1.   A blade forged of hard steel will be more likely to chip, while a soft blade will dull quickly if you hit a hard knot.

2.   If one blade dulls, the ax can be flipped over and cutting can continue with the other blade.

3.   The Benriner, made in Japan, is the darling of chefs, who consider it disposable when the blades dull.

4.   When the blade dulled, after about five minutes of work, they simply hammered on the core with a large stone to get another flake.