Good solid costume piece for display, re-enactment, stage combat or cosplay but not intended for hard use. The railroad tie I used for photos is old and dry and you can see it's fine for that.The construction is solid but head retention not designed for chopping wood. The studded handle and metal langets* protecting the shaft are nice touches,

* In reference to the 3 star review where the Buyer complains about the metal strips he thinks are supposed to hold the axe head on, that is not their purpose. They are called langets and historically the design is intended to reinforce the shaft in the area where it is most subject to shearing force. They add durability and protection from blows by opposing weapons.

Specifications:

Sharp!

32” overall

26.5” handle

Axehead: 7” tall x 11.25” wide, two 11” curved blades

Head retention threaded hex head nut.

Studded wood handle

Metal langets (shaft near the head is reinforced with metal strips*)

Weight 3 lbs, 6 ozs

Comments: This is a good axe at this price. Not shiny stainless steel factory made from China, it's a rugged hand-made axe from Pakistan. Great design, and it's bad-ass! I'm a collector and a weekend warrior, active in my local HEMA group and Renaissance Fair so I get hands on experience as well as lots of feedback. I list what I own and can personally recommend. See my Seller ratings and buy with confidence, plus I ship fast. 

This would also make a great executioners axe. In the 1400s beheading was the traditional death sentence in Western Europe. Whereas Nobility were dispatched using a sword, most notably Anne Boleyn who was the second wife of King Henry the VIII. Common folk, however, were sent to the Axe. By the late 1700s and the time of the French Revolution an mechanical device known as the Guillotine had been adopted all over France as it was considered more humane, but Medieval Europe depended on the local headsman with his axe, and every large town had an executioner.