6-ish Month Review: IATF Premier Throwing Axe

When the IATF came out with their series of Premier-centric axes, I lept at the opportunity to get one (read: Chapman said they were at worlds and asked if I wanted one, and I said yes). Specifically, the Premier.

For a bit of truth in advertising: I messed up the first one I bought due to cutting the handle down to exactly 13 inches. Sure, I could have worked around it, changed my throwing style a bit to match...but that's a lot of work. So instead I sold than one for a song and bought another one.

I used a measuring tape, that time.

After six months of throwing this little feller, I feel confident that I can give an honest opinion about how it throws and how well it's done for a middling axe thrower at a tiny axe house.

VALUE FOR PRICE

After six months, I feel like the starting price of about $53 bucks is fair. It hasn't broken nor needed any significant work to make it functional. So that's something. When you're looking at the wide world of axes, 53 bucks isn't bad.

HEAD SHAPE & QUALITY

The Commander-esque shape is already a proven design, and thus works here, too. I don't have the scientific breakdown of how many times its underbite saved my turkeybacon, but I do manage to pull of premier clutches and premier bulls as often as I expect, so that's something.

The steel of the Premier head is, according to the website, "Precision Forged Steel" or, alternately, "Precision Forged Carbon Steel." Now, I've watched enough Forged in Fire to unvoluntarily say "it wheel keel" everytime I cut up a romaine lettuce, but I don't feel like those descriptors reveal the hardness measurement of this axe. So I'll tell you what I've noticed: it's softer than some of the other axes in my stable. Not terribly so - I'm not sharpening it from a point of dull after every league night. But I am noticing that I like to sharpen it maybe once a month?

I do have feelings about this - namely that "throwing sharp" is something far duller than "sharp" in most cases. I don't know how much of an impact sharpness has when you're landing at the angle you want for the majority of throws. But, if you're expecting this thing to hold an edge for a year, you'll be disappointed. Still, the thin profile of the axe head and the bit lend itself very well to just sticking. And stick it does.

WEIGHT AND THROWING FEEL

This is a light head. Overall weight comes in around two pounds, and that's fairly distributed between the handle and the head itself. Before this axe I was throwing a Plumb National Victory, and that was very head-heavy, as you can imagine. The Premier, one the other hand, feels much more balanced.

When it comes to throwing, the very first thing I did was remove the black paint that graced the handle of the axe. I think this is a matter of personal preference, but I found the painted part of the handle to be far too sticky. Fortunately, it takes very little work to remove it, so it's not, you know, a deal breaker or anything.

After removing the paint, I found this axe to fly true and be responsive/forgiving. The head design, with that bottom tooth (sorry, toof) means it's more likely to stick than not.

That being said, here's where I get a bit more critical of the Premier:

THE HANDLE

I do think handles are the most important element of a throwing axe. It's the user engagement point, if you will, and pretty rapidly help a thrower decide if they like an axe or don't. Now, I'm not a man of money. I can't balance, necessarily, buying a 200 dollar handle to make all of my axes feel like I'm pulling a sword from a stone while a chorus of angels sing of my acension. BUT - I do like an axe that works with my paws, if at all possible.

The IATF Premier's handle is...well it's not the best. It's not as bulky as some axe handles I've bumped into, in the past, but it's also not perfect out-of-the-box. I had to do some significant, really poorly done adjustments to the handle itself ot make it work for my mitts.

Now, did I potentially remove any possibility of this axe making it into an axe beauty pageant by mauling the handle? Yes. Did I make it functional for myself? Hopefully.

Am I a little ashamed to show anyone the Frankensteinian horror I've created? Also yes.

I think, if I had the money and time, I would try to get a fancy handle on this guy. It's worth the effort, to me. But straight from the offing, the stock handle will be viewed by many as a stepping stone.

It is worth mentioning here: the axe head and the handle are perfectly married together. No wiggle, no shifting. I've run into cases where a Flying Fox, for example, will shift a bit after throwing for a league night or two. The Premier is perfectly happy to stay exactly how it is, and that's reassuring to a person with little handiwork ability.

OVERALL

I mean, I like it. It's not the flashiest thing around, nor is it the holy grail of axes. But it's done pretty well for me. I'm not wild about the handle, but I reckon nobody is wild about a handle unless it's a custom job.

Weighing the price, quality, and overall...I dunno...throwability (?) of this axe, I am satisfied with it. Naturally, I'm already thinking of other axes to get, but it's not because I think there is anything particularly wrong with this one. I just really like having a new axe. That's all.