GB, Wetterling, Fiskars. Any real difference?

Troop said:
Do you think it's worth twice the cost of the Wetterling?
- Thanks
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JMHO..... no. As long as you get a axe that is well hung;) (laughing) With little effort a Wetterlings is just as good as a GP. Others millage may vary of course.
 
I used to be a "Big Knife" guy a long time ago but lately i'm a "Mora/ Hatchet/SAK" guy.lol.

I think a lot of the mis-perceptions about the utility of axes are the fault of some of the poor quality axes found in hardware stores. You know the ones where there is hardly any taper and the cutting edge is blunt and a 1/4 inch thick!
For the longest while (at least where i live) most of the axes in hardware stores were like that.
When i was in Cub Scouts i had a hatchet afflicted with those same characteristics.
So later when i was 16 i bought a western W49 bowie for chopping which worked so much better than the hatchet.
Thereafter it was one big chopper after another until i bought an Estwing Camp Axe and suddenly realized that you could get axes that tapered down to a nice cutting edge and that chopped very well!
Since then i've bought a few more axes Gerber, Fiskars and Wetterlings.
I haven't really bought a big knife (over 7 inch blade) since 2000.

In the past year or so i've even "reformed" a few old axes i had laying around, some files and and some brow sweat can make even thick edged axes very useful. I have an old Canadian Tire 9$ camp axe that can now easily shave hair! Actually its almost scary sharp. The original edge on it was so thick and useless that it had been left outside for a couple of years being used mostly to chop stubborn ice in the wintertime.lol.
 
the fiskars is like he mora of axes it is well worth the dime... and it will notbreak I had a small problem with the heat reat on the very edge right out of the box the edge had rolled after some light chopping I straightened it out with the file from my leatherman and sharpend it up in about 10 min...haven't had a proble since it cuts like a beast....spooky, where'd you get that axe sheath,..for the price get the fiskars... it's only 20 beans if you don't like it save it as a beater ang get a gb
 
Perhaps we move in cycles. I know that for a while there, I just enjoyed using my fixed blades for hunting. Then I went on a quest for a wonderful folder design. The search, I suppose, is half the fun. One year, I used an older buck hatchet which my guide ended up buying from me at the conclusion of our hunt. Then there was the talonite phase, followed by the Mission Knife thrill. Another HI product helped to stave off the boredom one summer. Chris Reeve blades did their part, then the endless waiting on the Camp Tramp and the now discontinued D2 skinner. The DF showed up on the radar screen and brought a loud yell from a great number of people. Of course, numerous hours can be spent here reading stories and then more accounts of which knives work etc. Some of the old timers had the same discussions way before the advent of the cell phone or the internet. I am fairly sure they could have cared less about the composition of Infi, or the strength of the new super-steels or the rockwell of a Puma.

Axes though, have always been a mainstay. Most folk are clueless when it comes to an axe. You can get an edge so scary sharp (if you know what you are doing) that it will amaze you. I have a few older plumbs that are tougher than you can imagine. So many people that have been down the lane and beyond the thick wooded hills have made use of the ultra simple, but effective hatchet and full sized axe. It is part of US history, and about as low tech as it gets.
 
Stubai said:
You can get an edge so scary sharp (if you know what you are doing) that it will amaze you.
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Agreed :) I look like freak with all the bald spots on my left arm?!?!

Hatchetpics.jpg
 
I know I have to keep re-learning this lesson myself, in many areas, but the old adage "buy quality & cry once" really holds true. [I lost many $$$ going through several cars in the last 6 months before finally ending up with my BMW 530i - shoulda just bit the bullet & bought it from the beginning]. If you buy the best the first time & take the $$ hit up front, then you don't have to waste all the money on lesser products before you finally end up buying the best in the end anyway.

Of course this depends on how much quality matters to you r.e. the item in question. If you're a "make do" sort of guy who just wants something cheap that will do the job, then grab a Fiskars and maybe file the bevel down a bit. But it sounds from your intensive questioning that you really do care about the quality of the tool. In which case if you buy the GB you will use it and then never question "what if?"
 
After reading this thread and looking at the Fiskars in the picture showing the thickness of the head and then reading where someone said they come in different thcknesses, I ran out to my truck where I carry two 14inch Fiskars Hatchets. They are CLEARLY MUCH thinner than the one in the picture. My Fiskars chop like crazy. Easily out chopping my several other hatchts and medium axes and my Dog Father. They sharpen easily to knife sharp. They do chip when one of your scouts splitts wood on concrete. I get them at Home Depoe for $19.95, so who cares.
Ron Athay
 
fishface5 said:
I know I have to keep re-learning this lesson myself, in many areas, but the old adage "buy quality & cry once" really holds true. [I lost many $$$ going through several cars in the last 6 months before finally ending up with my BMW 530i - shoulda just bit the bullet & bought it from the beginning]. If you buy the best the first time & take the $$ hit up front, then you don't have to waste all the money on lesser products before you finally end up buying the best in the end anyway.

Of course this depends on how much quality matters to you r.e. the item in question. If you're a "make do" sort of guy who just wants something cheap that will do the job, then grab a Fiskars and maybe file the bevel down a bit. But it sounds from your intensive questioning that you really do care about the quality of the tool. In which case if you buy the GB you will use it and then never question "what if?"
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Absolutely I care about the quality. That's why I'm learning to make my own knives... I couldn't find a knife that would satisfy me!
- Thanks for the wake-up call.:thumbup:
 
tarmix101 said:
I have read that review and tend to agree with most of it. With a little TLC the Wetterlings (if well hung;)) can and is just as good as the GB.

I sanded the head of my Wetterlings down to a 110 matte finish. I then sanded the clear crap off the handle, soaked it upside down in raw linseed oil for about two weeks occasionally coating the whole handle with a sponge.

It really made it swell up inside the eye, and sealed the handle against water while still providing a good grip.

Not a very good pic, put here it is with my Lee Reeves:

Hatchetpics010.jpg
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what are some of the basic advantages/disadvantages to the double bit reeves compared to the other hatchets?

all these pics of the nessmuk you have been posting around here lately (esp. the chopping thread) has me very interested in getting one for myself. lol
 
Midwest Ninja said:
Do any regular users miss the ability to hammer on or with the back of a single bit hatchet or axe?
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No.... You can hammer with it. Just turn it sideways and hammer with the cheek of the bit. Works very well when using wedges to split wet wood.
 
witchhunter said:
what are some of the basic advantages/disadvantages to the double bit reeves compared to the other hatchets?

all these pics of the nessmuk you have been posting around here lately (esp. the chopping thread) has me very interested in getting one for myself. lol
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Advantages:
Two edges. One blunted and steep for hard wood, bone, and animal sinew/ligaments. One sharp and fine for clear wood and carving tasks. Can also be used for slicing duties much like a Ulu.
Well balanced.
Light weight.

Disadvantages:
Cant hammer as hard, or on metal with cheek of bit like you can with a standard hatchet.
Can be dangerous to un-skilled users.

I know there is more, just not coming to mind right now.
 
A reground fiskars is bloody amazing, I own a Gransfors WH and the reground Fiskars is a pretty decent comparison.
 
sodak said:
Here's the xray. This isn't my picture, but I did save it when I saw it. I think it's very telling. You compare this to how, say, a Swamp Rat Bandicoot is made, and I'll go for the more robust design. To each their own.

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q203/sodak_photos/mora_xray.jpg
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That picture means nothing to me (or this thread which is about axes). As I mentioned before, I have used the 510 for years now. At times fairly harshly, with no problems. My Brother uses the Clipper (shortest tang of all) and beats the hell out of it. Again..... no problems.

Are they as strong as a Swamp Rat, or Busse...... no. Then again I'm not beating my knives through a Volkswagen.
 
tarmix101 said:
That picture means nothing to me (or this thread which is about axes). As I mentioned before, I have used the 510 for years now. At times fairly harshly, with no problems. My Brother uses the Clipper (shortest tang of all) and beats the hell out of it. Again..... no problems.

Are they as strong as a Swamp Rat, or Busse...... no. Then again I'm not beating my knives through a Volkswagen.
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I don't care what it means to you. I posted it so the others can look at it and decide for themselves. No one is talking about beating a knife into a car, batoning was topic.

Good for you and your brother, I know plenty of other people who have had Moras fail under fairly light use.
 
sodak said:
I don't care what it means to you. I posted it so the others can look at it and decide for themselves. No one is talking about beating a knife into a car, batoning was topic.

Good for you and your brother, I know plenty of other people who have had Moras fail under fairly light use.
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I'm not going to get in a pissing match with you.... if you truly wanted others to gain knowledge from that picture (that has been around for a long time) you should have started a new thread. The thread is about axes, not the x ray of Moras.

I have the benefit of user knowledge (I have actually USED a Mora) so your account of "plenty of people" that have had Moras fail is un-substantiated IMHO (not implying you have not used them BTW).

They have been around for much longer that you or me..... they will be around for much longer after we go.

Want to discuss further.... start another thread. We can discuss the failings, and benefits of Moras until the cows come home!
 
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