Best Made Co - Black Donald Hudson Bay Axe

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FortyTwoBlades said:
Makes a lot of horrible waste, though, both in terms of natural resources and labor.
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It costs more too. Of the axes I've seen broken (remember, I was frontline customer service) I'd estimate that 90% were broken out of user error. I've seen handles with perfect grain split right down the middle along the grain. And I've seen handles with 90º grain take a hell of a beating and keep going (even though they looked terrible). I actually have a handle with 90º grain that I've been using for over a year now. I don't beat on it, I sharpen it, and oil it and take care of it and it's doing just fine.

The most important thing is not telling customers about how great your grain is, but setting expectations on how to use the axe safely and considerately. This goes hand in hand with oiling, sharpening and general maintenance. If you can make someone (a customer) feel proud to take care of their axe they will use it respectfully. It's not always about specs, sometimes it's education. We include an axe manual with each axe that talks about the importance of proper care and use. I've also conducted dozens of workshops where I've taught customers how to hang, sharpen, and care for their axes.

There are numerous parts of an axe that need to function for it to be a pleasurable and efficient experience. Hang, bit profile, sharpness, etc. Personally, grain orientation is near the bottom of that list. Those are my personal thoughts. Like I've explained before we specify and grade for grain because we know customers are looking for it.
 
nickzdon said:
It costs more too. Of the axes I've seen broken (remember, I was frontline customer service) I'd estimate that 90% were broken out of user error. I've seen handles with perfect grain split right down the middle along the grain. And I've seen handles with 90º grain take a hell of a beating and keep going (even though they looked terrible). I actually have a handle with 90º grain that I've been using for over a year now. I don't beat on it, I sharpen it, and oil it and take care of it and it's doing just fine.

The most important thing is not telling customers about how great your grain is, but setting expectations on how to use the axe safely and considerately. This goes hand in hand with oiling, sharpening and general maintenance. If you can make someone (a customer) feel proud to take care of their axe they will use it respectfully. It's not always about specs, sometimes it's education. We include an axe manual with each axe that talks about the importance of proper care and use. I've also conducted dozens of workshops where I've taught customers how to hang, sharpen, and care for their axes.

There are numerous parts of an axe that need to function for it to be a pleasurable and efficient experience. Hang, bit profile, sharpness, etc. Personally, grain orientation is near the bottom of that list. Those are my personal thoughts. Like I've explained before we specify and grade for grain because we know customers are looking for it.
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My thoughts as well, and pretty much what I figured regarding the handle specs. Good post, man. :) :thumbup:
 
nickzdon said:
It costs more too. Of the axes I've seen broken (remember, I was frontline customer service) I'd estimate that 90% were broken out of user error. I've seen handles with perfect grain split right down the middle along the grain. And I've seen handles with 90º grain take a hell of a beating and keep going (even though they looked terrible). I actually have a handle with 90º grain that I've been using for over a year now. I don't beat on it, I sharpen it, and oil it and take care of it and it's doing just fine.

The most important thing is not telling customers about how great your grain is, but setting expectations on how to use the axe safely and considerately. This goes hand in hand with oiling, sharpening and general maintenance. If you can make someone (a customer) feel proud to take care of their axe they will use it respectfully. It's not always about specs, sometimes it's education. We include an axe manual with each axe that talks about the importance of proper care and use. I've also conducted dozens of workshops where I've taught customers how to hang, sharpen, and care for their axes.

There are numerous parts of an axe that need to function for it to be a pleasurable and efficient experience. Hang, bit profile, sharpness, etc. Personally, grain orientation is near the bottom of that list. Those are my personal thoughts. Like I've explained before we specify and grade for grain because we know customers are looking for it.
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This is a great post.. you sir, know exactly what you are talking about.

I don't know if it's feasible anymore, but, I feel if you could acquire some air dried hickory for the handles on your already premium product, you would have the Best Made axe available today!:)
 
Had a handle with pretty good grain break on me just yesterday, was cutting firewood and was nearly thru the the log when I swung just a little harder only to have it cut thru sending one peice of the log flying of to the side and my axe smacking sideways into the other peice. That handle was no older then six months old... Split up under the head where it narrows to go into the eye and lead halfway down the handle. Happy I brought a hatchet.
 
I know its been said a billion times. Its not their products, its their marketing/pricing
Council Tool makes their axes, and they're one of the best production axes out there right now. However, Best Made takes them, paints a couple stripes on the handle and doubles the price. Something I don't approve of
 
Operator1975 said:


So I know BMC takes a lot of heat on here for various reasons, and to each their own. I bought the hudson bay axe off them, and have been putting it threw the ringer(just look at the bit).

Mostly used for splitting, limbing, all around chores, and lately chopping roots, this thing has exceeded my expectations in about every way it could. Hell, I am surprised.

The size is just about right for whatever you need to do, basic chore and utility wise. You will not chop down a 2 ft hemlock with this, but its not meant to either.

Light weight, can be used as a hatchet or small boys axe when needed. Really a great all around size.

The handle is not pictured, but it is painted in the BMC Black Donald pattern, and I can say there have been no issues with the paint. Hands sliding, slipping, blisters, etc, - no issues what so ever. I thought maybe the painted handle would be an issue, but it hasn't been at all.

Well that's it, I just wanted to share that with you guys for more FYI sake than anything else.

Thanks!
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Chopping roots! :D
I was wondering why that bit was all chipped up.:thumbup:
 
The cow said:
I know its been said a billion times. Its not their products, its their marketing/pricing
Council Tool makes their axes, and they're one of the best production axes out there right now. However, Best Made takes them, paints a couple stripes on the handle and doubles the price. Something I don't approve of
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Thank you! Perhaps suddenly become 'hero worshippers' 42Blades and Quinton will acknowledge this.
 
I'm far from a hero worshiper, so I'm not sure why you see fit to label me as such. I'm also not in the market for their product myself, but BMC sells their unpainted American Felling Axe for $24.25 less than Council does...
 
300Six said:
Nope! That's what good grain orientation is all about, as well as proper wedging.
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I just sat down and read An Axe To Grind cover to cover last week, the manual go's into detail about proper grain orientation and you have been right all along. I have also discovered many articles online from prepper, and bushcraft blogs discussing proper grain in an axe haft, they also confirm what I learned by reading the aforementioned forest service manual. I'm so sorry if I have offended you in any way with my misunderstandings of grain orientation. Above all, I have learned one never gets to old to learn unless they are cray-cray!
 
Axe peeps on the internet be like:

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After my belated education on haft grain, I'm switch'n over to fiberglass handles. Hickory is just too darn dangerous for handles these days. I now understand that those ancient old thin handles I own are just an accident waiting to happen. I'm afraid to pick one up as it could spontaneously explode at any second- especially if it has some runout ..
 
Another silly axe for silly people. Another example of someone ripping off the old "Black Raven" axes to market them to hipsters, just like the "Black Eagle" line another company recently came out with.

Anyone can buy a good quality second-hand USA made axe for pocket change still if they want to, so it takes a pretty ignorant or misguided person to spend $250 on a new one.
This is like the five-year-old girl who has to have this year's Barbie because it has longer legs than last year's model.

Being ignorant and having more money than you need pretty much defines the USA to the rest of the world, look at Donald Trump.
 
If I buy a Best Made, a GB and a Wetterlings will I become the most ignorant mega hipster ever? I may try and find out. :D
 
Lonewolf01 said:
If I buy a Best Made, a GB and a Wetterlings will I become the most ignorant mega hipster ever? I may try and find out. :D
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There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of those new axes but why would you want to have to take out a bank loan in order to lay in a triple of these when in fact for that same money you could fill your basement and garage with equal (or better) quality versions from 50-100 years ago. The n. American axe business was hugely innovative and competitive until the 1960s and makers reputations were staked on quality. There are literally 100s of thousands of lovely old axes languishing in sheds and basements awaiting appreciative new owners.
 
quinton said:
I just sat down and read An Axe To Grind cover to cover last week, the manual go's into detail about proper grain orientation and you have been right all along. I have also discovered many articles online from prepper, and bushcraft blogs discussing proper grain in an axe haft, they also confirm what I learned by reading the aforementioned forest service manual. I'm so sorry if I have offended you in any way with my misunderstandings of grain orientation. Above all, I have learned one never gets to old to learn unless they are cray-cray!
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I'm afraid I never had privy to 'Axe to Grind' (or any other manuals) 40 years ago but I did devote a lot of time to inspecting broken hafts in a quest to learn to judge structural properties of wood. Nice thing about gov't sponsored Junior Ranger (Ontario) and Youth Crew (B.C.) programs (back in the days when axes were still allowed) is for 2 months at a time there'd be 2 dozen young men out there all swinging axes and breaking them constantly through exuberance/carelessness and inexperience. I got to look closely at a lot of busted handles. Those few axe handles that survived 2 months of abuse generally had very little or no run out nor were they oriented much out of vertical.
 
300Six said:
There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of those new axes but why would you want to have to take out a bank loan in order to lay in a triple of these when in fact for that same money you could fill your basement and garage with equal (or better) quality versions from 50-100 years ago. The n. American axe business was hugely innovative and competitive until the 1960s and makers reputations were staked on quality. There are literally 100s of thousands of lovely old axes languishing in sheds and basements awaiting appreciative new owners.
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I Agree with you, but a lot of people may not have the time or tools to restore a vintage head. Some people just need / want a good quality axe and that's what these companies offer.
 
You can find completely restored or at least useable versions in the 20-150 dollar range, towards the cheaper end if you're patient and not looking for a specific rare one.

Although the new axes have the advantage where you can get to using them right away without having to learn multiple different aspects of restoration at the same time, people may not know about the restored ones that offer the same thing.
 
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