Hultafors Too Afraid to Sell Axes to Americans

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rg598

Joined
Oct 18, 2008
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Some time ago I did a review on a Hultafors axe that you can see here. As you know, Hultafors now owns Hults Bruk, a very well known axe manufacturer. I got a lot of feedback from the review, showing interest in this line of axes, and the similarly high level of interest has been generated by Sportsman’s Guide, which offers used military surplus axes, many of which appear to be from the same line of Hults Bruk axes.

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For some reason however, their axes are impossible to find in the US. I had to have mine shipped to me by a store in Germany. So, I started contacting people to see what can be done. I even contacted Hultafors, but got no answer. Finally, one distributor managed to get through to them and try to buy some of their axes and sell them in the US.

The answer he received from Hultafors was that they do not sell their axes in the US because they are afraid of our product liability laws. In their words, an axe in the wrong hands can mean trouble for them. They refuse to sell any axes to a US distributor.

It is rather sad that a large manufacturer like Hultafors would have such a sub-par legal department as to reach this absurd conclusion about the legal environment in the US. Apparently every other axe manufacturer in the world has no problem selling axes in the US, but Hultafors think they know better.

Let’s hope that one day they hire some lawyers that are actually worth the money. Maybe then we’ll see their axes in the US.

http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/
 
Maybe that is the whole point perhaps?

They would rather make axes instead of employee a team of lawyers to fight off product liabilities claims from fools chopping off their fingers and toes?

Obviously somewhat of a speculation on my part in that regard, just as yours is that they have a "sub-par" legal department.


All that aside, damn cool axe.
 
Considering the crap going on in NY regarding box cutters and easy open knives I'm not surprised. I have read that most knife companies will not ship to anywhere in NY state.

Regards

Robin
 
I realize that he is probably a little gun-shy due to the "sue happy" nature of the US...I will give him that.

But apart from that he sounds like a little girl. If he doesn't want to sell to us (the USA) then he can go screw himself.
 
devilpig said:
I realize that he is probably a little gun-shy due to the "sue happy" nature of the US...I will give him that.

But apart from that he sounds like a little girl. If he doesn't want to sell to us (the USA) then he can go screw himself.
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OR, it Could be that he has been sued before... Once bitten, twice shy.


Regards

Robin
 
Pipeman said:
OR, it Could be that he has been sued before... Once bitten, twice shy.


Regards

Robin
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Doubt it. I don't know of a Judge who would rule in favor of something like that. An axe is an inherently dangerous item...I've heard lots of crazy stuff come from the wahoos that are appointed as Judges these days, but even they would not likely agree with something like this.

But its his company. If he chooses not to sell to us for that reasoning, whether or not it is their company being over-cautious or covering their butts, I have no problem with it...but I will choose not to go out of my way to buy Hultafors products. There are enough options from companies that aren't misguided.
 
Who knows the story behind the story. But most of us have or have had corporate jobs and know management can make some pretty foolish decisions. Remember those Fed Ex commercials that were making fun of corp management? I loved those because they were spot on.

I suppose I better add this lest you think I am a corporate basher, I have done Gov work also. That is a much less productive environment.
 
i've always wondered why they didn't see them in the US.
what a load of BS:(
as the above post said, "screw em'"...
 
I know many of us get upset about laws in the US which we see as unreasonable, but keep in mind that these axes are made and sold in Sweden, where it is illegal (from what I understand) to carry any fixed blade knife. They are also sold in the UK and Europe where knife laws are much, much tougher and more restrictive than anywhere in the US.

As far as I am aware they have never been sued, and if they had, that case would have been thrown out immediately. Any lawyer who deals with product liability in the US should be able to tell them that.

It seriously seems that they are basing their opinion about the US legal system on rumors and perception rather than on actual information. It is true that any idiot can sue for anything, but that is true in any free country. The likelihood of success is equally low everywhere.

Every other axe manufacturer in Sweden has figured out how to do business in the US. I don't know if this is just a direct result of incompetence or if there is another reason that we are not boing told. Keep in mind that Hultafors is the largest axe manufacturer in Sweden. If Gransfors Bruks can sell axes here, so can they. They just need to grow a pair.
 
Injury due to use of an axe would fall under "assumption of risk" unless the axe itself had something severely wrong with it that caused it to fail and injure the user while under normal and reasonable use. Now way they have anything to worry about here. Just slap a sticker on the head saying, in so many words, "axe sold as is" and the purchaser will be waiving any right to sue right from the get-go. That simple.
 
Sorry folks - I can sympathize with Hultafors -- last year a judge awarded a huge settlement to a moron who lost fingers on his table saw -- after he took all the guards off of it -- because the manufacturer didn't invest in a $150 "saw stop" module for their $165 benchtop model. I can only imagine what that court would award if someone brought a wrongful injury suit up for hacking off their leg because they didn't use proper technique or wear protective gear.
 
The saw company should have appealed that judgement. That's modification of the equipment, and while a manufacturer can be held liable for not adopting new safety technologies that are common knowledge and commercially viable for use in that particular product (read: inexpensive and simple enough to implement that there's no logical reason not to), that's not the case in that instance. The responsibility is pretty clearly in the hands of the bozo who removed a safety device from the equipment.

Furthermore, there's nothing along those lines that applies to a tool as simple as an axe. All they have to do is put one of those "always wear eye protection/manufacturer is not responsible from any injury resulting from the use/misuse of this product" labels on there and you'd be pretty darn safe. State that the item is sold "as is/where is" and the purchaser waives their right to any legal action regarding the product.

Note: I may have taken a course or two on this stuff, but I'm not a lawyer. Seek professional counsel before undertaking any such endeavor. It's not too expensive and can save you a lot of trouble.
 
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Today, we see people being awarded big settlements for ridiculous suits. However, Baryonyx has checked this angle pretty thoroughly. I think everyone involved in the sale of knives, axes, etc. does stop and considers the possibility of being sued.
 
It´s true rg598 any fixed blade or folder for that mather is illegal to carry in sweden, but for some reason a person wouldn´t look twice if you walked down the
street with an axe in your hand.
 
I think when it comes to the law, there are way too many urbal legends. Everyone has a story where someone they know, heard from someone else, who saw somewhere that someone sued a company for something stupid and won. The truth is that when one looks at the actual case is question it is nothing like the story that is being told.

When it comes to something like an axe, there is no more liability here in the US than there is in the UK, France, or Sweden. Similarly, idiots are free to sue anyone for any stupid thing in any of those countries, with most of those case being thrown out as soon as they are filed.

There just seems to be something more here. I find it hard to believe that a fairly large company would be so poorly informed about the law in such a large market. It is almost as if they are doing their research using Google and stories they hear in forums. It is possible that they just think Americans as people are more likely to sue, but if that is the case, I am equally happy to not give them any of my money.

http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/
 
That legal thing sounds like BS. A more likely reason is that Hultafors have decided to strongly focus on European market and withdraw from US for now. Hultafors, who happen to own Snickers Workwear, which was sold in US as Skillers Workwear (because of conflicts over the name with Mars Co) have decided to shut down Skillers in US. You can read more on the US distributor http://repconnw.com/ and www.skillers.com

Repcon also distributes Hultafors knifes in US, so perhaps you can get in touch with them and get an axe. Btw, every craftsman carries a fixed blade knife in Sweden, most 2 in fact.

But - Hultafors makes and sells axes for husquavarna at Hults Bruk. So if you can get that in US, it's a Hultafors axe with a different logo stamped in it. You would have to compare though, I don't know if they make ALL of Husquarnas models.

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/landsca...s/forest-tools/traditional-multi-purpose-axe/
 
devilpig said:
Doubt it. I don't know of a Judge who would rule in favor of something like that. An axe is an inherently dangerous item...I've heard lots of crazy stuff come from the wahoos that are appointed as Judges these days, but even they would not likely agree with something like this.
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A few years ago I read about a mother suing over her child losing fingers in a paper shredder. She was letting the child feed paper into the shredder and the child's fingers went in too. After that new safety requirements were mandated. It was the mother's fault the child lost fingers. Who would let a young child (4 or 5 yrs old I think) feed a shredder? There are a lot of unfit parents and stupid people looking for someone else to blame and make money doing so.
 
tekwyzrd said:
A few years ago I read about a mother suing over her child losing fingers in a paper shredder. She was letting the child feed paper into the shredder and the child's fingers went in too. After that new safety requirements were mandated. It was the mother's fault the child lost fingers. Who would let a young child (4 or 5 yrs old I think) feed a shredder? There are a lot of unfit parents and stupid people looking for someone else to blame and make money doing so.
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Oh, and I agree with you. But an axe is similar to a baseball bat...yes it COULD be dangerous, but it's not a mechanical device that has automated features, etc, etc. To me it just seems like a cop-out for them not to sell here...though there may be other reasons as well.
 
It does seem like a lame excuse. Maybe they can't compete price-wise with their product line in the US. Maybe they just don't like the US. Who knows, and with the selection there's available in the US, who cares.
 
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