As expected, it is a hat off to Tsubamesanjo quality.

Until now, hatchets have been the mainstream tool for chopping wood at campsites, but recently, the number of people using axes has increased. Maybe an ax is better? That’s why I actually tried using the uniframe “Tsubame Sanjo no Ax”, which is attracting attention as the best ax for auto camp!

Is it a knife to chop wood at the campsite? Hatchet? Or is it an ax?

One of the pleasures of camping, “bonfire”. You can enjoy a bonfire by igniting the firewood purchased at the campsite, but it is difficult to ignite just by placing the firewood directly on the ignited igniter.

Therefore, what is needed is a thin firewood with good fire, “burning”. This can be a falling twig, but it may not be falling or it may be damp. In such a case, divide the firewood into flammable pieces and burn it.

Due to the influence of the bushcraft that is popular these days, the number of people who enjoy chopping firewood with a knife has increased, but if the firewood you get is thick, it will not break unless the knife is rugged like a hatchet.

That’s why I’ve always used hatchets to chop wood, but recently I’ve been thinking, “If you want to chop wood, you should use an ax.”

Therefore, I decided to compare my favorite hatchet with the uniframe “Tsubame Sanjo no Ax”, which is currently attracting attention, and verify the difference in usability!

What are the specifications of “Tsubame Sanjo No Ax” that is easy to use in camping?

“Tsubame Sanjo no Ax” has a slightly different design from the ax you see in shops and websites. First of all, let’s introduce the specs of what it is like.

Click here for basic specifications

The size of “Tsubame Sanjo no Ax” is 275mm in total length and 115mm in blade length. It is a type of ax called “hatchet”, “handaxe”, “hatchet”, etc., which is more compact than the ax you generally imagine.

Compared to my favorite hatchet, the hatchet is longer. By the way, the size of the hatchet is a total length of 310 mm and a blade length of 165 mm.

A blade that shines with the craftsmanship of Tsubamesanjo

The blade uses a steel material called S50C, which is often used for blades such as hatchets and axes. It is a steel material that has both high strength and tenacity, and seems to be able to withstand tough use.

The thickness of the blade is 5 mm. It is a relatively thin model among hand axes. It is about the same thickness as Nata. It weighs 450g and is one of the lightest hand axes.

With a dedicated sheath for safety

Comes with a special cowhide sheath that can be safely carried and stored. Unlike cheap vinyl ones, it’s safe and looks good!

“Firewood folding” that can reach the itchy place

There is a groove like the mouth of a crocodile on the back of the blade. This is a convenient firewood folding function when you want to shorten the thinned firewood. Put thin firewood or branches here and fold it with a snap using the principle of the lever.

Non-slip and easy-to-grasp grip

A non-slip rubber material is used for the handle part. The shape is a corrugated design that fits your fingers.

When you actually grasp it, it fits perfectly. As it is made of rubber, it is soft and feels like it sticks to your hands. Unlike wooden handles, you don’t have to worry about slipping even if you sweat.

You can’t tell by just looking at it, but it’s a “full tongue” specification with the blade running all the way to the rear end of the handle. It is sturdy and will not rattle even when used a little roughly.

Uniframe Tsubame Sanjo No Ax

• Overall length: Approximately 275 mm
• Blade length: Approximately 115mm
• Blade thickness: Approximately 5 mm
• Material: Carbon steel (S50C)
• Pattern: EPDM (rubber type)
• Weight: Approximately 450g

Let’s actually break the firewood!

Let’s actually break the firewood and verify the usability of “Tsubame Sanjo No Ax”! The firewood used was a hardwood with a length of 35 cm. It is a firewood that is harder and harder to break than coniferous trees such as Sugi.

The basic usage of “Tsubame Sanjo no Ax” is not to swing the ax and swing it down, but to hit the blade against the firewood and hit it against the ground as it is.

First, hit the blade against the firewood. At this time, it is easier to hit the blade at the edges than at the center of the firewood.

Lift the firewood with the blade still in contact and hit it against the ground. Then it broke easily along the fiber!

Then, in the same way, I will try to break the firewood with my favorite hatchet. I tried to hit it several times, but it requires a lot of power and I can’t break it.

Since the blade does not easily fit in, we perform “battoning” by hitting the back of the blade with firewood and breaking it. In this case, I could break it with a hatchet.

I tried breaking firewood with knots

Now let’s challenge with firewood with knots! The firewood of the knot is too hard, so you can’t break it with a outdoor knife or even a hatchet. If you get stuffy, you will damage the blade.

So what about “Tsubame Sanjo no Ax”? When I actually tried it, the blade did not easily come in with the method of hitting firewood, but in batoning it is this way! I was able to break it firmly. Unlike the hatchet, it is used like a wedge, so I didn’t have to worry about “Is the blade okay?” When breaking it.

When I try to use the firewood folding function …

Even if you try to break the thinned firewood by hand, it may not be easy to break. I was able to easily fold firewood with a bimyo thickness that I couldn’t fold even if I thought, “Is it possible to fold it by hand?”

Since the width of the groove was only about 15 mm, only thin firewood can be inserted. However, if the firewood is thicker than this, it seems difficult to fold it even if you use the principle of lever, so this width may be just right.

I also peeled the bark

When there is no ignition agent, the bark can be used as an ignition agent, so the bark attached to the firewood may be scraped off. If you use a hatchet to scrape a tree with a knife, the bark can be removed cleanly.

When I try to scrape the bark with an ax, if I scrape it while holding the handle, it is difficult to apply force and I cannot scrape the bark well. However, when I held the back of the blade and sharpened it, the force was applied well and I was able to sharpen it easily.

However, it is not as easy to hold as the handle, so it seems that the hatchet is easier to use for this.

The point I noticed after using it

Handle is easy to get dirty

It’s nice that it’s not slippery thanks to the rubber material with high grip, but I was a little worried that it wouldn’t be easy to remove if there was dust. There is no problem with using it, but once I’m worried about it … You can easily remove it by washing it with water.

It may be difficult to grasp with children’s hands …

It’s light, compact, and has a high grip, so I thought it would be ideal for my 6-year-old boy who loves bonfires, so I asked him to actually hold it. Then, the corrugated design made to fit the fingers seems to be rather difficult to grasp in the small hands of children, and the fingers do not fit perfectly.

You can hold it with your finger perfectly, but then the convex part of the waveform will hit your finger and you will feel a sense of discomfort. However, since it is a non-slip rubber material, it seems that it can be used without slipping even if it feels a little strange.

If you find it difficult to chop wood, this is it!

When I actually used it and compared it with my favorite hatchet, “Tsubame Sanjo no Ax”, I felt that the ax was easier to swing. Since the center of gravity of the ax is far from the hand, centrifugal force is applied to the firewood, and it was easier to break the firewood than the hatchet.

Also, maybe because “Tsubame Sanjo no Ax” is a full tongue or because it is a soft rubber handle, I feel that the impact was not transmitted so much to my hand because I was breaking firewood. To put it plainly, it doesn’t hurt your hands.

If you have been using hatchets and feel that it is difficult to break the firewood if it is a little hard, we recommend the compact hand ax “Tsubame Sanjo No Ax”!

Click to have more Shieldon EDC knives and outdoor tools fun.

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