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The chainaxe was always an iconic weapon in my eyes and, if I am not mistaken, was ubiquitous amongst the XII legion.

So, first question: is there another well known weapon type that was only really used en masse by a single legion?

Second question: do you recall in any book, background lore etc, any other space marine(s) routinely using a chain axe?

It always just struck me as odd that the chainsword was everywhere throughout the crusade and in to the current 40k era, whereas the axe variant just sort of... died a death?

There are a few-Death Guard with scythes, Nightlords with the chain glaives are the two that spring immediately to mind.

I agree with you, though. Lots of legions would have used chain axes, and so limiting them down to just the WE to tie into Khorne Berzerkers in 40k takes away from the setting. We know that all legions used them, which is why chaos space marines have had them since the beginning. Personally I'd have given WE cleavers or chaincleavers as their legion specific weapon, and left axes as a generic legion weapon as they ought to have been.

Flesh Tearers use chainaxes.

The Sons of Horus Reavers used them often. Individual Astartes from various Legions would have used them, more likely officers though.
The Chainsword is generally the better option for combat because its lighter and somehow can be used as a duelling blade.
A Chainaxe is more brutal which is why the more psychopathic Astartes liked them.

In terms of Chapters the Carcharadons use them. Not so sure about the Flesh Tearers though.

As for signature weapons, most Legions had something that would be "theirs".

 Gert wrote:
The Sons of Horus Reavers used them often. Individual Astartes from various Legions would have used them, more likely officers though.
The Chainsword is generally the better option for combat because its lighter and somehow can be used as a duelling blade.
A Chainaxe is more brutal which is why the more psychopathic Astartes liked them.

In terms of Chapters the Carcharadons use them. Not so sure about the Flesh Tearers though.

As for signature weapons, most Legions had something that would be "theirs".

They show one in the FT's IA.

Pretty much every Legion has some distinctive close combat weapon.

Dark Angels have Calabanite Blades.

Emperors Children have Phoenix Spears

And so on and so forth. Typically not general issue, which is about the only thing that marks the World Eaters out as different, as it seems anyone who wants one can pack a Chainaxe instead of a Chainsword.

Sons of Horus, particularly the Reavers, made heavy use of the chain axe. Like wise Space Wolves also made common use of the chain axe, commonly among their Grey Hunters (or something like that) packs, as well as some elites?

The SoH bit is from HH: Betrayal, which also states that the WE basically "revived" the chain axe after which numerous legions started to use it, just not as extensively.

The SW bit is from the HH2 Liber, where they have several unique units that can take them.

Chain axes were adopted by world eaters due to them wanting to emulate their primarch. Before then they were a generic legion with a slight disposition towards close combat

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Pretty much every Legion has some distinctive close combat weapon.

Dark Angels have Calabanite Blades.

Emperors Children have Phoenix Spears

And so on and so forth. Typically not general issue, which is about the only thing that marks the World Eaters out as different, as it seems anyone who wants one can pack a Chainaxe instead of a Chainsword.

Expanding on this a bit for those interested:

* Thousand Sons have khopesh blades.

* White Scars seem to favor glaives. (Good cavalry/biker weapons is the theory, I think.)

* Death Guard have scythes.

* Space Wolves mostly don't have a bespoke type of weapon ("frost" weapons don't count because they're just power weapons +1), but they do notably make use of a wide variety of melee weapons including axes and spears.

* Alpha Legion seem to like spears and daggers. The former being more of a primarch thing and the latter not being unique to them but noteworthy in that they're sometimes an AL guy's first pick rather than his backukp.

* Raven Guard don't have a bespoke weapon, but they seem to lean towards lightning claws more than most.

As mentioned, there's not a hard and fast rule that these weapons are off-limits to members of another legion/chapter.

Yeah, its more of a "we really like this one" more than "its ours, nobody else can use it!"

It's not only a preference, but it shows the Legion's melee/ slaughter aesthetic. The chain axe is loud, energetic and vicious. I don't think it would do much vs. Adamantine bulkheads (for which you need Power and/ or Termie weapons), but against un/low armored targets- it slices, it dices, it also makes bloody juliennes!
I believe Space Wolf chainaxes/ swords traditionally have Kraken teeth along the edge, called Frost axes/ swords.
Don't forget Orks love chain weapons for the same reason as the World Eaters: loud, active, ded killy.

While kinda on the topic, I thought several models of Chainfists were stupid. You have a power fist, and you just attached a Chain sword... To me, that's like adding a hammer to a sword- it loses functionality more than it gains! I've seen some where the "chains" were more like spiked circular saw blades, making for "Chain Knuckles" and that seems the more feasible option.

Anyhoo, to integrate some info from a book series I love, in Gaunt's Ghosts it's revealed that after the HH some Guard found the STC for the (now standard) Marine combat knives. It seems your only other option is a Power Sword vs. chain weapons. In HH they may be more common (Ala Volkite weapons) but the Mono-blades are cheaper and easier to maintain.