I loved working with an axe, but for several years after I got it I rarely had the opportunity. Occasionally a friend would ask me to help split wood (which isn't really what it's for, though it does it spectacularly). About a year and a half ago I joined a fledgling eco-village here in town and suddenly I've had opportunity to use it pretty frequently. I helped them clear the land with it and break down the trees we felled. I've used it at home in my own garden when I've needed to do any sort of rough wood carving or shaping. It does spectacularly well. I haven't sharpened it even once since I got it 4 years ago, and I can still shave with it. It hasn't seen a whole ton of use during that time, but it has seen enough to make that astonishing. As I've used it, my initial fondness for the axe as a tool has developed into a deep love for it. When I've got the time and money I'm thinking about getting some other kinds of axes (such as a smaller carpenter's axe). I'm seriously thinking about building a log cabin style shed just using axes as tools, just to see if I can do it. Also, because it's so much fun to use em!