9 Best Axes For Throwing | Cut Your Misses To Zero

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A full-length forged tomahawk on a tight budget — the extra handles and the wide 16.5-inch frame make it a genuine thrower rather than a wall hanger.

Serious throwers notice the 16.5-inch overall length first. That is 6.5 inches longer than the compact NedFoss set below, giving you more leverage in the swing and more room to dial in release timing. The blade measures 4.1 inches and sits on a head that weighs 658.57 g, which is roughly 10% heavier than the Cold Steel Competition Hatchet’s 599 g head. That extra weight is what you feel when the axe bites into the target — solid, planted, less prone to skidding off a soft board.

The build is where opinions split. Value for money is the strongest positive in the reviews, and a 15-year-old tossing them around in the yard gets plenty of play out of a low cost. But quality is genuinely mixed — the head is a cast piece, the beech handle can loosen and wiggle after repeated throws, and a few buyers report heads coming off outright. That is the trade-off at this tier: you are getting a real tomahawk with real forged steel in the head, not a precision instrument. Sharpening from the start is expected, and the Limited Lifetime Warranty from JXE JXO covers defects if you do hit a bad unit.

One buyer reports: “My son loves playing with them, they definitely need sharpening from the start but for a 15 year old to toss around you can’t beat the price and quality. The extra handles are a plus!” That feedback points to the exact buyer this set suits: a parent, a beginner, or anyone who wants two tomahawks and spare handles without spending much.

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A 599 g drop-forged 1055 carbon steel head on a 16-inch American hickory handle, built to meet most axe throwing association requirements.

If there is a default competition hatchet in North American axe throwing, this is close to it. The drop-forged 1055 carbon steel head weighs 599 g, sitched on a 16-inch overall length with an American hickory handle. Cold Steel built it to meet most axe throwing association requirements for tournament play, which is why you see it in so many league bags — a consistent, known quantity that any venue will accept without question.

The strongest thing owners say about it is that it throws. Quality and functionality are the standout positives across the review pages, with throwers describing consistent sticks after just a few hours of practice and handles that survive full league seasons with only minor nicks. The blade geometry is thin enough to bite deep at the standard distance, and the weight distribution makes half-spin and full-spin releases feel predictable. For a beginner walking into a league night for the first time, this is about as safe a bet as exists.

The honest trade-off is the handle. Cold Steel has revised the handle design over the years, and older units had a reputation for cracking when a throw came in flat or when the axe hit the floor below the board. The current version is markedly improved, but you still want soft ground or thick padding under your target. Treat this as a competition tool that rewards clean throws and punishes over-rotation with a chip, not as an axe you abuse on a concrete floor. Owners who throw well get hundreds of throws per handle without issue.

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A 16.2-inch pair with a 1.4-pound head, a fan-shaped blade that widens the contact area, and a wax-coated Fagus handle.

This is the starting point most first-time buyers should consider. The 16.2-inch frame and 1.4-pound weight put it in the same comfortable adult range as the Cold Steel Competition Hatchet, but the fan-shaped blade is what separates it — the shape widens the contact area, so a throw that lands slightly off-center still bites instead of skipping off the board. For a beginner still dialing in release timing, that forgiveness is the whole ballgame.

Throwing performance and weight are the two things owners praise most, and the design story backs it up. The Fagus handle is a dense European beech that the maker claims outlasts hickory, wrapped in wax for a grip that stays planted in the hand. Quick assembly and disassembly mean you can break the set down for transport, which matters if you throw at a venue rather than your own backyard. The included sheath covers both blades, and the whole kit fits in a range bag without poking through the fabric.

The honest trade-off is blade geometry. A convex grind, which is a blade that curves outward toward the cutting edge, is more sturdy but takes more force to sink deep. A few throwers who expected a razor stick from day one reported the axe bouncing on softer lumber until they adjusted their throw speed. Handle splitting is also a known issue when two axes land too close together on the board — a real risk with any wooden-handled set, and one that easy hardware-store replacements solve. None of this makes it a bad beginner axe; it just means the first few sessions are a learning curve.

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The short-handled triple-edge set that turns beginners into hitters — and suits throwers with smaller hands better than any full-length axe.

Everything about this set is tuned for accessibility. The 11.9-inch length is compact enough for a younger thrower to control, and the triple-edge blade design — three sharp edges on a single head — means the axe has multiple chances to stick depending on which way it lands. That is the whole trick for beginners who cannot yet time a full rotation. The TPE rubber handle is a step up from basic TPR, chosen because it resists aging, temperature swings, and corrosion, and the bright red color makes the axe easy to spot in the yard.

Quality and durability are what owners keep praising here, and the pattern holds up under real use: no breaks after thousands of throws at an axe venue being called out specifically. The 2.2-pound head weight gives you a reassuring feel in the swing, and the compact format means you will not tire out your target board as fast as a heavier 16-inch axe would. The included nylon sheath holds all three axes securely, so you get a full set in one bag.

The catch is the rubber handle cover. The stuckness side of the review page is split — some owners mention perfectly clean sticks, others say the rubber starts peeling after a day of heavy use. The fix is quick (a dab of glue), and it does not affect how the axe throws, but it is worth knowing going in. This is a recreational axe: the length, blade grind, and rubber handle make it a playground piece, not a league tool.

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A three-pack tuned for full-spin outdoor throwing — 3.9-inch flat blade, 1065 carbon steel, and enough weight to carry across long distances.

The dimensions put this squarely in the outdoor range. At 16.5 inches with a head weight of 1.6 pounds, the rotation timing suits medium-to-long distance throws, and the top-heavy weight distribution pushes energy forward on the release. The 3.9-inch flat blade is on the thin side compared to the Cold Steel Competition Hatchet, which means more blade surface contacts the board at the moment of stick — a subtle advantage when you are throwing from further out and every tiny timing error gets magnified.

THRWCLUB built this set with 1065 high carbon steel, a slightly tougher alloy than the more common 1055 you see at this price point. The handles are hickory with a reinforced connection at the head joint, which addresses the most common failure point on full-length axes. Owners describe consistent sticks, deep bites into soft wood, and throwing feel that holds up across a whole afternoon of outdoor sessions. The limited lifetime warranty is the maker’s safety net if a unit does fail.

The one real caveat is the handle length for indoor throwing. Some owners find the 16.5-inch handle feels long against close-range targets — you may need to shorten the handle to get a clean single rotation. For outdoor ranges where you are throwing two or three rotations, the length is exactly right. Consider that adjustment before buying if your setup is a bar or garage venue.

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A drop-forged tactical tomahawk with a wedge-style spike on the back — built for camping and survival work, but only a fair weather thrower.

This one is different from every other axe on this list. The Trench Hawk is a tactical survival tomahawk first, with a differentially-hardened drop-forged 1055 carbon steel head — that means the cutting edge is hard while the body of the head stays softer to absorb impact. The head weighs 821 g, the heaviest on this list by a wide margin, and it sits on a 19-inch polypropylene handle. The 3.5-inch blade gives it a compact, focused cutting edge, and the wedge-style spike on the back adds a secondary tool that a standard throwing axe does not have.

Owners praise the edge from the start — it arrives razor-sharp, and the polypropylene handle holds up to repeated impacts without the splitting problems that wood-handled axes run into. That makes it an excellent camping tool for splitting kindling and clearing small branches. The Secure-Ex sheath is well made and keeps the blade protected in transit. The Flat Dark Earth color and overall balance position it as a rugged outdoor companion rather than a bag-only thrower.

The honest limit is that the spike and the 821 g head make the Trench Hawk awkward for pure target throwing. It is throwable — the differential hardening was engineered specifically for that — but a heavy head with a back spike is not the same balanced experience as a purpose-built competition axe. Serious throwers will want a dedicated throwing hatchet alongside it. Buy this if you want a versatile camp tool that can also be thrown; do not buy it as your only throwing axe.

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The WATL league axe a lot of throwers graduate to — a 17-inch adjustable handle, thin 3.93-inch flat blade, and hickory wood that suits a full rotation.

Made by the World Axe Throwing League itself, which means the design has been built around actual competition throwing rather than general axe use. The head weighs 1.8 pounds on a full 17-inch straight hickory handle — that handle length is deliberate. It gives you room to cut the handle down in 1/4-inch increments to tune rotation timing for your height and distance, an adjustment league throwers take seriously. The 3.93-inch flat blade is ground thin to slide into a target board with a smooth release.

What WATL gets right is the shape of the throw. The thin flat blade with a straight handle is designed so the axe leaves your hand cleanly at the release point, which is the single hardest thing for a beginner or intermediate thrower to get consistent. Owners describe sticks landing every time once distance and form are dialed in, and a blade that stays sharp through weeks of league throwing. Quality is the strongest positive across the reviews, with the appearance and stiffness of the hickory handle getting agreement from both beginner and expert throwers.

The honest caveat is the blade’s fragility in rough conditions. The maker itself warns that the thin edge is sharp enough to chip on damaged flooring or a target with knots — you need good padding or plywood under the target, and clean boards on top. It is a precision tool, not a beater. That is a fair trade for the accuracy it delivers, but it does mean this is not the axe to grab for casual chopping or abuse.

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The WATL flagship — a patented square-headed competition axe that converts near-misses into bullseyes for throwers who have already done the hours.

WATL’s top-tier competition axe, and the price tag reflects that. The head weighs 1.8 pounds on a 17-inch straight hickory handle, and the blade is a 3.99-inch flat grind in 1045 forged carbon steel. The 3.99-inch blade is a hair larger than The Corporal’s 3.93-inch blade above, which gives you a fraction more surface to catch the board at the moment of stick. The patented square-head design is the real feature — the flat sides of the head bite into the wood on partial hits, which is what turns a scoring throw into a good throw.

League throwers describe this axe as a genuine step up in accuracy, one that converts close 4s into 6s on soft target wood. The handle is built long at 17 inches on purpose — you are expected to trim in 1/4-inch increments to match your throwing style and distance, and the resulting tune is what tightens up your consistency. Owners say it throws smoothly, lands every time once dialed in, and holds its edge through heavy use. Both beginners and experienced throwers can pick it up, though the maker notes it is intended for intermediate to advanced throwers to get the most out of it.

Two honest notes. Some owners find it heavier than expected in the first session or two — expected for a 1.8-pound head, but it changes your release timing versus a lighter axe like the Corporal. And, like the Corporal, the thin blade wants clean target boards and padded flooring; knots and damaged floors will chip the edge. That is the trade-off of a precision axe, not a defect. If you throw outdoors on rougher wood, grab a sturdier handle axe for practice and save this one for the league board.