fiskars and wetterlings

S

siguy

Joined
Aug 26, 2006
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3,799
i recently got both a fiskars hatchet and a small wetterlings axe, just thought i would share...

the wetterlings weighs 2.25 pounds with a ~20" handle. 3" edge.
the fiskars weighs 1.25 pounds with a ~14" handle. 2 7/8" edge,

both are great, and both are really good deals. i only paid $35 for my wetterlings, i think they have mostly gone up lately, so i got lucky. i paid $25 for the fiskars, which seems slightly higher than the average, but i wanted it so badly ;)...

the fiskars came sharp, i just wiped it on some 800, then 1200, then stropped, and it shaved nicely. the somewhat scandi edge both chops great and is great for shaving wood and other carving. i used it to make some stakes the other day for rigging up a tarp in the yard, as well as trim branches and make fuzzies for a fire. worked great.

the wetterlings came with a couple of issues...minor though. i mail ordered this, and requested a particularly good one, so i don't know if this represents a random pick or something closer to checking them out in stores...just so you know. the head was forged slightly asymetrically, but the edge is centered thanks to factory grinding. the cutting edge was a tad uneven, had a couple of small dips in the grind. i evened it out towards the edge up to 120 grit on my sander, then used my new credit card DMTs to 1200 grit for the edge (followed by a strop) to make a nice sharp edge. i also oiled the handle with danish oil and then linseed oil...as far as i can tell, the shaft was unfinished when i got it. very nice and smooth though.

on to the photos...

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they each took 6 strikes to get through this ~1.5" diam branch:
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these are both great choppers, and i enjoy using them both.

the fiskars is akward to use in two hands, due to the short handle. the wetterlings is a tad akward to use in one hand, but i will get used to it. i mostly used a two handed grip today while chopping.

i think i will tend to carry the fiskars more often, because it is lighter, smaller, and chops incredibly well for the size and weight. the wetterlings will be my go-to axe for around the property and when i'm not worried about size and weight (or when i want it)...
 
Thanks for that review. I am a great believer in the to each his own theory, However I think the hatchet/small ax does not get the credit they deserve for chopping jobs around camp. I started using the ax at age six around the farm and never used big knives for chopping until military service. I still am much more at home chopping with small hatchets or short machetes vs Big knives. Good review and I have some knives coming your way.
 
Thanks for the review Simon. Nice job. I was wondering where you been.
 
jim, i feel good about chopping with either, since i have had experience with both fairly evenly at this point...but i prefer how an axe or hatchet works. it just makes more sense to me to carry all the weight up in the front to maximize impact on the chopping area. it has been said that though slightly less efficient choppers, kukris are supposed to be more versatile...my experience has shown me that a kukri is akward at best to use for anything but chopping, whereas with my fiskars i can chop great and make fig 4 traps and tent stakes etc...i find a good hatchet much more versatile.

tony, i have been in a couple of places in new york state the last two weeks, and last week i was on a dialup connection so i rarely tried getting on...most websites aren't dialup friendly anymore.

barberfobic, i think that the plastic clip on cover that comes with the fiskars is decent. i think i will trip off the handle part until i can make something from leather or something, since it is really bulky for putting in my cargo pocket or even just tucking under my belt, but it works decently and i can take it off and on single handed easily.
 
The fiskars is a good value as are the Estwing hatchets which come with a sheath.

The Wetterlings are OK but I'm too picky about the head being installed straight and the edge lining up with the CL of the handle to risk ordering one. IMO, they need to be handpicked.

Cream of the crop is Gransfors Bruks. You pay a lot more than a regular hardware store axe but not if you compare to how much you pay for a knife of that quality it's very reasonable. You can't get a hand forged knife for anywere close to the price. The quality is 100% and they come shaving sharp. IMO, they are in a class of their own.

I tried several of them and all are great expect I felt the mini was too small. My favorite is the Small Forest Axe.
 
Great Review ! I have the Gerber SportAxe ( looks just like your Fiskars) it has Fiskars stamped into the plastic handle. I really like it.
 
collecter, i intend to get a gransfors one of these days, but in the meantime i want to stretch my dollar, and the wetterlings is already a big step up from what i have been using up until now.
 
hector, as i understand it, the only difference is in the color and the sheath that comes with them, and perhaps the fine texture of the handle is different, but they have the same heads and the same plastics in the handles. made by the same company.
 
thanks for the info guys.
I see a lot of people here have the fiskars, and I was trying to find one to buy online, but could only find the gerber.
ill be ordering one pretty soon.
 
This may be a pretty stupid question, but would there be a way to replace the handle that actually wraps around the head of the blade?
 
myright - no I don't think so. The fiskar's are warrenteed against head separation. I do notice on mine though a lot of notches appearing at the plastic edge along the side of the blade from use in chopping chores. Nothing too serious yet, but the tears of the plastic will cummulate over time.

Nice review Siguy. I too am saving for a GB. I thought about the Wetterlings but didn't really want to put a lot of effort into reprofiling the blade if it came dull, which I heard they often did. One thing that I find difficult is reprofiling a hatchet as I don't have access to a belt sander.

The fiskars was very easy to sharpen and mine came pre-beveled at 20oC which was easy to enhance with my sharpmaker. I found that the Fiskers chipped out relatively easy at first. Then as I sharpened it again the edge became much more robust. Again I heard this had to do with the grinding method used at the factor that heats up the very edge and draws the temper somewhat. Once re-sharpened, I no longer had problems with the edge chipping.
 
Nice Review.

You can order sheathes through places that sell gerbers that will fit the fiscars


I am a big fan of the fiscars, I bring a 2 hander and a hatchet like yours on car camping trips and both do a great job. The hatchet comes with me on backpacking and kayak trips and cuts a ton.
 
emsguy...
i saw a larger version of the fiskars at the sear's that i got this one...it looked like it had a maybe 25" handle? very cool looking, and after seeing how this one performs, i imagine that one could be a really mean chopper....
 
I`ve been using a smaller Wetterlings for about five years now, with no complaints. I recently picked up a Fiskars at a Menards store for $15 to replace a Gerber pack axe to keep in my truck, have not used it enough yet to form an opinion.

John
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