Since I was a kid, it seems there has always been an Estwing hatchet available. I currently have two, one of which I have had for decades. One piece steel, they are tough and durable. Recently I also acquired a 4" Bowie knife, also quite durable and a 26" Camper's axe, also probably very durable.

These tools, and others in their product line, seem to be made to last forever. Has anyone had contrary experience with this line?

Nope.

Great products made in Rockford, Illinois!

Yes. It was one of the mid-length camping axes. The hollow handle buckled with disturbing ease trying to tease it out of a cut where it had become bound up. We were not amused (understatement).

I chopped off most of the hollow handle and made my own short handle with an old bicycle tube and hockey tape. It would have cost more to ship it back than to buy a new one.

Not a fan. Don't like the grind, don't trust the construction. Won't buy another one ever.

I keep an Estwing Rigger's Axe in my car for times when I need a hammer and for a "better than nothing" axe on camping trips.

Thanks for thee feedback. Very interesting and provacative
My experience has been more positive. After a few decades of use/abuse the leather handle on one of my hatchets was in bad shape. I simply wrapped it in tape and it now works quite well..

My 4" Bowie is solid one piece construction, quite thick (4mm), probably the sturdiest knife I own.

When did you get your camper's axe? I wonder if they might have upgraded the construction after getting reports of failures like yours.....

Are you sure it was an Estwing axe? I have a very old one my father owned when I was a child, and a newer one purchased when my son was in Boy Scouts, and they are both solid steel handles. I didn't think Estwing even made hollow handle axes.

They currently only sell solid handle axes.
https://www.estwing.com/collections/axes-outdoor

Mine held up for many years until I ultimately lost it (in a stupid way- traded in an old vehicle to the dealer with the ax still behind the seat, didn't realize for several months). While it did prove durable I didn't really like it. The profile seemed, to me, suboptimal. Too thin to be a good splitter but not a great cutter either. I had a stainless one and I wasn't impressed by the edge retention. Still, a better "ax man" for lack of a better term might have had better luck. I'm more of a saw guy myself.

I kept a leather handled Estwing hatchet in the bottom storage compartment of a gas can on top/storage compartment on bottom unit. I also kept chainsaw oil in the compartment, which leaked, and over time seemed to be responsible for completely rotting the leather handle off the ax. Interestingly, the steel of ax rusted noticeably, despite the contact with the oil.

Yes, it's an Estwing. The longer handled "campers axes" have a partial steel shaft coupled to a hollow steel lower handle that forms the grip.

In fairness, I should note that the steel shaft and head were undamaged, which is why I adapted it into an overgrown hatchet. Even though I'm grumpy about it, this was not a total fail -- from a survival point of view, the tool was still usable.