great Axe! Will Last a LifeTime if taken care of. Great Build Quality. Had a sharp enough edge to chop with but i put a sharper edge on it that is razor sharp. Sharp enough to cut the hair on my arms. Its a beautiful axe. And the design is one of the best ones for axes. Definitely made to Last and cut down a forest. Super lightweight for its size. Would definitely buy it again and recommend to buy one, Im surprised its this inexpensive. I would easily see this as a $100 axe. Definitely keeps up with the more expensive axes for sure. Never thought id be so happy over an axe. But its like Christmas when it arrived and gave me joy. Update: so its now may of 2022 and I have been using this axe a lot now. And it's still going strong. It's still in 1 peice and chopping wood like butter. I have miss chopped a couple times and hit the axe handle at full force. I do have a diy paracord axe collar that helps to protect the axe. But my point is it's strong. True Hickory strong. I have sharpened the axe a couple times. I like to keep my axe razor sharp. After all this time I still recommend this axe. I think this axe is the best axe you're going to get for the money. This is comparable to $100 axe still is my opinion.

First thing if you get an axe 🪓 is clean off the bit. They all put a protective coat on them to protect from oxidation. When I opened my box I immediately saw super quality in the head and handle. Good work on the hafting. Only custom made axes will come with a razor sharp edge, all mass produced knives and axes have a very mild cutting edge. Saves in lawsuits. I cleaned the bit and put a 17 degree edge on it. With no dragging sound it will slice a sheet of notebook paper now. The steel is excellent. I wanted to see if the edge would roll cutting off a 2 inch branch. No dulling of the edge. Very impressive.

Final review: This axe is a great size for me. I have many axes; an American felling axe, a large double-bit axe, a splitting axe, and an array of hatchets for both splitting and cutting, but this is the first axe I've gotten in this middle size. About half of the blade was very sharp and half was dull. I started to re-profile the edge a bit to help it bite in better and sharpen the dull spots. The steel quality seems pretty good, especially for this price point. I wasn't sure that I'd like the head shape but it seems to work well in actual use. I had a tree come down in the storm (Pax) hitting the Northeast US and just wanted to clean up some of the smaller branches that came close to my house. Admittedly, this wasn't the hardest wood I've encountered, but the Trail Boss made short work of many of the smaller branches. As mentioned in my original review, I only worked for about an hour, chopping nothing larger than my wrist and most of it only as thick as my thumb to get it ready for using a chainsaw on anything bigger later on, but the head loosened almost immediately and by the end was starting to slip up. After I emailed them some pictures and called them a week later to follow up, Cold Steel has shipped me a replacement handle as I requested with minimal effort on my part. I see from the reviews that I'm not the only person to have this issue, so I imagine that it's a quality control issue. Don't be afraid to contact them if your axe loosens up early on. After I knew that they wouldn't ask me to ship it back to them I tried to fix the old handle and was able to tighten everything up using a hammer and a punch, so ill hold onto that as a spare handle and use this one longer to see if it loosens or breaks again. I'll need to find or make a sheath for this and I wish they offered an inexpensive one, but I don't hold that against them as most axes I have never came with a sheath. Overall, besides my early problem, I think this will be a solid addition to my collection and I look forward to using it more. Original review: In October I purchased a Trail Boss to use while camping in winter. Unfortunately, due to an insanely busy holiday season I was only able to use it for the first time today. I had a tree come down in the storm (Pax) hitting the Northeast US and just wanted to clean up some of the smaller branches that came close to my house. I worked for about an hour, chopping nothing larger than my wrist and most of it only as thick as my thumb to get it ready for using a chainsaw on anything bigger this weekend. This tree was fairly soft wood as well, so I didn't expect any problems, but the head loosened almost immediately and by the end was starting to slip up. I have contacted Cold Steel customer service and will update this review when they reply. This axe could be 4-5 stars if this was just a fluke and they replace/repair it without too much effort on my end, but as the axe is now it's unsafe and unusable. UPDATE: After a week I called Cold Steel and they immediately sent out a replacement handle per my request. I updated my review with a final review assuming everything works well after the repair. I'll update if there are any more issues.

This is basically a lightweight Boy's Axe, the blade length is very similar to other Boys' Axes, such as the Council Tool, Snow & Nealley, etc. (actually a bit longer blade, but it is still lighter overall due to the smaller sized eye and poll). Because this is an inexpensive axe, I think it's a great candidate as a dedicated root chopper, something you don't mind getting banged up a bit. I have been using it for brush clearing and I love it! Cuts right through vines. It does come with a slippery-feeling finish, which you should plan to sand off. But otherwise, it has a great balance and is very easy and natural-feeling to use. I read some concerns about the head coming loose--I have not experienced this yet myself, but axe heads can and do come loose, and sometimes need to be re-wedged or even re-hung. Honestly, when this does happen to mine, I would even consider bringing this down to a 24" handle, I think that would be an even better fit for the lightweight head like this, and it would make for a more compact "camp-axe" type of feel. Hard to find fault with this, even on the longer handle. Five stars.

I bought this axe after seeing Wranglerstar's review and I couldn't be happier with it. First of all, I'm not a professional woodsman, but I have been splitting firewood my whole life. I currently own two regular axes and a splitting axe. I bought this one specifically to leave in my pickup. I was concerned about the handle due to a difference in color. Although the handle is definitely cut from a single piece of wood, dissimilar colors usually denote a difference in density and the wood will have a tendency to split at the color seam. I have noticed that most pictures of the handle splitting on others' reviews happens along a similar seam. However, after 10-15 minutes of chopping, mine is showing no signs of cracking and the head is still tight. I do have some divets from where the handle struck the firewood, but no cracks have formed. (BTW, you're always going to hit the handle some; there's no avoiding it.) I'm sure the handle will one day break (welcome to the world of axes), but that's why they sell replacements. The axe head cuts like a dream and mine came super sharp with no flaws. But remember, it's not a maul or a splitting axe. If you try to use this to split a big, solid piece of green ash down the center, you're going to be greatly disappointed. However, for splitting old dead stuff (in this case,cottonwood) and if you work from the outside in, it's truly awesome. The wide head with a thin profile allows it to slice straight through easy. Also, because of it's light weight, it's very accurate. Don't expect to get a full length, over the head swing, though, because of the short handle. You'll notice in the last picture that it's sitting on a piece that I didn't finish. That's because it's one giant knot. I'll have to use the splitting axe to finish that one.

It does not come sharp. The varnish on the handle and head shouldn't be there at all; but its on there thick. It also didn't come with a sheath for the blade. Having said that, this is a lot of axe for the money. I own six Gransfors Bruk axes to compare it to. The axe I choose to take on camping trips though is this Cold Steel. In fact I leave it in my Jeep JKU full time. If you like DIY projects you can sharpen the axe; which you should know how to do anyway for general maintenance. You can also strip the finish off, and there are numerous companies that sell sheaths. This axe is a beast. It chops really well! It even splits wood way better than I would have ever imagined. The handle has not come loose in the head at all!!! I have split about half a chord of wood so far with this axe, and done quite a bit of chopping and felling. The axe steel is softer than more premium axes; however, because it's softer, I can return it to razor sharp in like 30 seconds with DMT diamond stone sharpeners, (I use the black and blue stones of the bifold double sided DMT sharpeners). I don't feel bad beating on this axe like I do with premium axes. I have put this axe through its paces and it keeps asking for more. I am impressed. I have thought about buying another one just to have on reserve in case this axe finally does break. The head geometry, the weight of the head, the length of the handle, the angle of the grind, all are really well thought out.

For under $30 this axe is worth every cent. I have chopped down small trees, split logs, and stripped bark off with this axe. I took some time to sharpen the blade with a file and a diamond sharpening stone. I take this axe with me on every camping trip. I have seen many reviews about this axe not being good for certain things, I am going to explain what this axe can and cannot do. IT CAN: Split small logs (5'' or less)/ Take down small trees (5" or less)/ take out small branches/ hold an edge/ strip bark II CANNOT: Cut trees all day, take down large trees, split large logs (6''+), large limbs I have noticed this axe splits soft woods such as long pole pine, red pine, cedar, and other soft woods effectively. It struggles with hard woods like maple, oak, ash, and other hard wood trees. It is a light axe with a long handle, so it is great to bring with your pack. You can choke up on the handle and carve kindling very easily. IT IS NOT MEANT FOR HEAVY WORK. This axe is not designed to chop trees all day. I have used this axe many times since I first bought it. There are no cracks in the handles, there are a few chips in the blade, but that is because I had to spit wood on a rock (don't do it). This axe has split multiple logs, cut down a few small trees, and chopped many small branches. YOU WILL NOT find a better axe than the Cold Steel Trail Boss for this price, guaranteed!

Godna polecenia siekiera. Przy ostrzeniu widać dobrą jakość stali, będzie siekiera na lata. Jedyne co warto zrobić po zakupie to oszlifowanie rączki z lakieru i zaolejować.

Me encato , llego en tiempo y forma, el empaquetado estaba muy bien, excelente servicio

Excellent axe. Far exceeded my expectations for the price & reviews I have seen. Yes the reviews were good but this axe is fantastic. Almost ideal handle size, shape, (it is just about straight which makes for intuitive, ease of use & is safer overall) thickness, (nice & slender to allow flex for shock absorption & better grip that does not fatigue your hands or long periods of use) & length (for my use anyway). I am a huge fan of the Hudson Bay pattern as well. The weight of the head is just right. The head is tightly, straight & true with the handle. Just a few minutes will a file & my lanky puck & diamond stones & the bit was razor sharp. Good hard steel but easily takes an edge. I wish they made a hatchet with the exact same specifications, quality & similar price point. Just scaled down to about 14 inches as well as a mid-size pack axe about 20 inches long. I am a big fan of Cold Steel knives so I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised at the overall quality & ergonomics of this axe.

Me gustó el producto en si

Todo bien!