Recommendation? Wetterlings Hudson Bay Axe #180 - Anyone can share some experience with it?

[garry3]

With knives, we say that geometry cuts. With axes, you have to add in handle length and head weight. Here are what I think are three excellent examples of Hudson Bay or HB-like axes: the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe, the Council Velvicut and the Wetterlings.

The geometry is quite different on all of these axes, while the size differences are small but significant.


The GB is easily the lightest, most nimble and best penetrating of the axes. The Wetterings is the bruiser, with a longer haft and a heavier, more obtuse head geometry. The Council is in between.


Here are some critical dimensions:


Haft:

GB — 19.5 inches

CV — 22.2 inches

W — 23.5 inches


Obviously, the Wetterlings haft gives you the most power.


Weight:

GB — 2 pounds 2 oz

CV — 2 pounds 13 oz

W — 3 pounds 1 oz


Obviously, the Wetterlings is much heavier and that weight adds to its power. The GB is more nimble and easier to pack and use.


Head geometry:

Width a quarter inch back from the center bit and an inch back from the center bit:

GB — 0.03 inches and 0.19 inches

CV — 0.17 inches and 0.31 inches

W — 0.16 inches and 0.42 inches


Obviously, the GB will penetrate much better and, for some kinds of wood, but not others, will be more prone to sticking. The Wetterlings’ thick geometry is better for splitting. The Council is in between.


Widest part of the head:

GB — 1.0 inches

CV — 1.14 inches

W — 1.19 inches


Head length:

GB — 6.2 inches

CV — 6.7 inches

W — 6.4 inches



Mostly what I chop up are downed branches and alder. The GB SFA is excellent for those uses. Sticking is never an issue. What it lacks in power, it gains in penetration and quickness. It’s the easiest of the three to pack.


The Wetterlings is best for splitting, but most of my splitting is done with a full-sized axe with a 36-inch haft.


The Council is a nice compromise.

It's a nice review, but for me the Small Forest Axe doesn't fit here. It's not in the same class as the other two. For me it is a hatchet. The Scandinavian Forest axe is the one that should be compared to the other two.

 

[Twindog]

It's a nice review, but for me the Small Forest Axe doesn't fit here. It's not in the same class as the other two. For me it is a hatchet. The Scandinavian Forest axe is the one that should be compared to the other two.

Fair enough. You're certainly right. But I didn't have the Scandinavian Forest axe. I did have the Small Forest axe, which is also a compact axe like the two HB axes, although a little more compact than the others. I thought it would be useful to see the different geometry at play in comparison to the two HB axes.

Square Peg noted that a boy's axe with a longer handle would outdo all of these, and he's correct. But that, too, is an axe of a different nature. I don't have a boy's axe, either.

The nice thing about axes, compared to knives, is that they are a lot cheaper to collect. But they can be just a complicated to compare.