Recommendation? Wetterlings Hudson Bay Axe #180 - Anyone can share some experience with it?

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May 3, 2017
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I am looking for a new Axe.. so far I have 2 hatchets so it's time for something bigger that could be a good allrounder at home and in the forest.

I looked at the following:
1. Husqvarna Forest Axe (the new 2016/2017 model)
2. GB Scandinavian Forest Axe
3. Wetterlings Hudson Bay Axe #180

The Wetterlings seems to be the one with the smallest handle but the heaviest head. Is that recommended or not?
I am an axe newcommer who would need it mostly for splitting, limbing and sometimes chopping in the european forest. Basically I would need an allrounder :)

Anyone has been able to compare the Wetterlings yet?
Thanks !
 
Wetterlings as a company officially closed it's doors (ie took their nameplate off the front door) last month and is now become part of Gransfors, or is it Hults production line. If you want one of these (namely the Hudson Bay, which I lust over) you'd better shake a leg and get your order in for one. Lamnia of Finland still has some in stock. If the parent company of former Wetterlings is smart they'll resume making these but I wouldn't bet on it.

As to which one to buy first time around my wallet often dictates; Husky presumably is by far the least expensive. Somewhere down the road when you've got lots of (or much more) experience with axes then you can start fine-tuning your needs and wants.
 
Yup I know about their history and I have a local dealer that still has a few of the wetterlings.

I know that others can be cheaper (I can get zhe husqvarna for half the pice of a gb or wetterlings) but I dont mind spending more if its worth it.

And the wetterlings is fairly differend than the forst axes...but is it good/worth it ?
 
I am looking for a new Axe.. so far I have 2 hatchets so it's time for something bigger that could be a good allrounder at home and in the forest.

I looked at the following:
1. Husqvarna Forest Axe (the new 2016/2017 model)
2. GB Scandinavian Forest Axe
3. Wetterlings Hudson Bay Axe #180

The Wetterlings seems to be the one with the smallest handle but the heaviest head. Is that recommended or not?
I am an axe newcommer who would need it mostly for splitting, limbing and sometimes chopping in the european forest. Basically I would need an allrounder :)

Anyone has been able to compare the Wetterlings yet?
Thanks !

I am not a fan of any handle shorter than a boys ax. That out of the way....
I own one. I feel the handle is to short to offer any advantage using the sliding hand method. However, at 6', I found this handle is a decent size when working from the knees.

Obviously it is bit heavy as all Hudson Bay patterns are. It is thick in the cheeks. It seems to be set up for softwood in the cheeks, yet it has a thick bit like it was set up for hardwood and nasty stuff. And it works. The heavy head and the setup works quite well at whatever you want to fell buck or limb.



Sticking is not an issue either, this ax has a good high centerline.
Personally I think this ax punches far above the axes it is lumped in with, even on the handle it is on. I think it is really more on par with a boys/pulp ax. I plan on putting mine on a boys ax handle.

On a side note, this is not an ax for carpentry type chores in my opinion. It is a bucking, felling, limbing, splitting ax. I actually drove mine into some pretty nasty rounds. It just rolled right out;)
 
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Thank you for your posts although I am not sure what u mean with high centerline and why its good or bad?

Anyway, I thought I would describe what I need the axe for and so I copy this from a reply I made on reddit:

Well my family owns a holiday house in the mountain/woods.
No electric heating and even the kitchen has no electric tools.. it all gets warmed up/heaten with wood (except the water for showering).
We own part of the forest so we can put down some tree(s) and make our own firewood out of it.
.
Besides that my granparents have a "sauna" in their main house and they use it once a week. So far my grandfather has made the firewood for it but he is getting older and I want to take over that part. So I will split and limb the wood.
.
Also everyone in our family has a big garden/backyard with several trees. From time to time a tree has to go down or similiar stuff has to be done.
.
Last but not least I am sometimes getting invited to go out into the forest and help with general work there. Also I am often mountainbiking / downhilling and might try to build my own track in the forest one day which means I will need to backpack my axe :)
.
So as you see.. I need an axe for everything but I guess it will be more splitting/limbing than felling.
Btw: I already got a Husqvarna Hatchet.
The Wetterlings Hudson Bay is 125€
The Husqvarna Forest Axe is 47€.... I could buy three of the Husqvarna and just blindly swing it around until on after the other breaks ? :S
 
Good photo of the high centerline, Woodcraft. I'm surprised to see that on a modern Euro axe.
You and me both. The parent company of former Wetterlings would be foolish not to continue with producing these. A few months ago it was this same picture, by Woodcraft, of the Euro H B blade that really intrigued me.
 
Good photo of the high centerline, Woodcraft. I'm surprised to see that on a modern Euro axe.

Wetterlings, Agdor and Ochsenkopf have or had (recently) models with this feature, accordimg to some blogger that took the time to compare. I think it was Vido?

I can't for the life of me find where I read about Medieval axes with high centerline, though, as a side-note.
 
Wetterlings, Agdor and Ochsenkopf have or had (recently) models with this feature, accordimg to some blogger that took the time to compare. I think it was Vido?

I can't for the life of me find where I read about Medieval axes with high centerline, though, as a side-note.
Agdor and Ochsenkopf make competition axes don't they? (Or at least Practice/work versions of competition axes)

Edit
Nevermind I looked it up, they do. It would not surprise me that they incorporate a high centerline into the axes they sell, lessons learned from designing a competition ax.

I honestly find that the Plumbs I own seem to be the top performers out of the axes I have. I do not doubt that the early heavy involvement Plumb had in competition is what got them there.
 
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Thank you for your posts although I am not sure what u mean with high centerline and why its good or bad?

Anyway, I thought I would describe what I need the axe for and so I copy this from a reply I made on reddit:

Well my family owns a holiday house in the mountain/woods.
No electric heating and even the kitchen has no electric tools.. it all gets warmed up/heaten with wood (except the water for showering).
We own part of the forest so we can put down some tree(s) and make our own firewood out of it.
.
Besides that my granparents have a "sauna" in their main house and they use it once a week. So far my grandfather has made the firewood for it but he is getting older and I want to take over that part. So I will split and limb the wood.
.
Also everyone in our family has a big garden/backyard with several trees. From time to time a tree has to go down or similiar stuff has to be done.
.
Last but not least I am sometimes getting invited to go out into the forest and help with general work there. Also I am often mountainbiking / downhilling and might try to build my own track in the forest one day which means I will need to backpack my axe :)
.
So as you see.. I need an axe for everything but I guess it will be more splitting/limbing than felling.
Btw: I already got a Husqvarna Hatchet.
The Wetterlings Hudson Bay is 125€
The Husqvarna Forest Axe is 47€.... I could buy three of the Husqvarna and just blindly swing it around until on after the other breaks ? :S

Also:
Does the "hudson bay" head on the wetterlings make a big difference compared to the "scandinavian forest" head on the others when felling,chopping,splitting ?
 
With knives, we say that geometry cuts. With axes, you have to add in handle length and head weight. Here are what I think are three excellent examples of Hudson Bay or HB-like axes: the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe, the Council Velvicut and the Wetterlings.


UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_2dc_zpssstj29wf.jpg



UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_2dd_zpss8ktsj9y.jpg




The geometry is quite different on all of these axes, while the size differences are small but significant.


The GB is easily the lightest, most nimble and best penetrating of the axes. The Wetterings is the bruiser, with a longer haft and a heavier, more obtuse head geometry. The Council is in between.


Here are some critical dimensions:


Haft:

GB — 19.5 inches

CV — 22.2 inches

W — 23.5 inches


Obviously, the Wetterlings haft gives you the most power.


Weight:

GB — 2 pounds 2 oz

CV — 2 pounds 13 oz

W — 3 pounds 1 oz


Obviously, the Wetterlings is much heavier and that weight adds to its power. The GB is more nimble and easier to pack and use.


Head geometry:

Width a quarter inch back from the center bit and an inch back from the center bit:

GB — 0.03 inches and 0.19 inches

CV — 0.17 inches and 0.31 inches

W — 0.16 inches and 0.42 inches


Obviously, the GB will penetrate much better and, for some kinds of wood, but not others, will be more prone to sticking. The Wetterlings’ thick geometry is better for splitting. The Council is in between.


Widest part of the head:

GB — 1.0 inches

CV — 1.14 inches

W — 1.19 inches


Head length:

GB — 6.2 inches

CV — 6.7 inches

W — 6.4 inches



Mostly what I chop up are downed branches and alder. The GB SFA is excellent for those uses. Sticking is never an issue. What it lacks in power, it gains in penetration and quickness. It’s the easiest of the three to pack.


The Wetterlings is best for splitting, but most of my splitting is done with a full-sized axe with a 36-inch haft.


The Council is a nice compromise.
 
With knives, we say that geometry cuts. With axes, you have to add in handle length and head weight. Here are what I think are three excellent examples of Hudson Bay or HB-like axes: the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe, the Council Velvicut and the Wetterlings.


UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_2dc_zpssstj29wf.jpg



UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_2dd_zpss8ktsj9y.jpg




The geometry is quite different on all of these axes, while the size differences are small but significant.


The GB is easily the lightest, most nimble and best penetrating of the axes. The Wetterings is the bruiser, with a longer haft and a heavier, more obtuse head geometry. The Council is in between.


Here are some critical dimensions:


Haft:

GB — 19.5 inches

CV — 22.2 inches

W — 23.5 inches


Obviously, the Wetterlings haft gives you the most power.


Weight:

GB — 2 pounds 2 oz

CV — 2 pounds 13 oz

W — 3 pounds 1 oz


Obviously, the Wetterlings is much heavier and that weight adds to its power. The GB is more nimble and easier to pack and use.


Head geometry:

Width a quarter inch back from the center bit and an inch back from the center bit:

GB — 0.03 inches and 0.19 inches

CV — 0.17 inches and 0.31 inches

W — 0.16 inches and 0.42 inches


Obviously, the GB will penetrate much better and, for some kinds of wood, but not others, will be more prone to sticking. The Wetterlings’ thick geometry is better for splitting. The Council is in between.


Widest part of the head:

GB — 1.0 inches

CV — 1.14 inches

W — 1.19 inches


Head length:

GB — 6.2 inches

CV — 6.7 inches

W — 6.4 inches



Mostly what I chop up are downed branches and alder. The GB SFA is excellent for those uses. Sticking is never an issue. What it lacks in power, it gains in penetration and quickness. It’s the easiest of the three to pack.


The Wetterlings is best for splitting, but most of my splitting is done with a full-sized axe with a 36-inch haft.


The Council is a nice compromise.

Thanks for that great comparison !

Does "penetration" only count for felling or also from splitting?

To me it sounds like the GB is the best felling axe while W might be the best splitter.
But the you are also comparing the W to a GB Small Forest Axe while I would rather get the GB Scandinavian Axe which has a longer handle and heavier head (=better splitter?)

Also out of interest: is there a general head-style guide/discussion thread somewhere? With history pro/cons and so on?
 
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An American boys axe will work circles around any of them for felling and splitting. But they're less glamorous.
 
I bought a "Husqvarna 26" Wooden Multi-Purpose Axe" for a friend for Christmas a couple years ago. He really wanted one but cash was tight, in my opinion that's the best time to get someone a gift. He really likes it and as Swedish axes go they are the best price point, I think I got it off Amazon for $65.
 
You and me both. The parent company of former Wetterlings would be foolish not to continue with producing these. A few months ago it was this same picture, by Woodcraft, of the Euro H B blade that really intrigued me.
And I only chose this Hudson Bay because of the review done here, by @Operator1975, http://www.bladeforums.com/threads/wetterlings-hudson-bay-axe-review.1356284/,
And the write up about lack of surface area contact in the typical Hudson Bay pattern eye that S Square_peg either wrote or pointed out. (Please throw up a link because I can't seem to find it? Again.)
 
An American boys axe will work circles around any of them for felling and splitting. But they're less glamorous.

Personally I consider nothing more glamorous than my old and much loved KATCO 2.5 lb boy's axe. But you're right, it does walk circles around my Gransfors.

IMG_20150703_1552421_zpslhuahmuy.jpg


IMG_20150703_1551371_zpshgmp6nkr.jpg
 
With knives, we say that geometry cuts. With axes, you have to add in handle length and head weight. Here are what I think are three excellent examples of Hudson Bay or HB-like axes: the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe, the Council Velvicut and the Wetterlings.





UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_2dd_zpss8ktsj9y.jpg
My sincere compliments to you Twindog for this post. Your appraisal and comparison of three seemingly-similar axes is objective, clear, concise and thorough. Prospective buyers can readily understand and appreciate the differences between them. This entry ought to be stickied and labelled on its own.
 
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