Council ToolPulaski Axe, Single Bit, Hickory, 36 in., Red

I have some woods and wetlands I am working on restoring. That means removing lots of invasive shrubs, vines and trees, digging out old trash like bicycles, making trails, and planting native plants. I've had this tool for over a year now, and I can't imagine doing that work without it, so I am looking at buying another. I used to carry all sorts of tools into my woods, now, unless I am doing something very specific, I just take my Pulaski and a saw. It is a very tough tool, and if you take care of it and keep it sharp, you will be surprised at how quickly you can get things done. It also saves your other tools because you don't need to be using them in the dirt, or other places where they could be damaged.It is my go-to tool for many other projects now. I find it far easier to dig holes, for example, by going at it with the Pulaski and using the shovel for removing the softened soil. The Pulaski is much more efficient and precise than the pickaxe in many cases. I've even used the Pulaski to remove a lump of asphalt.My Pulaski didn't have the handle issues others have mentioned.

The drought and watering restrictions killed a lot of our hillside shrubs, mostly old rosemary. A pickaxe is too heavy and unwieldy for an old guy like me to use on a hillside, and I had some close calls with losing my balance. I had a smaller, cheap pulaski copy I bought a while back, but these tough old rosemary roots were too much for it: it was slow work and and I finally broke the handle right at the head. (Don't pry: cut!) Rather than buy a new handle, I thought it would be better to try a larger, better made tool.This one arrived promptly. I dressed the mattock blade a little (really not much) with a file and took the burr off the axe blade and went to work. It cuts through those old roots in no time, and I am really amazed at how fast the work is going. I even used the mattock to dress up the dirt path along the hillside. The pulaski works better than a pickaxe for both purposes as it is lighter and easier to do precision work.You pay more for a well made tool. This one is made in the USA and clearly is done right. Get the real McCoy.It's dark now, so I can't cut out any more roots, but I can't wait to get back at clearing the hillside for new planting in the morning.

My old Harbor Freight "Pulaski axe" finally fell apart on my. One of my employees suggested getting a better one to replace it. I figured a Pulaski is just a Pulaski and it wouldn't make any diference other than appearance... Boy was I wrong! This Council Toll Pulaski is so well banced and the steel is MUCH better. The Harbor Freight Pulaski was getting old, but the metal would chip when a rock was struck. That also presented a safety concern. This Pulaski hasn't chipped at all yet, even in the same rocky soil in my area. In the future, I will always spend a bit more and get a quality Pulaski like this Council Tool Pulaski Axe. Highly recommended!

It was hard to pick a star rating for this, I decided to go 4 stars because the head is good and I was surprised to see a nice grind on it I didn't have to reprofile the bit and it's ready to use as is. The head that is. I got mine shaving sharp with a stone and strop.Now the handle is a different story it came cracked as seen in the photo the head wasn't even close to being straight and the grain orientation is as bad as it gets. It has a metal wedge instead of a wood one and it was probably driven in too far that's why the handle is cracked. I'm going to make a nice new handle before I use it. In my eyes its unusable with this handle. I do have to state again though that I'm happy with the head. Also the handle has a laquer finish I was hoping it would come bare like I read in other reviews.This could easily be a 1 star if I didn't want to put a new handle on it and it I needed to use it right away. I don't want to fuss with exchanging it because if something like this can go out the door to customers chances are I'll get another bad one. Council tool offers another pulaski it's a forest service one made to forest service spec's and comes with a sheath maybe that one has better quality control.My original plan was to get a vintage pulaski head and make a handle because it seems like a good pulaski is hard to find. If your handy you may want to go that route.I got rain drops on the axe walking out to the shed before taking the photos if your wondering why the finish looks weird in the photos.

Have a few hundred swings in with this, so I'll write a review...I'm using this primarily for removing bushes and their roots. The axe head came kinda sharpened from the factory, which was fine for root chopping, because swinging it into the dirt would just rapidly dull it anyhow. The hoe part was completely unsharpened, and I will be filing an edge onto it similar to the axe side, as it doesn't really *cut* roots in its current state. Construction seems top notch. Grain orientation is good, the staked portion of handle is painted over so I don't know how the head is staked, but its still tight after my limited use. I gave the handle a light once over with 60 and then 150 grit, and then some tung oil, and it feels real good in the hands.

Nice, solid axe

This is just as bad as the crappy one I bought at Harbor Freight. The blade has a giant metal burr / blob on the end, and the axe isn't seated well at all. The axe head is about 1/4" proud of the handle, and the head rides about 1/4" above the handle notch on the bottom. It simply isn't seated well and has a crappy finish on the axe blade. I returned it to buy another brand. Super disappointing - if I wanted this kind of quality I would buy the Harbor Freight version again for $25.