Chopping comparison CS kukhri/Rat-7/Wetterlings

ilbruche

ilbruche

Joined
Jun 19, 2007
Messages
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I have a lot of brush in my backyard and decided to cut up some 2 1/2" elm branches. I used a Cold Steel Mini Gurkha Light Kukhri, Ontario Rat-7 and a Wetterlings Large Hunting Axe. The branches were not in the best spot for chopping, maybe half a foot off the ground. And I'm also not the best chopper on the planet. All edges were also not as sharp as they could have been. Still it made for a good comparison between the three.

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The kukhri took about 20 chops.
30 for the Rat-7
11 for the axe

It is a hell of a lot more fun doing yard work when you have good tools.
 
It's the factory edge. I sharpened the initial edge a little with a fine DMT. I probably need to have it reprofiled because it looks like the smith was drinking when he made this axe. It cuts well and throws lots of chips, doesn't stick. But, look at the pictures...
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I was about to order a Wetterling this week! How the hell does that leave the shop like that? Great quality control!:eek: $30 or $300 it shouldn't be sold like that reguardless!
 
My Wetterlings has the EXACT same edge. To be honest, I don't mind it as it seems to me that it will work actually better for the finer work, though I worry about glancing when doing heavier chopping...it has not glanced yet.
 
scpower said:
My Wetterlings has the EXACT same edge. To be honest, I don't mind it as it seems to me that it will work actually better for the finer work, though I worry about glancing when doing heavier chopping...it has not glanced yet.
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I haven't had a performance problem with mine either. It chops very well and throws lots of chips. Overall I am very pleased with it. The glancing does concern me. But so far it hasn't happened.
 
Both my Wetterlings came in a state that makes you shake your head. Actually, the first large hunting axe had a cracked head. Why would you even bother sharpening a head that is cracked? They work well, once you put in the work to fix the goofes, but if you don't have a belt grinder it does make you wonder, whether a more expensive axe wouldn't have been cheaper if you would pay yourself modest but resonable hourly wages for the time you have to spend on it to make it right.

Once they work, though, they will easily out-chop any large knife on a hard target.
 
Got my Wetterling Large Hunting Axe today. Its not as bad as that pictured above, but the grind is off center and the grind is uneven. And there are a few tiny chips in the edge too. - - I'm new to axes other than those cheapos you find in a hardware store. (Spent more time with chain saws.) - - Got a Granfors Bruks Hunting Axe a few weeks ago, which provides a kind of standard for comparing axes.The Granfors was perfect out of the box and very sharp. The Wetterling was ordered with the idea that I might need to do some work on it and that it would probably give me some practice with file, stone, and mouse pad. Looks like I was right. - - So, what the heck, I get some axe education. I've heard that with some work these make good tools. So, we'll see. I'll be curious to see how much time it takes to make this thing right. - -
 
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