Newbie choosing the best quality axe/hatchet

[comis]

@Philby  Thanks for the link to Hennie, I have often heard of them here on MT.O.  I think the mini axe could be a little too small(even I really love the size and think it is cute, but the Wildlife hatchet or the Hultafors Trekking Axe may be a better size for me).  The Hultafors is a new name to me, so I gonna look that one up too!  The Hultafors blade looks great, reminds me of the Mora bushcraft that I have. 



@Heinz Doofenshmirtz   You bring home the question that I was wondering from the start--I think we will always find good axe selection at different price level, GB/Wetterlings/Fiskars/Estwing, they all have their merits and probably supporting users.  I think another way to ask my newbie question is--are the high-end wooden axes, such as GB or Wettlings, susceptible to breaking/damage(broken/cracked handle/edge roll), even used by a newbie?  Or are most wooden axes break somewhat easily? 

I consider myself a reasonable person, and even I might subject my edge tools to hard use from time to time(just like to know), but I never damage any tools to a irreversible state in life.  For now, I don't posses the skill nor material to fix an axe handle if it were broken, so it would be nice to know before buying one as a newbie. 



@sparky415   That is such a generous offer which makes this place great, but for now, I don't posses the skill or material to make the handle just yet.  I couldn't in my good conscience to get one from you, not knowing whether I could make the best out of it.  May I take a rain check to this, and hopefully when I have more skill/time/material we could look into this again?

[Sparky415]

@sparky415   That is such a generous offer which makes this place great, but for now, I don't posses the skill or material to make the handle just yet.  I couldn't in my good conscience to get one from you, not knowing whether I could make the best out of it.  May I take a rain check to this, and hopefully when I have more skill/time/material we could look into this again?

I was trying to be clever and was not very clear 

I was going to send a complete axe (secondhand) which is a 'welcome to the Axe hole' gift from all the Axe users on here 

[comis]

@sparky415   That is such a generous offer which makes this place great, but for now, I don't posses the skill or material to make the handle just yet.  I couldn't in my good conscience to get one from you, not knowing whether I could make the best out of it.  May I take a rain check to this, and hopefully when I have more skill/time/material we could look into this again?

I was trying to be clever and was not very clear 

I was going to send a complete axe (secondhand) which is a 'welcome to the Axe hole' gift from all the Axe users on here 

Thank you so very much for extending the offer via pm, very generous and makes me feel humble to be around kind members like you.  PM replied!

[enki_ck]

to Tony.

[Sparky415]

to Tony.

Just trying to clear a bit of space in my garage 

[Syph007]

Nice one!  Hard to beat an axe as a gift that's awesome!  Something about axes I just love, they are a single tools with so much versatility. 

Hopefully you get to try it out on some trees in your urban jungle or elsewhere.  Where I grew up there was probably 10,000 times more trees than people in my village of 900.   I was given (or borrowed and never returned ) my first axe by my dad when I was 10 and that was my trusty Estwing hatchet.  I felled trees and dragged home the logs with a chain and my bicycle and built a mini log cabin/fort.  Good times living in the middle of nowhere!

[comis]

to Tony.

Just trying to clear a bit of space in my garage 

It goes without saying how special this will feel, and I learn a lot from you guys other than axecraft. 

Nice one!  Hard to beat an axe as a gift that's awesome!  Something about axes I just love, they are a single tools with so much versatility. 

Hopefully you get to try it out on some trees in your urban jungle or elsewhere.  Where I grew up there was probably 10,000 times more trees than people in my village of 900.   I was given (or borrowed and never returned ) my first axe by my dad when I was 10 and that was my trusty Estwing hatchet.  I felled trees and dragged home the logs with a chain and my bicycle and built a mini log cabin/fort.  Good times living in the middle of nowhere!

Those must be some good childhood memories! 

I was just thinking about the same thing as I was driving thru this concrete jungle this afternoon, and I felt kinda imprisoned in this, if that make any sense.  Surely it is one of the most convenient cities in world for urban living, but I do sometimes envy those who can enjoy the nature right at their backyard.  How I wish there is time in my life where I could just leave all those behind, and learn and apply woodman's skills at my own leisure.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

@Heinz Doofenshmirtz   You bring home the question that I was wondering from the start--I think we will always find good axe selection at different price level, GB/Wetterlings/Fiskars/Estwing, they all have their merits and probably supporting users.  I think another way to ask my newbie question is--are the high-end wooden axes, such as GB or Wettlings, susceptible to breaking/damage(broken/cracked handle/edge roll), even used by a newbie?  Or are most wooden axes break somewhat easily? 

I consider myself a reasonable person, and even I might subject my edge tools to hard use from time to time(just like to know), but I never damage any tools to a irreversible state in life.  For now, I don't posses the skill nor material to fix an axe handle if it were broken, so it would be nice to know before buying one as a newbie. 

As long as it's not abused in some way (unintentional misses and overstrikes because of inexperience) a good hickory handle like what's on a GB or Wetterlings should give years of service. They'll also give you plenty of warning when they need to be replaced. Many of them also come with a steel sleeve or collar on the upper end of the handle to provide extra protection.

That said, I've a full size (28") Fiskars chopping axe for a good 10 years. Until the last couple of years, it saw regular use on several camping trips each year with my then-wife and kids, and with the exception of the stock edge having a crappy grind, it's been a solid and reliable tool. With respect to the edge, it had a pretty steep flat ground edge and it dulled after only a handful of campfire prep. I reprofiled it with a file and a coarse stone, finished it with a fine diamond stone, and since then have only had to touch it up every now and again.

In short, make no mistake, the Fiskars axes are quality tools and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better value for your money. But, they are massed produced with a single task in mind; chop and/or split wood. A fine handmade tool like a GB or a Wetterlings will be a lot more versatile in terms of what you can do with it; for example, a skilled hunter could use something like the GB415 I just got myself as a skinning/carving knife nearly as well as a dedicated knife. A Fiskars is simply going to suck at such an application because of things like the edge profile and curve won't allow it. A GB on the other hand can be pressed into service for such tasks with pretty good results if you take the time to really work with the tool and what it can do instead of muscling through it and well, butchering the work. (No pun intended.)

I suggest you sit down and write out a list of your intended uses for the tool, and maybe even a couple or three things you might end up using it for that you wouldn't normally, and then see which tool is going to be able to do more of those tasks than the others. Consider your budget, and then make your choice. Personally, I think a good tool makes learning easier, but that's just my bias.