Axes....

[JakeR]

Right....i need to know.
As for knives i have a Lapp Puukko, WS micarta, and a Mora.
As for heavy chopping i have a Bill hook (which i puchased from axminster and is actually useless)

But what axe, gransfors are a bit pricey, and after having a bad Axe-ident (sorry) with a wooden one about four years ago when i was chopping and the head flew off and hit my foot, i would like a metal one-piece axe.

Any suggestions....i want to spend around £20, am i being stingy?

Cheers,

Jake

 

[boaty]

Wetterlings are a bit cheaper than GB, but probably more than your limit

Probably your best bet is ebay, e.g. I found this very quickly, but dunno if its any good!

Given that an axe is so useful, yet potentially so dangerous, maybe it'd be better to save up and ask all your relatives to give you money instead of socks for your birthday

 

[Hoodoo]

Any suggestions....i want to spend around £20, am i being stingy?

yes

 

[Adi007]

It is unlikely that the head of a Granny B or Wetterling would fly off unless the axe had been seriously abused. I'd get a descent one and avoid anything "cheap and cheerful".

 

[JakeR]

yes

good point, well made!

I suppose i am. I might just go for a wetterlings. It wont exactly break the bank. Its just i didnt want to abuse a good axe as i dont have *any* knowledge of them, except the can scar your foot! The reason i wanted a one-piece metal one was it is unlikely to come off in the middle of a swing.

But axes are different to knives, maybe i shouldnt apply the same logic. (learn with a cheap one).

Your right boaty, i do have a lot of socks.

Cheers,

Jake

 

[familne]

Go for a GB mate! You get what you pay for - excellent quality!

 

[stuart f]

You,ll not go wrong with a Granny B,but if your unsure about using an axe try a folding saw,i always carry one aswell as my axe and knife whenever i,m out and about. CHEERS STUART F.

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

You will find all metal axes have their own drawbacks. Most noticeable is the extreme hardness throughout the unit. Estwings, for example are drop forged. There is no differential tempering to absorb repeated impacts. This translates into potential chipping or shattering and increased vibration in use. Axemanship is no great mystery. Mors Kochanski's BUSHCRAFT and the Granfors booklet ( free on request) cover the basics. A tool like an axe tends to inspire Saxon visions of mowing down Norman knights, mushrooms, sucker branches etc. In other words, sometimes an axe should be laid aside for a saw. Safety over speed.

 

[Hoodoo]

If you want to save a few bucks, the Wetterling is a good way to go. The make pretty good axes, imo. There's also a Russian line that looks interesting and might save ya some bucks. Can't find the link but maybe someone here knows.

Wood handles are so much more comfortable if you do a lot of chopping. Properly installed, you should not have to worry about the head coming off.

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

www.sovietski.com stocks the russian axes. I asked Ragnar of www.ragweedforge.com about these some time ago. He said they were grossly overpriced at the time. They are decent axes, but nowhere near even Wetterlings in quality. If you find a source elsewhere, compare the cost vs the swede offerings.

 

[Hoodoo]

Chris, after looking at them again, I have to agree. The wetterlings are a much better deal. I have one wetterling but I really need more. BTW, all the rumors are that GB is backlogged and the prices are going up. If you want a GB, now might be the time to get one.

 

[JakeR]

I'll check out those sites. I actually remeber buying the axe that flew off and hit my foot, i bought it in a cheap hardware store for about £13 six years ago. Still got the scars today!

I'll probably go for a wetterlings, they seem trustworthy.

Cheers for the help guys (and gals?)

Jake

 

[mojofilter]

I have a Wilkinson Sword / Fiskars axe, and it is really very good. It is of similar construction to the gerber axes, fibreglass handle moulded round the bit. They are about £25 from B&Q and come in various sizes and come very sharp.

I would ideally rather have a GB SFA but I got this before I knew about them and dont see the point in getting a GB when this one performs so well.

 

[Tony]

We've reviewed the Wetterlings axe and they're good, not quite the same standard of finishing as the GB's and you may need to give the edge a touch up but they are worth the money and they will last.

I'll hunt out the review and get it up on the site

 

[TAHAWK]

You will find all metal axes have their own drawbacks. Most noticeable is the extreme hardness throughout the unit. Estwings, for example are drop forged. There is no differential tempering to absorb repeated impacts. This translates into potential chipping or shattering and increased vibration in use. Axemanship is no great mystery.

Estwing has "solved" that problem in more recent years by leaving their one-piece axes so soft that they tend to roll and bend at the edge in very ordinary use. As a result, they are not well-regarded here.

 

[JakeR]

I'll try to get to B&Q tomorrow.
I'd like to see that review tone :-D .

Cheers,

Jake

 

[Adi007]

Whatever you get, proactive with it at home if possible before venturing out with it. Out in the wilds is the last place you want to have an axe-ident! :shock:

 

[JakeR]

Adi dont worry, i know what bad axes spell. A week of limping.

 

[Adi007]

Adi dont worry, i know what bad axes spell. A week of limping.

I thought a bad one meant a lifetime of limping ... if you're lucky! :shock:

 

[Jack]

We've reviewed the Wetterlings axe and they're good, not quite the same standard of finishing as the GB's and you may need to give the edge a touch up but they are worth the money and they will last.

I'll hunt out the review and get it up on the site

Good point Tone has made there.

We distribute for both GB and Wetterlings and the sales ratio is 3-1 in Wetterlings favour. But to pick up on Tone's point the finish of Wetterlings isn't that of GB.

I get on better with the Wetterlings because it fits better in the hand than the GB.

Out customers like the cost of the wetterlings and lets be grown up about it, RM ran with the GB so it is going to have a better name!


For me, if you can put an edge on an edge tool then the Wetterlings is the axe for you, but if you can't.......(then should be let lose with a blunt tool) than a GB is your axe...but I hope you can sharpen it!!......and that isn't brain surgery!


But then, the sales ratio of Billhooks is 6-1 of Wetterlings........your choice.