The term “sharpest hatchet” can be a bit misleading. A lot of people think that the sharpest hatchet is the one with the thinnest blade, but that’s not necessarily true. The sharpness of a hatchet has more to do with the angle of the blade than it does with the thickness of the blade.
The angle of the blade is what determines how sharp your hatchet is. A sharper angle means a sharper edge, while a duller angle will produce a duller edge. Most hatchets have an angle between 20 and 30 degrees, but you can find some with angles as low as 15 degrees or as high as 45 degrees.
Generally speaking, the higher the degree, the sharper your hatchet will be… but there are other factors to consider as well. For example, a hatchet with a 25-degree blade might be just as sharp (or even sharper) than a 45-degree blade if it’s made from softer steel. Softer steel will lose its edge faster than harder steel, so it needs to be shaped at a sharper angle to begin with in order to compensate for this.