Cold SteelPole Axe

I was fully prepared to be highly disappointed with the ash haft. I mean, any mass-distributed hardwood pole that large is likely to have at least a few undesirable features. Imagine my surprise, when I opened the box to find the haft was flawless! Even the grain-orientation was perfect!! The dark mahogany stain was a bit of a shock...though, not necessarily an unpleasant one. The head & lames are pretty much what we've all come to expect from American Tomahawk Co.. It has a rough surface, but otherwise is well cast. And, in case you're wondering, the hammer side of the head is a much larger version than that of Cold Steel's warhammer. Oh and, less than 1 minute on a whetstone brought the edge to shaving sharp! Cold Steel reeeally knocked it out of the park on this one! If you're a mideval arms enthusiast, this is a must have!

The axe bit, guard slats and handle are all of high quality; the included screws are completely inadequate trash! !st off, one must have a VERY steady and accurate hand to free hand drill it, drill press pref. 2nd, you'll need at least a 2 1/2" lg, 1/8" bolt, flat and lock washers with 1/8" nut. 3/4 " lg wood screws for guards. If you can put it together with the screws given, more power to you. But I caution against ANY arduous work with original hardware , IF it doesn't fly apart, it WILL come loose!

I am leaving a lower review only because i believe i am missing components for this product. The Poleaxe did not come assembled and did not come with any hardwear to assemble it. It also came with a odd staff to go with it. Not sure it is the original piece that came with this product of if i got a repackaged item. I can still make it work and am very happy with the poleaxe head itself. Just very disappointed in how it arrived and how it seems like i got something second hand or used.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I received all the necessary component parts of the axe, though the metal bits arrived in a separate shipment from the pole itself. The screws which Cold Steel included for attaching the head are remarkably fragile, and I actually broke one of them trying to put the thing together. The real problem, though - and the reason I gave it three stars - is due to faulty construction. The axe head itself is welded onto a tubular collar piece which the langettes are supposed to butt up against in the final assembly. Okay, fine. I attached the head to the shaft - again, breaking one of the screws in the process - and took a few experimental swings against the (silver maple) Stump of Truth. The head handled beautifully, biting into the wood in a way that puts Windlass to shame. However, on one swing I reached too far and struck the stump with the pole and edge of the collar. The weld joint between head and collar broke clean off. After I removed the head, closer examination revealed that the collar piece appears to be two layers of steel, and only the outer one was actually welded on. It's a serious design flaw, if a comparatively small shock like this one was enough to break the weld entirely.Both head and pole are still usable for other projects, which is why I'm giving any stars at all. The axe head and hammer head seem quite durably cast, and the pole can be reshaped to fit the Cold Steel boar spearhead I bought a while ago. Incidentally, I didn't even bother with the langettes - they're still in their original packaging.

Very solid piece overall, steel is strong and comes sharp enough to chop firewood. 4 star because the shaft is very large and rounded, not shaped to fit your hand, and came very dark with a clear coat finish, not the pale wood color of the photo, I was hoping to stain it a color of my choosing but could not due to the dark coated shaft. Otherwise happy with it, even if a little tricky to assemble with limited hand tools.

Arrived two days early. Solid single piece die cast construction. Not seeing any welds. Perfect sharpness for an axe this size, sharp but not wicked. Powerful hammer but not too bulky. Feels like a freshly turned haft and it’s straight. Dual taper towards hand side. Both items were attached so they arrived simultaneously with all accompanying hardware. One thing, I am definitely going to upgrade the included bolts for stainless self tapping screws. Anti-corrosion and much easier to install. Great price. On shopping around this is the best bang for the buck. THANK YOU SHIPPING DEPT FOR THE CUSTOM BOX!!!!

It showed up with missing hardware and the steel tube welded to the cast steel head broke off when pounding the head on as instructed.

I wish I could rate this higher but for a Cold Steel product it was a disappointment. My main issue, as reported by others is that the shaft is too large and needs to be sanded down before you have any hope of attaching the axe head. I think Cold Steel is letting their Quality Control slide. it will take a bit of time to sane, test, sand, test, etc until you get the shaft to a point that it will be able to accommodate the axe head. Also the lack of an included or optional axe sheath is also a problem. I generally don't have naked bladed weapons laying around. I am going to have to break out the leather and make one for the axe myself.Bottom line is that if you want something easy to assemble and complete then don't buy this product. If you are willing to spend some time to make it a good product then go ahead but look for alternatives first.For the recode I have several other Cold Steel products and I am happy with them, this one is not up to their normal standards.