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.