- Joined
- Nov 25, 2006
- Messages
- 7,038
Happy new year to you all. I have to admit that after being a hard boozing, dope smoking, car\motorcycle smashing maniac, that it feels good to be on my second cup of Hazelnut coffee on new years morning without a hangover.
Anyway, I picked up a Wetterlings axe on boxing day because axe shipments out on the prairies don't seem to be a priority with retailers, for obvious reasons. You either grab them or miss until whenever. I know that Wetterlings has been considered the plain sister of Swedish axes. And I also remember seeing a shipment of hatchets before Wetterlings came under new ownership, they were embarrassing to look at. Sloppy\cockeyed heads etc., a real mess. So I eyeballed the stock in the store and I was quite impressed with the materials\fit and finish. Head alignment, parallel wood grain etc. I really see little to no difference in this latest Wetterlings axe and a Gransfor Bruks. This Scandiavian forest axe cost $119.00 with tax which is getting fairly close to what they ask for a Bruks up here. And as I said, the fit and finish on this axe was great. If you laid a Bruks next to it you'd be hard pressed to see and difference. So the value seems to be there. Initial impressions of the tool are that the weight is slightly noticeable, but not burdensome. And the haft\handle is a little thicker than a Bruks. But this may not be a valid observation as I only have the SFA as a representative Bruks.
Anyway, I Linseed oiled it and after a drying, took it out for some work. I was splitting Manitoba Maple and I went through it easily. I know from experience that my little SFA would struggle badly doing what this larger\slightly heaver head axe can do, with minimal effort. I was curious as to were the limits were with this piece so I challenged it to a round of at least 15 inches diameter. This is more than I ever intended for the axe as I have a Fiskars X25 splitter for this stuff. After 4-5 strokes it cracked near apart. This was a satisfying observation.
I chopped a dead limb Of Man. Maple of aprox. 8 inches in diameter and I came to a few conclusions: 1. That I'm a novice skilled axe handler. 2. that the factory sharpening was moderate\not bad. 3. The slightly more wedge shaped cutting edge on the head, compared to a bruks, bit less deeply, but also got stuck less often. 4. That I'm a novice skilled axe handler.
Finally, I bought this axe because it was the next step up in my personal search for a light to moderate carry\pack axe that can do serious work. Yes I am very attracted to my SFA, but it almost feels like a toy next to this axe. But............ and this is important to me. This Scandinavian forest Wetterlings feels to be a good compromise\balance between utility and weight. I am a large man so you may want to consider the SFA or something similar if you are a smaller individual, as a light pack\carry axe.
Left to right: Wetterlings hatchet, SFA, Wett. Scandinavian Forest.
Head stamp has changed
Anyway, I picked up a Wetterlings axe on boxing day because axe shipments out on the prairies don't seem to be a priority with retailers, for obvious reasons. You either grab them or miss until whenever. I know that Wetterlings has been considered the plain sister of Swedish axes. And I also remember seeing a shipment of hatchets before Wetterlings came under new ownership, they were embarrassing to look at. Sloppy\cockeyed heads etc., a real mess. So I eyeballed the stock in the store and I was quite impressed with the materials\fit and finish. Head alignment, parallel wood grain etc. I really see little to no difference in this latest Wetterlings axe and a Gransfor Bruks. This Scandiavian forest axe cost $119.00 with tax which is getting fairly close to what they ask for a Bruks up here. And as I said, the fit and finish on this axe was great. If you laid a Bruks next to it you'd be hard pressed to see and difference. So the value seems to be there. Initial impressions of the tool are that the weight is slightly noticeable, but not burdensome. And the haft\handle is a little thicker than a Bruks. But this may not be a valid observation as I only have the SFA as a representative Bruks.
Anyway, I Linseed oiled it and after a drying, took it out for some work. I was splitting Manitoba Maple and I went through it easily. I know from experience that my little SFA would struggle badly doing what this larger\slightly heaver head axe can do, with minimal effort. I was curious as to were the limits were with this piece so I challenged it to a round of at least 15 inches diameter. This is more than I ever intended for the axe as I have a Fiskars X25 splitter for this stuff. After 4-5 strokes it cracked near apart. This was a satisfying observation.
I chopped a dead limb Of Man. Maple of aprox. 8 inches in diameter and I came to a few conclusions: 1. That I'm a novice skilled axe handler. 2. that the factory sharpening was moderate\not bad. 3. The slightly more wedge shaped cutting edge on the head, compared to a bruks, bit less deeply, but also got stuck less often. 4. That I'm a novice skilled axe handler.
Finally, I bought this axe because it was the next step up in my personal search for a light to moderate carry\pack axe that can do serious work. Yes I am very attracted to my SFA, but it almost feels like a toy next to this axe. But............ and this is important to me. This Scandinavian forest Wetterlings feels to be a good compromise\balance between utility and weight. I am a large man so you may want to consider the SFA or something similar if you are a smaller individual, as a light pack\carry axe.
Left to right: Wetterlings hatchet, SFA, Wett. Scandinavian Forest.
Head stamp has changed
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