REVIEW – One principle I’ve always lived by is that, just like good socks and underwear, one can never have too many hatchets. With PNW weather uncharacteristically great this summer, my hatchet-using opportunities have increased significantly, so it’s time to add to the family. While I still love my Gerber Bushcraft Hatchet that I reviewed in April 2023, the James Brand TJB Hatchet has been on my watchlist for some time. Priced at $149, with a forged steel head and a modern, refined design typical of the James Brand, the TJB Hatchet is a great blend of style and functionality. Out-of-the-box sharpness and an elegant gift box also help make the case for adding the TJB Hatchet to my growing wood chopper collection.
What is it?
The James Brand Hatchet is a 14-inch all-purpose camping hatchet with a forged head made of C60 Steel and an American Hickory wooden handle with a textured anti-slip coating. The hatchet is made in Germany by the Adler company in collaboration with the James Brand. The Adler company has been making axes and hatchets in Germany since 1919.
The TJB Hatchet ships in a simple, unlabeled cardboard box that conceals much more elaborate packaging within.
Inside the cardboard box, protecting the TJB in transit, is a substantially fancier black wooden gift box labeled with the James Brand name.
What’s included?
- The TJB Hatchet
- Leather Sheath
- Wooden gift box
- Stickers & care card
Tech specs
-
- Head Material: C60 Steel
- Rockwell Hardness: 47-55 HRC
- Head Weight: 1.35 lbs / .61 kg
- Head Mount: Wood and round metal wedge
- Handle Material: American Hickory sealed with water-based lacquer and coated with anti-slip paint
- Handle Length: 14 in / 35.6 cm
- Weight: 1.9 lbs / .9 kg
- Sheath: Heavy duty leather
- Made in: Germany
Design and features
Great design is at the forefront of every James Brand product—it’s just in their DNA, and the TJB Hatchet is no exception. The hatchet looks like it belongs in a display case rather than a tool kit.
Normally, tools made by Adler, the German company that collaborated with James Brand on the TJB, have red or dark green stripes. But, right out of the box, the striking bright green associated with all James Brand tools absolutely pops off the handle.
On one side of the strong American Hickory handle, there’s a simple engraving of the James Brand name.
The other side of the handle features the Adler company logo along with a “Made in Germany” tagline.
Another difference the TJB Hatchet has over other Adler tools is the black leather sheath. Adler hatchets usually ship with brown leather sheaths.
The sheath has two large rivets along the seam and two larger buttons that hold the sheath securely in place on the hatchet head.
The TJB has a Rheinland hatchet head design, which features a wide, curved blade that is optimized for cutting and splitting wood. The design also typically includes a pronounced beard (the lower portion of the blade that extends downward), which allows for a closer grip on the head for finer control during detailed tasks.
The body of the blade head has a rough textured and pitted surface that flows into the honed part of the blade.
The TJB ships with a decent edge on it—not as sharp as I’d prefer, but sharp enough to complete basic tasks out of the box.
Despite the impressive workmanship Adler is known for, the hatchet I received had a large globule of glue or lacquer on the end of the head along with some extra wood remnants protruding from the top.
The glue/lacquer globule eventually fell off after some use.
I cleaned off the wood remnants myself before putting the TJB Hatchet to work.
The TJB, like all Adler-made hatchets, has a cold-stamped “AS” on top of the head along with a number, AS189 in the case of my hatchet.
The smooth wooden handle ends with a black textured grip, lanyard hole, and included leather lanyard and tag.
The TJB gets its great grip from being dipped in Adler’s heavily textured, black non-slip paint.
The leather tag is branded with the James Brand logo.
Another addition to the TJB Hatchet, as a result of the collaboration between Adler and the James Brand, is the dark wooden gift box.
The TJB box differs from normal Adler hatchet gift boxes not only in its dark color but also due to its large black leather handles and dual hook locks.
The two locks, located on the front of the box, are made of nicely weathered metal that blends well with the leather handle and subtle, gold James Brand logo.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
Very little is required for setting this hatchet up for use other than removing it from the fancy box. Some users may feel the need to run a sharpening stone across the edge a few times, though. As I said previously, much like myself, the TJB isn’t dull, but it isn’t very sharp either.
Performance
Putting the TJB to task out in the field with some chopping, hammering, and feathering was great fun. The hatchet performed admirably and looked good while doing it.
The wide, tapered head of the TJB made splitting firewood an absolute breeze.
The heavy weight of the steel hatchet head assisted in splitting the logs with very little effort.
Similarly, the out-of-the-box edge on the TJB allowed me to feather a few logs as effectively as I do with most of my sturdier Bushcraft knives.
A few minutes work produced enough kindling to start a decent sized campfire with ease.
Flipping the TJB around and ensuring that the sheath was firmly in place allowed for hammering a few nails in as well.
It was oddly satisfying driving the large nails into the hardwood logs with just a few well-aimed whacks of the TJB.
Overall, the TJB hatchet works well as a camping hatchet, despite its showcase looks. The handle feels sturdy and gripped well, the head was sharp enough to complete a few basic campground tasks, and the sheath kept me from damaging the blade and myself during use.
What I like about The James Brand Hatchet
- Great textured grip
- Striking color combination
- Nice look, feel, and heft
What needs to be improved
- Should be sharper
- Glue and wood remnants on head
- On the expensive side
Final thoughts
The James Brand TJB Hatchet is an incredibly elegant-looking, durable hatchet. It’s so elegant, in fact, that it’s almost too fancy for me to throw in my dirty kit bag with my other well-worn tools. Priced at $149, it’s definitely on the high end of what I’m willing to pay for a hatchet, especially when an unbranded Adler hatchet normally costs around $80. But if you’re interested in the TJB, then you don’t mind paying a premium for the James Brand additions, like the striking green accent, a decorative wooden gift box, a supposedly “honed” edge, and a black (as opposed to brown) leather sheath. Functional, with great heft and aesthetics, the James Brand TJB Hatchet would make a great gift for the discerning woodsman in your life.
Price: $149.00
Where to buy: The James Brand
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by The James Brand. The James Brand did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
