Husqvarna now makes a Fiskars style plastic/fibreglass handled axe

E

EdmontonAxe

Joined
Oct 21, 2013
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I'm not sure if this has already been discussed, but I discovered last night that Husqvarna now makes a fiskars style axe.

They are apparently a pretty new product and my local chainsaw/forestry store only had 3 for sale, all the same size, but would be getting more in.

It was pretty hefty, had a nice squared poll for hammering and a steel overstrike plate. Really seemed like a more 'hardcore' version of a fiskars. Clearly there is some inspiration from and probably cooperation/fabrication from fiskars. I've been a fan and an owner of fiskars axes for about a decade and if I could justify yet another axe, I would have happily picked one up. (But really, I was there to get a new chain for my saw)

I know there are many detractors, and no, it doesn't look like you could rehaft this, but it would be pretty tough to break it in the first place.

I'll try to steal the image from google image search:
6f716b65.jpg
 
It looks slightly different than the Fiskars. I don't like the look of that short toe. It looks worn out already.
 
They could make those type of handles for the normal type of axe, but you know what I think, this type of axe is a purely commercial design.

It seems this handle will not be as shock absorber as a wooden one. Has anyone used it to confirm or refute my opinion?
 
Good point on the toe Square_peg...it does look pre-worn now that I look at it. I knew something wasn't right but I couldn't figure out quite what.

Looks like a perfect tool for hanging off a work truck through...no rust and no rot...definitely more commercial use as Ugaldie said.
 
Square_peg said:
It looks slightly different than the Fiskars. I don't like the look of that short toe. It looks worn out already.
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I agree. Made even worse with the grind on the edge, that toe will retreat quickly. This isn't the first new axe I've seen with a worn out looking toe. It is almost as if the factories are copying worn vintage heads with good intentions but unintentional results.
 
BG_Farmer said:
I agree. Made even worse with the grind on the edge, that toe will retreat quickly. This isn't the first new axe I've seen with a worn out looking toe. It is almost as if the factories are copying worn vintage heads with good intentions but unintentional results.
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My thoughts as well. :D
 
EdmontonAxe: you'd be just the frigid weather fella to go on out and test how brittle (ie break like a pane of glass) the handle on one of these becomes when it's -30 C (-22 F). Presumably these Huskies are inexpensive 'throw-away' implements in the north.
 
BG_Farmer said:
It is almost as if the factories are copying worn vintage heads with good intentions but unintentional results.
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I saw one in the hardware store that was made in India. It looked just like a worn out vintage axe.
 
Does Husqvarna actually make any axes or might this one be made by someone like Fiskars?
 
300Six said:
EdmontonAxe: you'd be just the frigid weather fella to go on out and test how brittle (ie break like a pane of glass) the handle on one of these becomes when it's -30 C (-22 F). Presumably these Huskies are inexpensive 'throw-away' implements in the north.
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#1 - Not cheap. $90 for a heavy headed 28". Regardless of fibreglass/plastic with an odd shaped bit, its a nice bit of kit - I just couldn't justify it at that price.

2 - One of the -25*C (~-15*F)early evenings (you know, when the sun goes down at quarter to five) between Christmas and New Years my wife decided it would be nice to have a fire in the fireplace, then I decided it was easier to split the easy to access rounds instead of digging out the drifted snow and tarp to get to my split wood pile. Used my fiskars splitting axe, no problems, but frozen popular splits like a dream. I'd guess it gets cold in finland too.
 
You can order in traditional axes at about half the price of a Wetterlings, and even less than G. Bruks, from a local Husqvarna dealership. They are Husky restamps made by better Swedish manufacturers. If the 600g.....11\4pd. hatchet that I ordered has reasonable fit\finish, I might grab a few more Huskys and be done with my buying. I already have 7 or so axes and hatchets, not counting hawks. I feel close to saturation. If dude wants to pay $160.00 for a Bruks up here, fill yer boots. It's beginning to feel foolish to me....B.T.W., I read somewhere that the old Swedish forestry workers used to keep their axes warm with body heat to avoid fragility.
 
upnorth said:
B.T.W., I read somewhere that the old Swedish forestry workers used to keep their axes warm with body heat to avoid fragility.
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Not just the Swedes. I've heard of the tradition from just about anywhere that gets cold winters. A common method was to tuck the head of the axe under the armpit.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Not just the Swedes. I've heard of the tradition from just about anywhere that gets cold winters. A common method was to tuck the head of the axe under the armpit.
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Interesting, I was kind of wondering about how they were carried, thanks.
 
upnorth said:
B.T.W., I read somewhere that the old Swedish forestry workers used to keep their axes warm with body heat to avoid fragility.
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Whooo! That'd be sort of like sticking your tongue to a metal post. -40 degree thick piece of steel under an armpit would wake anyone up in a hurry, and cause a quick case of frostbite too.
 
The idea was that you would tuck it under your arm while it was still warm--not after the metal was already cold. ;)
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
The idea was that you would tuck it under your arm while it was still warm--not after the metal was already cold. ;)
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You always seem to come up with 'guru answers'. But pray tell why would anyone in their right mind want to tuck a warm axe under their arm in order to protect it from the cold?
 
So that when they actually get out to the site where they're chopping the axe is still warm.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
The idea was that you would tuck it under your arm while it was still warm--not after the metal was already cold. ;)
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Yes, that was my understanding also....... No dis intended 300. We are all human and sometimes don't see the obvious. Lord knows that I have my moments also. I remember freaking out in a rush barking at my wife that I couldn't find my glasses. She told me that I was wearing them..............:D I would imagine that the loggers back in the day probably made big warm up bonfires on site. That would strike me as a dandy time to hold a fellows axe just close enough to warm it up to avoid being brittle as he had a pipe. This is all just a guess on my part. But when I lived in the north there was heavy duty commercial logging during the winter at the turn of the century. And it can easily get to -30 and worse up there. I remember briefly thinking about checking out some of those old camp sites with my metal detector, but I never bothered. I was too busy with coins and fur trade relics to care then. I'd find the odd head and toss it, or leave them on a stump for someone. Kind of bums me to think of it now.
 
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