Is Wranglerstar on Youtube a reliable source of information about axes etc.?

Chignecto Woodsman said:
Just saw he has a rant about negativity because people were asking why he doesn't do certain things on the homestead (like raise chickens?!?). And there was also a recent one where someone gets hit in the face with an axe.

Sure, there's accidents. But anyone who ever brings up safety concerns will just be called a 'Safety Sally'. I remember one video where they switched for a week, the man doing the woman's job and vice versa. He had his sister bucking a log while standing 3 feet in the air or so, not the brightest method for someone experienced, and she was a beginner. And they were joking about it, poking fun at all the 'Safety Sallys' who would criticise in the video. And what do you know? She bucks through and then falls down to the ground. No injury but if you fall on an axe you might be bleeding out in minutes.

Seems there are numerous 'axe accident' videos on the channel. I'd point out the obvious mistake you could teach a child (from the 'Hit In Face With Axe' video), but that would make me a Safety Sally.

Hopefully they are alright, but it seems strange the way they go about it, as if you're the bad guy for pointing out that someone should be careful with tools. It's all just a little naive, and now they're trying to raise money to cover surgery.
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I can't argue with any of this.
 
I give him credit for being entertaining and I envy him for pursuing his dreams, where he lives, etc. But he seems to have morphed from simply sharing his journey into trying to make the world believe he knows everything. The latest example is this carpentry thing. The bench he built is not well thought-out and is definitely not built very well; his one plane (and FYI it's not a "planer" - a planer is a large, heavy power tool) was not set up or sharpened correctly; his "new Stanley" chisels are crap. Now I wouldn't care about this, in fact I'd be on his side, if he'd just come out and tell the world "I have no idea if I'm doing this right but I'm going to take a crack at it," but instead it all comes off like he's all-knowing. And the only thing that makes it worse is that too many people believe him.

I also note that he seems to have every gismo, doodad, and piece of equipment known to Man; I wonder if his wife gets to have all those that she wants.
 
AxeAddict said:
I also note that he seems to have every gismo, doodad, and piece of equipment known to Man; I wonder if his wife gets to have all those that she wants.
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They seem to buy many things second hand, he gets a bunch of things free or cheap and then fixes them up, and he trades and sometimes his viewers send him things. I don't think that have seen anything that was sparkling and new. I'm sure that his wife is fine with it all because those things are a big part of either living the way that they do or generate income through the videos.

I get a lot of the criticism and can't argue against it, but I personally like more of what I see than what I don't like. With all of his flaws, what I most appreciate that he seems to be a doer. He will fix an old forge blower, build a big solid carpenter bench, volunteer for the local fire brigade, even sit there and carve a spoon with his son. He gets excited about a project, makes a plan and then does it. Sometimes it could be done in a better way, sometimes he learns and figures things out on his own as he goes along, but most things turn out pretty well for someone with no prior experience. Most people just talk about doing things. Also, he has toned down the "telling you how it is" from early on, and now you hear more "it seems to me", and "tell me what you think". He smiles more too, his brows seemed to be down a lot in the early videos. He must be in his 40's, and he still reveres his grandfather like a boy. There are people with worse qualities than this man. As far projecting the air of expert on some things that he clearly isn't- I fully agree with this complaint.

Many of the criticisms are completely valid, but I feel like there is a bit of "piling on" happening and wanted to be a bit of the Devil's Advocate. As with all people, there is good and bad, and I think that this guy is more good. Axe knowledge aside!
 
jblyttle said:
. . .

I get a lot of the criticism and can't argue against it, but I personally like more of what I see than what I don't like. With all of his flaws, what I most appreciate that he seems to be a doer.
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Absolutely, and good for him.:thumbup:

But he is a putz and sometimes unsafe.:eek:


:D It's a joke folks, just a little fun at his expense.
 
jblyttle said:
They seem to buy many things second hand, he gets a bunch of things free or cheap and then fixes them up, and he trades and sometimes his viewers send him things. I don't think that have seen anything that was sparkling and new. I'm sure that his wife is fine with it all because those things are a big part of either living the way that they do or generate income through the videos.

I get a lot of the criticism and can't argue against it, but I personally like more of what I see than what I don't like. With all of his flaws, what I most appreciate that he seems to be a doer. He will fix an old forge blower, build a big solid carpenter bench, volunteer for the local fire brigade, even sit there and carve a spoon with his son. He gets excited about a project, makes a plan and then does it. Sometimes it could be done in a better way, sometimes he learns and figures things out on his own as he goes along, but most things turn out pretty well for someone with no prior experience. Most people just talk about doing things. Also, he has toned down the "telling you how it is" from early on, and now you hear more "it seems to me", and "tell me what you think". He smiles more too, his brows seemed to be down a lot in the early videos. He must be in his 40's, and he still reveres his grandfather like a boy. There are people with worse qualities than this man. As far projecting the air of expert on some things that he clearly isn't- I fully agree with this complaint.

Many of the criticisms are completely valid, but I feel like there is a bit of "piling on" happening and wanted to be a bit of the Devil's Advocate. As with all people, there is good and bad, and I think that this guy is more good. Axe knowledge aside!
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He did have that one episode defending Dave Canterbury from a similar pile on and said basically, we're all full of S#$%. He just needs to stop hurting people with his axes and then I think he'll be on the right track.
 
I will admit to being a newbie. I wouldn't have even looked for this site had it not been for seeing one of his vids, and how excited he was with his new Chemical Ax. I have a pile of old saw blades that have just been sitting on top of a cabinet at my in laws house for decades and now can't wait to try to ID them. My axe head that I have been using for the last 3 yrs at camp is mounted upside down by myself lol. I wouldn't have even sought out any of this knowledge with out tripping over one of his vids. Now I have the Axe Bug bad, worse than gold fever. Seems that a new head shows up in the mail every other day. Someone said above that you need to do your own research, I agree. The guy is no expert but he does have a fan base that is now in the buying phase on your favorite auction site likely buying from many of you. Just curious if the value of a Sager Chemical went up after his vid was released? God told Noah to start grabbing gopher wood. I feel a pull to start getting my kit together for everything needed to live off grid. Society is about to change, and the old ways will be the way. Best to you all.
 
jblyttle said:
Up until this point I hadn't even watched the "rant" video, but I just did. I recommend that you all watch it. I found it to be pretty humble, reasonable and calm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDWR1OKtYb0
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I mentioned that video only because they seem to have a tendency to not answer questions, or they work around them without ever really answering anything. I mean, what is it that they really do? Why isn't it possible for them to raise chickens? And why did he have to frame the response in a way that made it seem as though those asking the question were rude (and they weren't)?

In an older video someone suggested that his sister could have been severely hurt when she almost fell on the axe. He just responded, 'she could have been in an accident on the way over, or been hit by an asteroid.' To willfully neglect safety for entertainment means that you aren't really having accidents, you're causing trouble (people should watch the 'Logging for Girls' video, it's a lesson in how not to teach people working in the woods). I mean, can I say that since there are car accidents anyway I might as well drink and drive?

It just seems strange to frame anyone asking questions about chickens as negative. It's a homesteading channel and not everyone can be a modern homesteader making a living off of Youtube. I think being humble would have meant a video stating, 'We had some questions about raising chickens, here's why we don't at this time.' Rather than humble, it seemed passive aggressive to me since he had to make out those asking questions as Negative Nellys questioning his authority (and implying that they must not have a knowledge of homesteading for asking such an ignorant question) rather than just people asking questions about homesteading on a channel dedicated to homesteading.
 
Chignecto Woodsman said:
I mentioned that video only because they seem to have a tendency to not answer questions, or they work around them without ever really answering anything. I mean, what is it that they really do? Why isn't it possible for them to raise chickens? And why did he have to frame the response in a way that made it seem as though those asking the question were rude (and they weren't)?

It just seems strange to frame anyone asking questions about chickens as negative. It's a homesteading channel and not everyone can be a modern homesteader making a living off of Youtube. I think being humble would have meant a video stating, 'We had some questions about raising chickens, here's why we don't at this time.' Rather than humble, it seemed passive aggressive to me since he had to make out those asking questions as Negative Nellys questioning his authority (and implying that they must not have a knowledge of homesteading for asking such an ignorant question) rather than just people asking questions about homesteading on a channel dedicated to homesteading.
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I think that we just took this in different ways. My take was that he did exactly what you suggested. He didn't rant, was not upset, never characterized anyone as rude, and explained specifically why they don't do everything on their own. People do see things differently, so I am not arguing just offering my own take. My only recommendation is that people take a look and form their own opinion.
 
Yeah, I've been wrong before. He does talk about a lot of interesting things, in some ways he's a bit like old-timers in not caring too much about perfection (just get the work done), and sometimes there can be an aspect of people knocking down a guy that's too popular. And I don't have a couple hundred thousand people watching me, I'm sure repetitive comments and questions could become frustrating - I might not deal with it so well.
 
Is he a particularly credible source? I don't know. How many credible sources do you have on the internet? Especially from someone who sells products.
I like watching his videos from time to time since they always seem to come up.

For the most part, I think he's relatively competent and that he means well.
Watching his video about how he got started, one can easily assume that he was financially well off before he became a homesteader (he said that he and his wife both had six figure salaries) hence him having alot of the snazzy gear. But I never got the impression that he posed himself as the end-all expert on the topic but I never expect him to hawk a inferior product or knowingly promote a wrong skill since he seems to show as he learns,
 
What i really dont like in his videos is music ... if i wanted to listen music (especially good music) i'd turn down the volume on youtube and play something i like.
Instead of the sound of chopping and cutting etc. i get some loud pitch voice yelling in BrE.
 
Pindvin said:
What i really dont like in his videos is music ... if i wanted to listen music (especially good music) i'd turn down the volume on youtube and play something i like.
Instead of the sound of chopping and cutting etc. i get some loud pitch voice yelling in BrE.
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I'm laughing at myself now because it looks like I'm Wranglerstar super defender. I'm not, really! But- since it came up, I will say that I really like the music. It's never there when he is talking or explaining something, and it's never loud and obnoxious. It's kind of nice and relaxing to have it during a long stretch where he is working but no speaking. You are not wrong, just more proof that tastes and opinions vary.
 
Yeah, he's not lacking in video editing skills. I know there are some songs I am not a fan of, but sometimes a slow pace can get pretty boring without some music. He seems to edit the music quite well from what I've watched.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
As Kant said, "Experience without theory is blind, but theory without experience is mere intellectual play."
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This basically describes my journey to learn ''bushcraft'' skills and better outdoor tool use. ......... I don't know much about this Wranglerstar dude, although I've seen one or two of his vids. He seems a mix of theater and earnestness.
 
The cow said:
. . . Watching his video about how he got started, one can easily assume that he was financially well off before he became a homesteader (he said that he and his wife both had six figure salaries) . . .
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I honestly don't know. Can one make six figures a year selling used Jeep Wrangler parts?

[video=youtube;XpnVUB_cgOc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpnVUB_cgOc[/video]

Video: Uploaded on May 4, 2010
 
rjdankert said:
I honestly don't know. Can one make six figures a year selling used Jeep Wrangler parts?
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buy low, sell high. gettem at salvage for nothing. haul them away.

he invested in a lot of tools, esp cutters and torches. rip those puppies down. refurb and strip. parts are worth more than the whole - think illegal chop shops.

there's a lot of people with old jeeps that want to keep them running.

i'd be surprised if he wasn't making some good cash flow for very little effort.
 
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