This is the Hoffman Camp Axe, it has a 2.25 lb head and a hickory wood handle, both of which are made in the United States by the folks at Hoffman Blacksmithing.
Unusually, Hoffman Blacksmithing offers what they call a “Legacy Guarantee” on all their axes. It means that the axe owner can get free handle replacements, axehead sharpening, and sheath replacement for life – they just have to cover the cost of shipping.
Here we see company founder Liam Hoffman with his wife Tigerlily and little one. Liam has been blacksmithing since he was 13, he started out in a 170 sqft shed in his backyard, and has since grown the company into a 6,000 square foot workshop in Tennessee.
History Speedrun: Hoffman Blacksmithing
Hoffman Blacksmithing was founded by Liam Hoffman, who grew up in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains of Avery County, North Carolina. He first picked up blacksmithing in the fall of 2008 at the age of 13, starting with nothing more than a wood fire pit, a trailer hitch for an anvil, and a pair of vise grips for tongs.
His father soon built him a small 170 square foot workshop in the family’s backyard in Newland, and Hoffman spent the next several years honing his skills, working up to four hours a day after school through middle school and high school. By the time he graduated from Avery County High School in 2014, his young business was already underway.
The major turning point for Hoffman came in June of 2016, when he traveled to Brooklyn, New York to film an episode of the History Channel’s Forged in Fire TV series. He forged a Kora sword – a traditional Nepalese weapon associated with the Gurkha people – and won the episode, defeating ABS Master Bladesmith Josh Smith in the final round to take home the $10,000 grand prize.
He became the youngest competitor to win the show at that time, and the national exposure helped propel the business to a far wider audience.
In 2017, Hoffman published Forged: A Guide To Becoming A Blacksmith, a book focused on the fundamentals and practicalities of setting up a smithing practice rather than step-by-step project instructions. He also began teaching private lessons, attracting students from as far away as Australia.
The company eventually relocated from North Carolina to its current home at 302 West Street in Roan Mountain, Tennessee, where Hoffman and a small team now work from a 6,000 square foot shop – a dramatic expansion from the original backyard shed.
The axe head weighs 2.25 lbs and it’s forged from 4142 chromium-molybdenum alloy steel.
The team forges axe heads from 4142 chromium molybdenum alloy steel using traditional forging techniques on early 1900s-era power hammers, and produces all handles in-house from hickory on a vintage duplicating copy lathe. Every axe ships with a custom-fitted leather sheath.
The company’s current product range includes the flagship 2.25 LB Camp Axe, the Wasatch hatchet, the Mountaineer, the Fireman’s Hatchet, the Mountains to Sea Axe, and the Wood Bullet splitting axe – a collaboration with YouTuber Buckin’ Billy. The company also operates Hoffman Handles, a sub-brand selling their proprietary handle designs individually.
All products are backed by the company’s Legacy Guarantee, which provides free handle replacement, sharpening, and sheath replacement for life – the customer covers only shipping.
The Hoffman Blacksmithing Camp Axe
The 2.25 LB Camp Axe is Hoffman Blacksmithing’s flagship model – it’s the axe that recalled helped to establish the company’s reputation. It was designed as a versatile, do-all tool suitable for everything from backpacking and hunting to car camping, property maintenance, and wood splitting. As you might expect, the axe head weighs 2.25 lbs and it’s forged from 4142 chromium-molybdenum alloy steel.
A signature design feature of the axe is its stepped poll, an original Hoffman Blacksmithing detail that lengthens the poll and shifts weight distribution without adding extra mass to the head. The poll is also hardened to prevent mushrooming – a common issue with softer poll faces that deform over time with use. For those who are wondering, the poll is the flat back end of the axe head – the side opposite the cutting edge
The blade has an all-purpose profile, and the axe ships with a custom leather sheath fitted to the head to protect it and keep the blade safely tucked away when the axe isn’t in use.
When ordering your axe, the handle options are extensive. Buyers can choose from seven configurations spanning lengths of 19, 24, 26, and 28 inches, with oval and octagonal cross-section profiles available. Handle ends come in either a standard or bulb style, and all handles are made in-house from premium hickory.
Hoffman Blacksmithing offers what they call a “Legacy Guarantee” on all their axes. It means that the axe owner can get free handle replacements, axehead sharpening, and sheath replacement for life – they just have to cover the cost of shipping.
Like all Hoffman Blacksmithing axes, the 2.25LB Camp Axe is backed by the company’s Legacy Guarantee (as mentioned higher up), which covers free handle replacement, axe head sharpening, and sheath replacement for the life of the tool, with the customer paying only shipping back and forth.
If you’d like to read more about the axe or order your own you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Hoffman Blacksmithing
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
