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How good are the Older Collins Axe's?
- Thread starter warman
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2010
- Messages
- 2,395
Depends on how old you are talking about. Collins has been around a long long time. They have been under different ownership though throughout their history, and this can lead to variances in the quality of their axes.
I have an older Collins axe, a Legitimus single bit which I find to be of excellent quality. I then have some that were still under the Collins label, but basically made by Mann Edge Tool Co out of Pa. Basic rule of thumb that I have found with Collins, the older, the better.
Attachted is a pic of another one I just picked up - check out the lettering on the label. Though the quality of the tool, to me, is superb. (not the legitimus one I am talking about above, this is another one)
Not sure if this helped or not. As far as in comparion to a GB, I don't have enough experience with them, though I would take my Legitimus SB axe and compare it to mostly anything.
Edit - inlcuded the SB Legitimus pic too now.
I have an older Collins axe, a Legitimus single bit which I find to be of excellent quality. I then have some that were still under the Collins label, but basically made by Mann Edge Tool Co out of Pa. Basic rule of thumb that I have found with Collins, the older, the better.
Attachted is a pic of another one I just picked up - check out the lettering on the label. Though the quality of the tool, to me, is superb. (not the legitimus one I am talking about above, this is another one)
Not sure if this helped or not. As far as in comparion to a GB, I don't have enough experience with them, though I would take my Legitimus SB axe and compare it to mostly anything.
Edit - inlcuded the SB Legitimus pic too now.
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BRab
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2009
- Messages
- 1,103
As Operator said, it can vary. The new stuff is imported with the Collins name branded on it and it does not represent the quality of the USA made stuff from the past. Old Collins tools were made to a very high quality, I have a number of Collins axes and they are all great. My favorite splitting maul is a Collins. They also made some of the best machetes, I've seen some from the WWII era that are still in use today because they were so well made.
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2007
- Messages
- 2,254
Even before they moved to Mexico, the Collins axes were made in different grades. The common blue "Pioneer" axes were their basic hardware store grade. The black heads with the gold "Collins" label were a higher grade sold in logging supply shops. If you go back before WW-II you will find they had maybe 4 or 5 grades of axes and it is hard to sort them out now without spending a lot of time in old catalogs.