Adze is right; no one seems to make kents anymore.
However they are so common. (I got one the other day) that a few altered will not go amiss, surely?
Apparently they still make Kent pattern axes...in America (what has happened to Britain
). Available from Matt at Woodland Craft Supplies:
http://www.woodlandcraftsupplies.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_4&products_id=11
I would be interested to learn why the Kent pattern arose in the first place. What was the advantage in that style? I guess it did not come from nowhere and without some good reason.
I've wondered about that too. It is quite a simple, effective design and the slim blade works well for green-woodworking and woodcarving and is easy to sharpen. Perhaps the design was just relatively easy/quick to make with the materials and tools of the day and/or perhaps it just proved popular. I'm no blacksmith but they often seem to be made of a sheet of steel wrapped around and then forge welded, although I've notice the design/construction details vary from maker-to-maker and model-to-model. Also, perhaps it was a standard requirement for the War Department (I have seen military issue Kent pattern axes) and/or other government contracts.
I recently came across another pattern Suffolk/Sussex I think, which is subtly different the blade is a little more flared, giving a longer cutting edge. I think one of my axes might be of this pattern. If anything, it seems like it might be even more suited to carving & hewing, providing a longer cutting edge.