K-Axe is a new company that specializes in inventing and manufacturing new products to bring to market and has been developing a number of international patents for the past four years. “We have come to Bend to initiate distribution of our first market-ready product, the K-Axe, a small drop-forged kindling axe designed for making kindling at your fireplace hearth, wood-burning stove, outdoor fire pit, or your wilderness campfire,” explains K-Axe Owner Dana Clarke.
“It is 100 percent made in the USA. Our kindling axe features a unique, patented design that utilizes leverage more than the conventional chopping associated with axes and hatchets. The axe head is oriented perpendicularly to the handle. Once the axe head is embedded an inch or so in the wood being split, the axe becomes a lever that pries the wood apart much like a crowbar.”
The net effect is that the user does not have to swing as hard when chopping for the simple reason that it is not necessary to split the wood open with a violent, full-force downward swing. All that’s required is to embed the axe head in the wood and then utilize the leverage function to break it apart.
“Think of it as an axe that can work like a crowbar,” explains Clarke. “The K-Axe never gets stuck like the old-fashioned hatchet. All you have to do is embed the axe head and pry your firewood apart into kindling.
“Another unique feature of our K-Axe is the secondary cutting blade embedded in the handle. This second cutting blade is in-line with the handle. Its function is to open a path for the handle when the axe head is driven deep into the wood being split. It is not necessary to drive the head so deeply, but it does happen. When it does, the secondary blade initiates a second split so that the axe never gets stuck. “All you have to do is pry it loose and in the process split more kindling. The K-Axe has revolutionized the art of splitting wood. The fact that less chopping force is required makes it safer to use. When you swing hard at a piece of wood, it is difficult to control the outcome. In contrast to the traditional kindling hatchet, the K-Axe is a finesse tool. You can use a measured, controlled, downward swing because all that’s required is to embed the head in the wood, not break it open with the violent force of your blow.”
For this reason the K-Axe is both safer easier than the traditional kindling hatchet. It makes splitting wood safe, simple, easy, and a lot of fun. To see it demonstrated by video, slide show and photos check out the website.
“We have other products as well including a specially designed chopping block and a small, multi-purpose axe designed for camping,” adds Clarke. “In addition we have a series of other products that are still in development.”
Dana Clarke, 3225 NW Fairway Heights Dr., Bend. 458-206-4800 office, dana@k-axe.com, www.k-axe.com
(Photos above: Dana Clarke | Courtesy of K-Axe)
