For illustration here is the Firestone belt axe :
http://www.leevalley.com/images/item/gardening/45k1655s2.jpg
and the Wildlife Hatchet :
http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/images/gb_wildlife_hatchet.jpg
Breakdown :
Bit profile - The hatchet has the optimum chopping profile, a curved edge which sweeps down towards the extremes. This geometry allows the smoothest cut during a chop as the edges of the wood get smoothly cut. This aspect of performance is why some chisels have the edges slightly rounded. The Bruks hatchet also has the traditional convex -> hollow -> convex profile to offer the optimal combination of penetration, resistance to binding and strength of wedging. I can't tell from the picture how the head of the Firestone axe is ground, but is does appear to have a hollow relief which is good. However, in contrast to the Bruks hatchet, the bit of the Belt axe sweeps down far too extreme at the heel of the bit. Because one end of the face is so much lower than the other, when you are doing multiple hit chopping on large woods, the cuts will not be parallel to each other and thus the chips will not clear out of the wood to the maximum depth as they will when using the Bruks axe. However there are some cutting advantages to the curvature of the Firestone axe.
Steel - This is where the Bruks axe jumps significantly ahead . Cast 440C is not in the same class at all as the forged alloy steel that the Bruks is made from (probably something similar to bandsaw steel). You will be able to run the Bruks hatchet with a thinner edge and suffer no problems with durablity, thus it will outcut and outlast the Firestone axe.
Handle - I would bet on the FIrestone having a more durable handle, however does this offer any functional gain? Probably not, you have to basically beat a hickory handle off of the wood to cause it to break, and if you are doing this on a regular basis you are likely to have far greater problems than handle faults, as that is an excellent way to inflict an injury on yourself. In regards to handle shape the Bruks hatchet has the necessary top swell to lock in a secure grip, your hand will ramp over the top of the belt axe far easier, plus the bottom swell looks very extreme (a lot of this is very user dependent however). On the positive for the belt axe, the cutout design of the head looks to offer a nice advantage in regards to precision work. The head handle attachment may be a problem on the Firestone as it doesn't appear to be easily replaceable, but then again this probably isn't much of an issue.
Sheath - This is the easiest part. The Bruks sheath just basically protects the head. The Firststone sheath on the other hand appears to have a belt loop and is much more functional. Of course the leather quality is important, I have seen very nice looking sheaths fall apart easily, however at the price range this axe is in, I doubt that is the case.
Price - the Firestone axe is much more expensive, somewhere about 2x the cost of the Bruks hatchet.
In short, you are paying more money, getting an inferior steel, and getting a bit design that is really skewed away from chopping. In addition the handle does not look nearly as functional to me. Basically, there is nothing that would leap out at me to make me want to buy one, and quite a few things that would keep me away from it.
jgeesen :
If you gave me a Yugo, I might think that it was a very nice car that performed good, got good gas milage, was low maintenance, etc, etc. - Until I drive a VW Jetta TDI (my car) and find out the Yugo is really sh*t in comparison.
Pretty much exactly, the reference is critical when judging performance in relative terms.
-Cliff
!), that the convexed edge angle changes throught the length of the edge. You can see from the pictures that the polished edge is wide at the top and narrows to almost half its origingal depth. The thickness at the rear of the polished edge is the same from top to bottom - .25"
