Guess I'll have to fill in the blanks on this one. I took a chance and ordered a Bark River Camp Axe earlier this week... should arrive soon. Decided on it over two very well respected and proven competitors, the Granfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet and Wetterlings Wildlife Axe. All come in at approximately 13" long and about the same 22 oz. (0.60 kg) weight. Major spec difference is in bit cutting length, with Wetterlings at 2.00" Gransfors at 3.00", and Bark River at 3.5". Also some big-time price differences, and not what I expected. Keep in mind, these are the prices available to me in CND within Canada, and from different sources for each axe. Could have had the GB for $112 plus tax. Wetterlings was $89.99 plus tax. Bark River was $150 plus tax (price varies with handle material... I chose green canvas micarta with red liners). I think both the GB and Wetterlings heads come in at around 59 HRC and are hand forged, and of what steel I do not know... but it is definitely tried, tested and true. The Bark River offers a big departure here, using 1080C ("C" for added chromium) steel at 54 HRC. Apparently the 1080 is a kind of middleground between the ultra tough 1055-1060 lawnmower blade steel and the harder 1095 knife blade steel. In theory, the low 54 HRC will suit me just fine as this hatchet will be used primarily for splitting camp firewood (and hacking off small limbs/branches) -- a task that, for me, usually results in some impact between ground and bit, so I rather the edge be soft to facilitate rolling instead of chipping, like a harder edge would be prone to. How this plays out in actual use is still to be determined. I'm looking forward to using it hard and often, and will hopefully post some results and pictures for you guys after a fair trial.
