Off road 4wd and pulaski axe

[Square_peg]

Same thing you do with a miners axe, work in confined space

That's a good point. Might be handy under a truck. An army entrenching pick is handy for that stuff. Anything is better than staying stuck.

 

[333.okh]

Does this mean, within a hurried and paced assembly line, that someone flips a switch or rings a bell and the whole production line knowingly and correspondingly switches over to dealing with a different grade of bar stock? I don't think so. In a similar vein I suspect that Council Velvicuts aren't expensive to buy because the 'Yuppie-fashionable' steel in them costs a lot more, more likely a question of the nuisance of having to switch over to producing differing criterion small batches. An FSS-grade Pulaski head goes through the same closed die industrial process as the standard version and workers doing the temper and hardening have no reason to do less or more of something to the head. It's in the QC, fit and finish and choice of wood, that something like this sees a big hike in price.
It's scary in today's world that a Chinese, Mexican, Sri Lankan, Brazilian, Cambodian or Indian worker can assemble an entire car for what it costs a north American 'able body' to produce a mere axe or shovel.

Well then get out your file and take a swipe you will be surprised. They are different. I not only restore, but professionally used these tool. AND I don't like Council....Barco feel better and hold edge longer on the newer models.

My crew still uses the True Temper heads we would scrounge anywhere we went on fires.

 

[Moonw]

Axes have been hammered out of 5160 and "equivalents" (or at least used for bits) by local smiths since carriages have been rocking leaf springs, so I wouldn't say it's just a flavor of the moment. Things didn't go to waste, and the steel is excellent for any high-impact tool. Fwiw.

 

[300Six]

Well then get out your file and take a swipe you will be surprised. They are different. I not only restore, but professionally use these tools. AND I don't like Council....Barco feels better and holds an edge longer on the newer models.

My crew still uses the True Temper heads we would scrounge anywhere we went on fires.

Interesting! The Barco non-FSS spec Pulaski I bought new 20 years ago has given me good service and the blade is holding up very well for chopping roots. I'm disappointed at eye width compared to the Walters version (5/8 vs 3/4 inch) I used for 20 years before that. This makes the handle that much more vulnerable to breakage. Top of the photo is the Walters and bottom is the Barco.