wetterlings vs fiskars hatchet

[RescueRiley]

Just wanted some opinions from the experienced guys ont the quality and functional differences between the 2 if any, they both seem comparably priced

 

[Ravaillac]

Weight: equivalent

Fiskars:
*thicker head
*thicker edge
*flat bevel
*ok but not as sharp
*virtually non breakable handle under normal conditions
*head can't loosen
*handle imprevious to conditions
*weight compares with similar wetterling (hollow handle is lighter but head is heavier)

Wetterling (average "medium" axe):
* thinner head
* notably sharper and more efficient in cutting felling limbing, less efficient in splitting (but Ok)
* wood handle: probably not as tough as fiber glass but ok for normal use (hickory) might require some more attention too (but nothing exceptionnal)
* handmade: some people on the forum have had pieces poorly ground pieces while some others have had others that were as good if not better than average GB

 

[misanthropist]

Fiskars:

essentially impossible to rehandle if necessary
very flat face, no belly to speak of

Wetterlings

can be rehandled (or hung, for you terminology snobs out there!)
curved face, bit of belly to it

Personally I prefer the balance of the Wetterlings but lots of guys like the Fiskars. Sharpness is readily altered so that shouldn't be too much of a concern...

I find that a properly oiled, natural handle will blister you much less over extended chopping periods than either a varnished or a synthetic handle.

I don't like the flat face of the Fiskars, either for chopping (more effort over time, I think) or for when I have only an axe and need to start doing non-axe tasks with my tool. You don't really see a lot of flat Ulus, for instance. I think the traditional belly on the Wetterlings is a much better shape. But...

Personally I think for the average user either would do. If you use your axe a lot, I think the Wetterlings is a better choice (if you have the ability to tune it to work for you, which is not hard.)

 

[Dannyboy Leather]

Here on the ranch, we have an incredible collection of axes and hatchets, new and old. I'm still using some old axe heads that have been in the family for over 60-years (creme da la creme). Folks generated their incomes and heat with axes like these, as my grandparents and parents did. Today, The Gransfors, Wetterlings, Ox Head, Snow and Neally, are some axes I own that are most like the great axes of yesteryear. Though I own one of the Fiskars full-size axes, and two of their hatchets (gifts), I just can't warm up to the synthetic nature of the Fiskars, or their off-the-shelf inefficiency when compared with the better wooden handled variety axes. I spent almost one full day working the Fiskars axe down on my variable speed belt sander, thinning out the edge and reprofiling with a nice convex so it would even begin to chop properly. The relatively maintenance-free axe now rides in one of my toolboxes in the truck. When I need to do some serious chopping, I will never reach for the Fiskars axes. They will work you to death.

Misanthropist has it correct in my opinion. For the "average guy" who does little chopping, the Fiskars hatchet will be just fine...providing he spends some time reprofiling. The Fiskars hatchet or axe, as it comes from the manufacture, is actually better at splitting wood, than chopping it. The well-made, sharp Wetterlings, is heads and tails beyond anything Fiskars produces for chopping. No comparison.

 

[oldman/Marty]

Just my 2 cents worth. I think that the Wetterlings is a much nicer looking and working hatchet than the Fiskars however in a survival situation I would opt for the Fiskars as it is almost indestructible. We deliberately tried to break one here at the school during a course two years ago. We even drove over it (the handle) about a dozen times and when we put a big ass flat rock under it we managed to crack the handle but it was still fully functional. I don't know of any Hickory handle that would stand up to that kind of abuse.
Oldman/Marty Simon

 

[hollowdweller]

Just my 2 cents worth. I think that the Wetterlings is a much nicer looking and working hatchet than the Fiskars however in a survival situation I would opt for the Fiskars as it is almost indestructible. We deliberately tried to break one here at the school during a course two years ago. We even drove over it (the handle) about a dozen times and when we put a big ass flat rock under it we managed to crack the handle but it was still fully functional. I don't know of any Hickory handle that would stand up to that kind of abuse.
Oldman/Marty Simon

Great testimonial there!:thumbup:

 

[1Tracker]

And why many folks who don't use hatchets axes for a living choose the Fiskars. Their marketing dept must have really been on the ball with that handle ad.

That said, I wonder if the head on the 14" Fiskars was heavier if it would be better as a hatchet I have one of the Fiskars axes, pro 28" model; that i've considered cutting down the handle to 17-19". Would there be any benefit to doing this?

 

[longbow50]

The Fiskars works OK, but the Wetterling is a much better working axe for me.

 

[Elen]

Misanthropist has it correct in my opinion. For the "average guy" who does little chopping, the Fiskars hatchet will be just fine...providing he spends some time reprofiling. The Fiskars hatchet or axe, as it comes from the manufacture, is actually better at splitting wood, than chopping it. The well-made, sharp Wetterlings, is heads and tails beyond anything Fiskars produces for chopping. No comparison.

Sounds to me like you might have had one of two things: 1) a faulty grind on the Fiskars (hey, it happens, as with Moras, on any massively mass-produced item) or 2) a Fiskars splitting axe instead of a general use one.

I've done a lot of chopping for firewood (and the occasionally tree-felling) in my time, with a variety of axes, and I can't say the Fiskars is "bad" in anyway. It works well for me, and most of the specimens I've had have not required any reprofiling to work well. The Fiskars is a very widely used tool over here, equally among amateurs as well as professionals. Of course, it's widely recognized that it's not the best in the world, but it's good enough, and it has some qualities that may make it a superior choice for some people, compared to more expensive wood handled axes. The handle is much stronger than any wood handle, and the only way you'll ever break it is by batoning the axe head into wood in freezing temps, and then twisting or kicking the handle with all you've got - you won't need to rehandle this thing, that's for sure. And then, it's about two times cheaper than any wood handled axe better than it, and even more with some more expensive high-performance axes. There are a lot of axes that are better at chopping, some that are better at splitting, but the price to performance ratio is hard to beat - at least over here, as I don't know how the pricing is over there in the Americas.

 

[Fonly]

The only thing that troubles me about the synthetic handels are everything has a limit, after that it will break, even though the wood handle might need some work from time to time, I would still want to be able to rehandle my axe, after a fiskars handle breaks, It cannot be rehandled.
Though, to be honest, I used my fiskars and gerber axes VERY hard, and am not worried about the handle yet, I split 4 cord of wood with a fiskars axe, even slipped a few times and hit the handle just below the head, and hard. Though it never broke. For me, the wetterlings comes along, because I enjoy the wood handle, the look and the cutting performance of the wetterlings.
Some day Ill have a GB, thought I wonder about the blade geometry of the GB compared to a wetterlings. GB is really for softwoods,hollow ground, where a wetterlings has a more straight, or flat grind.

 

[Elen]

The only thing that troubles me about the synthetic handels are everything has a limit, after that it will break, even though the wood handle might need some work from tie to time, I wold still want to be able to rehandle my axe, after a fiskars handle breaks, It cannot be rehandled.

That is true - everything has a limit. But for some things, the limit is so high you cannot reach it at all, or if you can, not easily. This is the case with those Fiskars handles. You can break one, if you try really hard, but to accidentally break one is so difficult that it can be justly called nearly impossible. If you break one of those Fiskars handles, then it's either send it off to warranty or buy a new one. Let me put it this way: I have accidentally broken wood handles on axes, but I've never accidentally broken a Fiskars handle.

The synthetic handle certainly doesn't look very traditional, though. The wood handled axes are much prettier, and the good ones do perform better than the much cheaper Fiskars.

 

[Fonly]

That is true - everything has a limit. But for some things, the limit is so high you cannot reach it at all, or if you can, not easily. This is the case with those Fiskars handles. You can break one, if you try really hard, but to accidentally break one is so difficult that it can be justly called nearly impossible. If you break one of those Fiskars handles, then it's either send it off to warranty or buy a new one. Let me put it this way: I have accidentally broken wood handles on axes, but I've never accidentally broken a Fiskars handle.

The synthetic handle certainly doesn't look very traditional, though. The wood handled axes are much prettier, and the good ones do perform better than the much cheaper Fiskars.

Yeah, and you know Ill probably never break any of mine either. But man, could you imagine if one were to break?

I dont think theres a way to fix it while in the woods. Aside from getting the head off some way, and making a primitive axe of sorts.

 

[Ravaillac]

it's about two times cheaper than any wood handled axe better than it,

Well, the whole discussion was about Wetterling being the same price than fiskars. Wetterling quality may be "diverse" but if handpicked you can get very good ones.

I wold still want to be able to rehandle my axe, after a fiskars handle breaks, It cannot be rehandled.

While this is technically true, the Fiskars actually don't break. At all.

I've had my share of problems with axe handles, mostly with cheap axes, handles made of unknown "hard wood": generally they would mostly loosen, split when wedge is driven in, or break just below the head and split. That would generally happen upstart (if handle was deficient from the beginning) after several misses were handle hits the wood below the head, after spending some night out or the use of methods such like soaking head in water during the night to "fix" the loosening problem.
That said it never seemed to get close to this problem with better quality handles, although the fiber glass handle being imprevious to bad weather and loosening still being a significant advantage.
In my opinion the problem about fiskars is mostly about head profile and maybe balance/handle vibrations.

GB is really for softwoods,hollow ground, where a wetterlings has a more straight, or flat grind.

Funny I would think quite the opposite: thinner profile better for hardwoods, provided that hardwods are generally so hard you won't drive the axe to were the hollow grind shows anyway.
Splitting is another story.
As for soft wood, it is easier whatever the axe you use anyway.

 

[Elen]

I wouldn't be too concerned about breaking a Fiskars handle in the woods. I don't know anyone who has managed to accidentally do it. It would be difficult if not impossible to fix on the field, though, but then, how large a problem would that be? I haven't ever been in a situation where I would be totally screwed if my axe failed in the handle - I try to generally avoid the kind of situation where I have to blindly rely on the durability of a single tool.

Well, the whole discussion was about Wetterling being the same price than fiskars.

Which isn't quite true where I live. Fiskars stuff is everywhere here, but even catching a glimpse of a Wetterlings is difficult. It seems to be different elsewhere, so sorry about that, guys.

 

[Fonly]

Funny I would think quite the opposite: thinner profile better for hardwoods, provided that hardwods are generally so hard you won't drive the axe to were the hollow grind shows anyway.
Splitting is another story.
As for soft wood, it is easier whatever the axe you use anyway.

Too brittle for hardwoods, Big knives usually dont have hollow grinds for strength.

 

[Ravaillac]

Too brittle for hardwoods, Big knives usually dont have hollow grinds for strength.

While generally true, not a definite truth. Axes are different from knives and hollow ground generally means brittle because it generally infers thin cross section which is brittle, but not really brittle because hollow ground.
Regarding the GB it is a primary convex grind followed by secondary hollow grind:

At the level it shifts from convex to hollow it is already quite thick (about 5mm I think). It is medium carbon (1054) and as far as I know a very few people have had durability problems (mostly defective HT from the pictures) even on hard wood. The guy from knifetests even chopped concrete without too much damage.

 

[Fonly]

If you saw that pic then you also looked at the one of the wetterlings. I'll follow Kochanski's recomendation for axe's, true durability might not be a big problem but its still not designed for hardwoods.