I have seldom received an item that impressed me as much as this has, and more so, one that continues to impress me the more I use it. From the expertly forged and polished Damascus steel axe head, to the perfectly aligned and fitted handle (no play whatsoever), I can’t find a single thing to be critical of, even after extensive use. The bearded design allows for excellent control when carving, while the overall weight and blade geometry are perfect for the kind of tasks one would expect from a small forest axe. As for the durability of the steel itself, I did not witness any chipping of the blade after cutting a 6-inch deadwood tree into several segments, and further splitting it for a fire (done on at least 4 trips now). The edge held up well, and to my surprise, the steel itself seems to have some corrosion resistance, similar to D2 steel. After cutting the initial batch of wood for my fire, I mistakenly placed it on damp soil for some time. I witnessed no corrosion at all, which had this been something like 1095, definitely would have. In short, I couldn’t be happier with it.