Disappearing high center line; should we blame Hitler and big government contracts?

Agent_H said:
3. When did America start importing Swedish and German tools on a scale that made them competitive to domestically produced axes? Meaning, with the lessening of large timber harvests, was there a large consumer market being filled with the flat-sided import tools that somehow started to set a standard for "what an axe looks like" to the modernizing household and average hardware store shopper?
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I stumbled on 1965 Harry Epstein catalog that list Swedish hatchet for $1.65 vs TT hatchet for $4.00. Also, in 1970s Sears was selling Japanese hatchets for half the price of Craftsman ones. I remember some threads mentioning hardware stores importing Swedish full size heads but I did not pay attention (I was never impressed with shapes of Swedish or German axes). I would like to dig deeper into subject of pricing but I just do not remember the names of the stores.
 
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crbnSteeladdict said:
In time of war cutting corners and speed of manufacturing counts. It seems like Mann's new, flat, cheaper design gave them upper leg over other manufacturers. Case of cheap, mediocre pushing out excellent but expensive to produce tool.
I suspect this was also the time when Mann followed Plumb's example and went with monosteel option.
vtg-world-war-mann-hatchet-dated-1943_1_ce80ea450e5439cd748c1e5747f99819.jpg

vtg-world-war-mann-hatchet-dated-1943_1_ce80ea450e5439cd748c1e5747f99819.jpg

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vtg-world-war-mann-hatchet-dated-1943-1855026058
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That thing looks nothing like the Manns I have seen on the web dated 1944, haft included.
 
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