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Council's changed the look of velvicut axes

I am not really in the market since I am consumed by vintage axes now but I prefer the more finished look for a new axe.

The GB's are a forge black finish- what I see on the Councils just look unfinished.

Bill
 
I personally would prefer that they be either fully black or fully polished. I ordered these a while back and am going to get this new version, so I guess I have no choice in the matter. I think these are too subtle. Maybe they want to eventually get to the same look as GB but they don't wanna be obvious about it. Maybe its similar to the kid who doesn't want a new drastic looking haircut so they do it little by little. I pre-ordered a velvicut boys axe and a velvicut hudson bay so I guess this is what I'm stuck with. They're okay but I wish I had a choice in the matter.
 
Reminds me of an axe head that was originally painted black, after the first round of paint remover.

I imagine that instead of painting the heads to cover up those surface imperfections (like the regular Council axes are painted), the original Velvicuts got extra grinding/sanding, and now those extra steps are being eliminated.

I'd like to see what they would look like with all the forge scale left on (except for the sharpened portion, of course).
 
Looks like they are trying to save some time with finishing the heads. Will the prices go down?

I am so glad I have all three of the Velvicut models and they are all the polished version. They are things of beauty, the rough finish not so much IMO.
 
I don't like it. If they want to change something then I suggest they put a higher centerline in their axes. This is a big reason I why I steer people towards a vintage axe above a new Council axe and never towards a Euro-import axe.
 
I vote for the high center line on the felling axe. The forge marks are fine for me as I would cold blue everything but the honed edge and get the antique look that way.
 
I like it. I would prefer a black finish with a polished bit like GB. I never was a fan of the high polish except the partially painted vintage axes. I probably wouldn't buy one only because I only get enjoyment out of buying nice vintage heads for cheap these days. I wish Council good luck though with this. I hope they aren't struggling with sales.
 
If they want a forge finish, leave it a full forge finish, not a lazy one. If I'm buying a new axe, I want it to look new.
 
Steve Tall said:
Reminds me of an axe head that was originally painted black, after the first round of paint remover.

I imagine that instead of painting the heads to cover up those surface imperfections (like the regular Council axes are painted), the original Velvicuts got extra grinding/sanding, and now those extra steps are being eliminated.

I'd like to see what they would look like with all the forge scale left on (except for the sharpened portion, of course).
Click to expand...

Yup. This just seems kind of a half-arsed finish.
 
@halfaxe, I doubt theyre hurting with sales, I waited almost 2 months for mine from omaha knife, although that could be due to their end not ordering enough or on time. I called council bc I was like wtf, why am I waiting so long and Margot Council said it was bc they couldnt make the velvicut boys axes and hb's fast enough
 
Another American manufacturer cutting corners and cheapening a product with expectations that us American DOPES will accept mediocrity because "If it is cheap enough.........it is good enough!"!

Shame on Council!
 
I don't like the change. :thumbdn: :mad: :thumbdn:

Looks unfinished to me, not mention the change in performance. :(




Big Mike
 
newsasquatch said:
FINALLY GOT MY AXES!!


I actually like the look of these, theyre mot as black as the ones from the first pic.
Click to expand...

Well, at least that doesn't look as bad as the first photos that were posted. Still a letdown they're cheapening their process just to churn more out. There are a few things about the way Council operates their business that I find disappointing, and this adds to it. :(
 
This is a joke, right? Those don't even look finished to the bare minimum that GBs are...the grinding looks like it was done by a monkey, and I haven't seen that level of disrespect for the customer in a long time, even in Indian and Mexican axes, although some of the regular councils and USA made true tempers of recent vintage come closest. Will they make their axes in useless toy sizes like GB too? I thought the old Velvicuts were tacky and way overpriced, but i figured at least they pleased those looking for an eye catching wall hanger. I would want a certain level of quality if I were to spend that much money for $50 worth of tool.
 
I'm with halfaxe...I like them. You can see the forging and they look well finished, because I don't like a fully polished axe..seems pointless. I also agree that I would prefer the black scale look of the original forging, but I have no problems with what they are doing. They need to have their own look, and I think this is a good idea. I agree they may be dialing back some of the finish work, but that may be due to high demand, or to customer comments. I wouldn't assume they are just backing off quality to save a buck unless there was some evidence. The Velvicuts likely aren't their moneymakers, as their working tools are sold in much higher volumes. I don't agree the grinding looks bad, and that what you're seeing may be more to do with how the light is hitting them. I also don't agree that this is cutting corners, at least on anything that would affect how it works...if the grinds at the edge start getting asymmetrical or the handles start coming loose, that's what I would be worried about. And to be fair, they use a much higher quality alloy in the head versus their standard tools, so this isn't just a standard $50 axe with extra finish work. It's a better quality head with better quality steel. Changing from fully polished to slightly less fully polished looks better to me personally, so I don't see what the fuss is about. I want one even more now.
 
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