This is a question from outta space but can anyone recommend a forestry/camping hatchet or hand axe that’s good but affordable? Amazon has Prime sale ending at midnight and I was hoping to find something but I am not experienced in all the off brands. Thx
Sorry to derail your thread @SessionDrummer but there are some outdoorsie types here, lol…I think.
I didn’t care for it. Perhaps Aged Bourbon Cream? That a mainstay of my Irish Cream.
But FAR may work for you, just go light at first 
Thx for the input. I have ABC on my list anyway. I use that flavor in other things. I love it!
The good part about this whiskey is you can get it in 5ml, so not a big investment
I don’t know if this is what you are looking for but this is what I carry during hiking trips.
Camillus Camtrax 3-in-1 Hatchet, Hammer, and Folding Saw with Hard Molded Hatchet Sheath, Black (19142)
I carry a Camillus lock back blade on a daily basis. Fiskars is also a well proven brand to look into.
Thx McDuckie for the recommendations. I did see that in my search. If I didn’t already have a Corona branch knife (folding saw) it’s something I would have considered. Idk the size of that blade but I need something that can chop through about an 8 inch diameter fallen tree trunk. It’s been decaying for so long that parts of it sound hollow so I figured I could get away with a forestry hatchet or hand axe of some sort. 4.5 - 5" curved blade? I sawed through part of it but my branch saw can’t handle that big of a diameter.
@muth I love black pepper on melons, I also use and love ancho chili powder on them as well. If you ever want to try something new try this: core and slice a fresh pineapple, drizzle lightly on both sides with a neutral oil such as grape seed, season both sides with fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of kosher salt. Get your grill very hot, place pineapple on grill until you have nicely charred grill marks on both sides, drizzle with a good raw honey and grill a few minutes longer, remove from grill and serve warm on a high quality vanilla bean ice cream. You can also chill it then chop it and mix with your choice of salad greens and grilled chicken, you could also chop it a little smaller and use it in a homemade pineapple salsa. Goes great with just about anything imo.
Dulce de Leche (Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-10-24) – Starting this review off, like I’ve NEVER done before. OK, this was NOT a DDL. Read carefully, and keep that in mind regarding my scoring. OK, now that THAT is out of the way, DDL’s are typically caramelized sugar and milk, or sweetened condensed milk, which typically tastes like a caramel, milk sweet flavor. Typically. This flavor was not even close to that, BUT, it was good. It tasted like a mix of coffee, light chocolate, with a smooth creamy-ness. The three main notes were perfectly balanced, i.e. 33.3% (roughly) of each, with none overpowering the others. Because they were so evenly matched they did almost meld into a somewhat unique NEW flavor, almost.
The creamy-ness was maybe possibly some milk and cream, but it stayed consistent throughout, providing a smooth carrier for the chocolate/coffee notes. No sharp edges, but really a smooth, and tasty mix. The coffee notes was fairly dark, but not an espresso, and the chocolate tasted like a mid to mid-dark chocolate. ZERO off-notes in this one, and it was fairly strong, and I would rate it at about a 7.5/10 strength wise, at 3.0%. All in, this was a DAMNED tasty mix, BUT, it wasn’t a DDL. Scoring this was a challenge, as I score focusing on the name, and accuracy TO that name, so let’s double score this one. As a DDL I would have to rate it low, at a 5.0/10, but as a “Yeah, but did it taste good” rating, I would pump it up to an easy 9.5/10. I would not recommend buying this for or as a DDL, BUT, I would def. recommend buying it anyway.
While this is the one I most anticipated your thoughts on, I could also have pre-written that review word for word 
This is also another one of those flavors of diminishing returns - anything over 2% to me just seems to start losing its spunk. I’m pretty sure this one was joined at the hip with espresso about 10 years ago in EC Blend’s Dragon Brew.
Well @robrrt1 I’ve heard a LOT of things during all of the reviews I’ve posted, some good, some bad, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard THAT before …
I actually DID just have one where I did reduce to 2.0% and it worked out better. This one didn’t feel like it was over-flavored, or reducing, but after I’ve finished these, I may re-test it lower, just to see.
I felt bad banging on it, but it really didn’t taste anything like a DDL (for the most part), BUT, hehe, the Coffee, Chocoate, and Cream, just WORKED.
You’ve mentioned that before, what exactly WAS the Dragon Brew ?? Coffee Espresso blend ?
I mix for DTL, so probably just me
Yep. Creamy af. I never completely figured it out, but I’ve had fun along the way and traveled down many yummy forks in the road.
Fruity Cereal (Flavor Artists) (Creme Collection) 3.0% (The Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-12-24) – Another flavor from Flavor Artists Creme Collection. I think my initial thought on this one was it was the “Full Package”. Many times when I test a flavor, mix, commercial juice I immediately think, “I would have added this or that”, but not in this case. The more I tested it, the less I thought it needed anything. First things first, NO PLEDGE. It actually leaned more towards a Fruity Pebbles than a Fruit Loops, but it still had both in there. I’d ratio it at a 70% Pebbles, 30% Loops if that helps. The citrus seemed to be more Orange than Lemon, but again, both were there. One of the best aspects was the grainy-ness in the cereal, as it stayed front and center throughout. Sweetness was about 2 ticks above mid-level, but it wasn’t cloying, and worked.
At 3.0% it was just about perfect, with no need to increase. Now being in the Creme Collection, I wasn’t sure what to expect, and it did ride on a creamy, somewhat milky carrier, which was shockingly good, accurate and convincing, and worked to smooth out any rough edges, but without over-creaming the mix. All in, this one was good, and with no off-notes, complaints or issues, I won’t be marking this down much at all. If I really had to ultra nit-pick, it could have been a touch less sweet, but even that is a ultra nit-pick. All in, a very good, accurate Pebbles/Loops in milk/cream, with some GREAT grains, and worth picking up. I finally decided to kick it all the way up to a 9.9/10, with just a smidge off for the sweetness.
Juicy Watermelon (Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-12-24) – This one needed no break in time in the SteamCrave, and intrigued me right away. It presented as a part natural watermelon, part candied, and with an almost honey like (didn’t taste like honey) sweet smoothness. The candied part was unique and I’ve not tasted one like it before. The ratio between natural / artificial was close to 60% natural, 40% candied. Most of the candied I’ve had always seemed to be sweet-tart-ish, and had a far amount of tart/sour whereas the candied part here did not really convey that, at least not in the common over the top way. There was some tart/sour, but just enough.
The natural side was pretty good, fairly strong, and seemed centered mostly around the red and white fleshy parts with very little rind. I could see why this was one of their top sellers, as it was pretty interesting the way it covered both bases (natural / artificial). The was a very distinct honey-like quality to it. It did not taste like honey, but it somehow had that quality, and seemed to present most on the finish. Almost like it was thick and sweet. At 3.0% it was about a 7.5/10 strength wise, and sweetness was just at mid-level. No off-notes, and no real complaints. Was it juicy ?? Kind of, or somewhat. Depending on your needs, this “combo” WM might or not depending if you needed solely a natural or artificial, as it WAS both. It seemed like it could be used fairly often, so I rated it higher because of that. Finalized it at a 9.1/10.
Peach (Flavor Artists) 3.0% (10-13-24) – This flavor presented as more of a Peach “with some other notes”, rather than a straight juicy peach. The Peach that I did get, was the juicy yellow type, and I had a hard time trying to figure out what it tasted paired with. Maybe hints of Apricot, and hints of apple as well, but it was hard to 100% nail down the other notes. Not a bad flavor, and the peach that WAS there, was good, but it was competing with the two other notes I picked up on.
At 3.0% it was fairly strong, and no offensive off-notes could be found. Sweetness was about 2 ticks below mid level. Even though not the strongest flavor, it did have a somewhat thicky and jammy-ness to it, which actually helped it overall. Not terrible by any means, and it was tasty, but as a driving main peach note, I couldn’t see it. As a baser for a jam, jelly, and yes a peach mix it would be fine, just not the main note. Marking down somewhat, and because the peach I did get was pretty good, finally decided on a 6.5/10.
Peaches and Pear (Flavor Artists) (CC) 2.0%/3.0%/4.0% (10-13-24) – You may have noticed I tested this one across 3 different strengths. I started out at 3.0%, and it tasted great, but was somewhat weak, and shortlived then testing, meaning, the flavor came on fairly quickly, then was quickly gone. Thinking I had overflavored it, I re-mixed lower @ 2.0%, and it was roughly the same, only weaker. Finally I bumped it to 4.0% just to see, and it did get stronger, but was still had a very short half-life. This appears to be what it is/was. Tasting it from the bottle, it tasted REALLY good, but when testing, something just didn’t translate as well, when atomizing, and that’s a shame. To clarify, it was still good, just came on strong, then was gone, very quickly.
It tasted like a nice yellow peach, with some good juicy-ness, and a fresh pair. The two fruits tasted very natural, and quite juicy, with no candied, or artificial notes, which worked in this flavor. There was also a fairly present creamery note which the two fruits rode on, which did keep it creamy, but the fruits were still on top of the profile. With the fruits and cream, the 3 paired very well, and none felt overpowered, or weak in comparison. No off-notes, or complaints, except for the rapid onset, then dissolution. No all flavors vaporize the same. Assuming that was the case here, the saturation and flavor at 3.0%, and 4.0% was pretty damned good. After giving up trying to figure out why it dissipated so quickly, I decided to not take off too heavily for that, as the freshness and accuracy of the two fruits, WAS quite good, and accented by the creamery. Finally decided to leave it at a 8.5/10.
@robrrt1 have you tried the Peaches and Pear Creme Collection yet ?
Man, it was a GREAT flavor, and hit you with an onrush in the beginning, but before you knew it, it was gone !!!
Quite the mysterious flavor.
