Quality of certain lines of axes within manufacurer's catalogues

T

Texpatriate

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Jan 21, 2015
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I'm trying to figure out what the differences are between the various lines of certain manufacturers, especially ones like Kelly who seem to have dozens of different markings like "Perfect", "Flint Edge", "Woodslasher", etc. (I own one or more of each of these). Do these different lines of axes represent levels of quality such as with the modern Council Tool axes with their standard vs. Velvicut lines, or perhaps just who the axes were marketed to, i.e. outdoorsmen vs. lumber industry workers? And if so, which ones are regarded as higher quality? Thanks!
 
Texpatriate said:
Do these different lines of axes represent levels of quality such as with the modern Council Tool axes with their standard vs. Velvicut lines, or perhaps just who the axes were marketed to, i.e. outdoorsmen vs. lumber industry workers?
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Both. With some it was just a matter of the marketing and the only change was the stamp and/or label, with others it was denoting a particular line with certain features. These could both be true within the same manufacturer and time period, as well.
 
Thanks for the reply. Does anybody know a resource that describes what the differences are? I've skimmed through the yesteryears tools site, but it seems to be more about company history info.
 
It's often nearly impossible to tell even with vintage dealer catalogs available as a resource. Some spell it out more clearly than others.
 
Walters - Black Diamond
Blenkhorn - Chief
Campbell's - XXX

Those are the only ones I know. Generally these were the best steel and build. Sorry I don't know much about the American axes, only have a few Maine axes and don't know the models. I imagine the name does say a lot, a Perfect or True Temper probably did indicate one of their top lines.

Someone else can enlighten us further, and perhaps tell us if "American Axes" by Kauffman has more detail. FortyTwo is probably right, although I don't think marketing back then stretched the truth anywhere near as bad as today.
 
Go by the price per dozen in the old tool catalogs. The spendier items had the best steel and workmanship. Someone here pointed out that Kelly Perfects were more expensive than Black Ravens. That isn't the case now but it tells you something about their relative quality.
 
Chignecto Woodsman said:
FortyTwo is probably right, although I don't think marketing back then stretched the truth anywhere near as bad as today.
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Wanna' bet? :D

Keen+Kutter.jpg
 
I've heard that Woodslashers are bottom-level Kellys, with Flint Edge being slightly better, Black Ravens in the middle, Perfects second best, and Registereds as top of the line. Not dead sure, but it sounds right to me.
 
Registered axes from Kelly were priced almost 50% more than the Black Raven axes (prices from 1913):

books
 
Axe Master '94 said:
I've heard that Woodslashers are bottom-level Kellys, with Flint Edge being slightly better, Black Ravens in the middle, Perfects second best, and Registereds as top of the line. Not dead sure, but it sounds right to me.
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The Kelly Wood Slasher line was made to compete by price point with "Hardware Store" brands. Many of the hardware store brands were also made by Kelly.

Tom
 
Steve Tall said:
Registered axes from Kelly were priced almost 50% more than the Black Raven axes (prices from 1913):

books
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True, but I wonder if they weren't just charging extra for the warranty on the registered line.

It amazes me that even with as many Kelly axes that were produced, and as many as are available, how high of a price they're going for on ebay right now, when many of the same axes would have gone for just a few bucks just a couple of years ago. Personally I think axes are just a trendy thing to buy right now and its creating an inflated demand that will collapse when all the "preppers" and "Lumbersexuals" have had their fill :D. If anybody has an old axe sitting around, now is definitely a seller's market.
 
Double Ott said:
The Kelly Wood Slasher line was made to compete by price point with "Hardware Store" brands. Many of the hardware store brands were also made by Kelly.

Tom
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Not to contradict, but I think it might even be closer to the truth to say Woodslasher were hardware store axes! Paint red and put TT label on and its a Kelly for individual/small stores or contracts?, or paint a different color and sell under a private label for large chains. I am partial to the line because my first axe was a Michigan pattern 3.5# double bit Woodslasher, but I honestly don't think the differences b/t WS and higher end lines was much more than cosmetic in Kelly's last few decades. One thing I like about them is that the bits tend to be thinner, which in my experience helps with non splitting chores. They are not polished, but the finish under the paint is pretty good compared to a lot of even later domestic axes which seemed to be sold almost entirely for splitting or even grubbing and left rough. The full sized Woodslasher at Lowes last time I looked were ROUGH imports, though :(.
 
BG_Farmer said:
Not to contradict, but I think it might even be closer to the truth to say Woodslasher were hardware store axes! Paint red and put TT label on and its a Kelly for individual/small stores or contracts?, or paint a different color and sell under a private label for large chains. I am partial to the line because my first axe was a Michigan pattern 3.5# double bit Woodslasher, but I honestly don't think the differences b/t WS and higher end lines was much more than cosmetic in Kelly's last few decades. One thing I like about them is that the bits tend to be thinner, which in my experience helps with non splitting chores. They are not polished, but the finish under the paint is pretty good compared to a lot of even later domestic axes which seemed to be sold almost entirely for splitting or even grubbing and left rough. The full sized Woodslasher at Lowes last time I looked were ROUGH imports, though :(.
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Where do you think Kelly sold many of their entire line of axes??

Tom
 
Double Ott said:
Where do you think Kelly sold many of their entire line of axes??

Tom
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I didn't do a very good job, did I? I meant the lower cost segment. Of course, they sold most of their line of axes in hardware stores, but the paper labels were the least expensive and probably the highest volume. A big chain might want their own paint and label on a volume leader, whereas a small store might be happier to sell the Kelly branded one.
 
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