No more Wetterlings?

when you buy a $150 axe that shits the bed, "warrantee reverence" doesn't seem silly to me.

Lieblad said:
Btw,
Must be amusing and or aggravating to european toolmakers the degree "warrantee" is revered/expected by the US market.
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mldrenen said:
when you buy a $150 axe that shits the bed, "warrantee reverence" doesn't seem silly to me.
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IMO shitting the bed and what people complain about nowadays are two different things.
You have the right to complain if it shits the bed no matter how cheap or expensive it was. Nowadays though, a tool that does what its supposed to do without fuss is not enough. Now people expect a perfect example in every way down to inconsequential visual imperfections that don't impact at all on its fitness for purpose, and would have been laughed at if you raised the same concerns people complain about nowadays with a seller a few years back.

if the handle is loose or the bit is chippy or something on the $150 axe then complain away. If the grind is slightly uneven or you can see where a belt sander was used...get over it.

I work in online retail and the crap some people complain about is simply astonishing. Logic need not apply. Entitlement is strong. Must be the millennials? lol
 
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For $100 or less I can get a vintage axe of the pattern and maker of my liking on a vintage shaft with an unabused poll ready to go. Far far less if I just buy a head and hang it myself. So if you want to sell me a brand new axe for $180 it had better......
1. Have the proper geometry to do the job it is sold to do
2. Be hung correctly and without nasty gaps.
3. Be correctly heat treated.
At the very least. And if it looks like shoddy sanding or finish work I am going to complain. They are called "boutique" axes for a reason.
 
Woodcraft said:
For $100 or less I can get a vintage axe of the pattern and maker of my liking on a vintage shaft with an unabused poll ready to go. Far far less if I just buy a head and hang it myself. So if you want to sell me a brand new axe for $180 it had better......
1. Have the proper geometry to do the job it is sold to do
2. Be hung correctly and without nasty gaps.
3. Be correctly heat treated.
At the very least. And if it looks like shoddy sanding or finish work I am going to complain. They are called "boutique" axes for a reason.
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Hahaha oh sure, you could build anything in life for less but we forget time is money.
 
While I agree that some people can be unreasonably picky, there is supposed to be a difference between a boutique axe, a GB, a Velvicut etc. and the standard $40 Council boy's axe. If someone is paying 3-5X the price, they have a right to expect something exceptional to justify all of that extra cost.
 
Exactly - I am interested in a Bushman and if the head isn't heat treated properly I just want to know am I SOL or would I be getting a similar GB Small Forest Axe to replace the dud.
 
Woodcraft said:
Re read the first line.
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you underestimate the skill, time and effort it takes to find that stuff.
its your hobby so you don't think twice about it.

but not all of us know how to find that for under a $100

P.S, Can you find me a Kelly Perfect like that? :D plz
 
DeadboxHero said:
you underestimate the skill, time and effort it takes to find that stuff.
its your hobby so you don't think twice about it.

but not all of us know how to find that for under a $100

P.S, Can you find me a Kelly Perfect like that? :D plz
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I was just given a 4lb Kelly perfect jersey for my birthday (the old lady let's me pick my own presents at this point)with vintage handle that came in at one dollar under that mark;) (I did have to pull the old wedge and slap a new one in)
Here is a crappy picture.
Not that hard if you look and show restraint. I am actually mildly embarrassed because I do not spend even close to that on axes but received/purchased two at that mark recently. I would say from what I have seen here jblyttle would be the man when it comes to finding gold at copper prices:)
 
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Woodcraft said:
I was just given a 4lb Kelly perfect jersey for my birthday (the old lady let's me pick my own presents at this point)with vintage handle that came in at one dollar under that mark;) (I did have to pull the old wedge and slap a new one in)
Here is a crappy picture.
Not that hard if you look and show restraint. I am actually mildly embarrassed because I do not spend even close to that on axes but received/purchased two at that mark recently. I would say from what I have seen here jblyttle would be the man when it comes to finding gold at copper prices:)
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hahaha see?! you are the axe whisperer :p:D, nice jersey man happy birthday
 
If I recall a Canadian-made axe cost $15 (or you could get an 'lesser prestige' offshore Swede or German for $10-12) in the early 1970s. Minimum wage at the time was $1/hr and the job I had with Ontario Dept of Lands & Forests clearing brush and chopping trees paid $30/wk on top of room and board, evening and weekend recreation plus travel expense to and from the camp in northern Ontario.
If you figure it took almost 2 days of minimum wages in 1970 to afford a run-of-the-mill-but-excellent-quality axe (there were no hand forged versions at the time) and then look at the current $11.40 Ontario minimum wage for doing that same work a factory production axe would set you back $175. Us 'fat cats' in the West have come to expect old fashioned quality but at 3rd world prices.
 
300Six said:
If I recall a Canadian-made axe cost $15 (or you could get an 'lesser prestige' offshore Swede or German for $10-12) in the early 1970s. Minimum wage at the time was $1/hr and the job I had with Ontario Dept of Lands & Forests clearing brush and chopping trees paid $30/wk on top of room and board, evening and weekend recreation plus travel expense to and from the camp in northern Ontario.
If you figure it took almost 2 days of minimum wages in 1970 to afford a run-of-the-mill-but-excellent-quality axe (there were no hand forged versions at the time) and then look at the current $11.40 Ontario minimum wage for doing that same work a factory production axe would set you back $175. Us 'fat cats' in the West have come to expect old fashioned quality but at 3rd world prices.
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A lot of truth to that.
 
Wages have plunged dramatically since 1980.

In 1967 my father bought our family a large 5 bedroom home for a year's salary (journeyman electrician). That home in that town is worth over $300,000 today while an electrician might make $80K-$85K. Hence wages have fallen by about 70% since 1967.

Income for the very wealthy has risen sharply during that time.
 
Heard back from Wetterlings - warranty will still be honoured either by fixing the problem or some other reimbursement if they no longer have stock of the item.
 
rjdankert said:
Found this on another group

Information about cooperation between Wetterlings & Gränsfors Bruk
https://www.gransforsbruk.com/en/information-cooperation-wetterlings-gransfors-bruk/


Bob
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Makes sense to gobble up (eliminate, assimilate) your direct competitors when given the opportunity. This doesn't bode well for anyone expecting to see the price of Swede axes come down. Hand-built axes are hugely labour intensive compared to offshore closed-die mass production 'axe facsimiles'. During the past 10 years the Swedes very likely have hit the wall (financial ceiling) regarding supply and demand. Axes are quite unlike cars, computers, phones and cordless power tools in that they aren't engineered to have to be replaced every 5-10 years.

I've very much been toying with the prospect of grabbing one of Wetterlings Hudson Bay patterns before they're gone but then realized I already got hold of a dream axe a few years ago (via jblyttle) in the form of an unused late 40s/early 1950s Plumb National.
 
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This is a shame. Wetterling's handle shape is more comfortable to me than GB. After trying a Wetterlings, I sold my GB's. Wetterlings sheathes though never fit right and need attention. The Les Stroud design is unique to Wetterlings and stays in my truck for a handy do everything tool. Hopefully GB will pick up the design.
 
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