Gerber/Fiskars hatchet construction?

[Liam Ryan]

I don't know about that. Mine does not seem brittle. I know that mine was completely blunt before I reprofiled the edge.

It was more of an edge chipping issue than brittle steel.
This thread was the first thing that popped up in google.
http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/76928/
That last post there pretty much sums up my experience.

"I’ve heard some speculation that the big axe makers actually mess up the temper when they sharpen at the factory before shipping out. There might be something to this because they’re surely not hand sharpening, they must be using belt sanders or other heat generating machines. On my GB and Fiskars splitters I noticed an improvement in edge performance after five or six sharpenings, so maybe you just need to sharpen your way through the heat damaged portion."

 

[M3mphis]

It was more of an edge chipping issue than brittle steel.
This thread was the first thing that popped up in google.
http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/76928/
That last post there pretty much sums up my experience.

"I’ve heard some speculation that the big axe makers actually mess up the temper when they sharpen at the factory before shipping out. There might be something to this because they’re surely not hand sharpening, they must be using belt sanders or other heat generating machines. On my GB and Fiskars splitters I noticed an improvement in edge performance after five or six sharpenings, so maybe you just need to sharpen your way through the heat damaged portion."

Interesting. It reminds me of a thread I read here where some of the knifemakers were arguing about whether or not sharpening with paper wheels creates a thin layer of soft steel because the heat is to high at the contact point between the wheel and the steel.

 

[xtramile]

Looking down the handle of my 14'' with a flashlight there are indeed 2 hex head bolts, not sure what they heck they would be doing in there though.

so i am not going crazy! well at the very least thanks for confirming that there is something strange going on in there.