paden cash, post: 443589, member: 20 wrote: ps - Estwings are ok. I prefer my Vaughan simply because the handles have a more comfortable curve. Just a personal preference.
Well, if you want to justify buying inferior quality (i.e. hammers of lower quality than Estwing's) as a "personal preference", who are any of us to say that you are as deluded upon the subject of good hammers as would otherwise appear? Certainly, I would never venture such a judgment (other than sotto voce).
Fiskars axe is hundreds of times better than an Estwing axe.
Dave Karoly, post: 443751, member: 94 wrote: Fiskars axe is hundreds of times better than an Estwing axe.
Yes, Fiskars made good cars, too:
Dave Karoly, post: 443751, member: 94 wrote: Fiskars axe is hundreds of times better than an Estwing axe.
Buying a Finnish axe is like buying a French car; I mean you could, but why would you when the world's best are made right next door?
http://hultsbruk1697.se/
https://www.gransforsbruk.com/en/
http://www.wetterlings.com/
Dave Karoly, post: 443751, member: 94 wrote: Fiskars axe is hundreds of times better than an Estwing axe.
I agree. Here is my very lame experience with Estwing not standing behind its product at all. Been Estwing-free and lovin' it for years now. (Thread starts at bottom.)
Dear Yolanda,
Fortunately, your last statement is untrue. Life proceeds smoothly, though with ample preparation and care, at 20 to 30 below zero F. The fact that we were comfortably running a 50 mile trap line illustrates this. Our snowmobiles functioned fine, as did every other piece of gear that we were relying on. One piece of gear that functioned particularly well was my partner's Gerber axe, which is the brand that I will begin to purchase if Estwing cannot stand behind its product. There are many (and increasing in number) rubberized/plastic compounds that function quite well in much colder temperatures than we experienced. I recommend that Estwing investigate improvements to their product or they will be left behind. Temperatures reached 50 to 60 below here this winter. That is cold.
I once again ask that you stand behind this product, preferably through one of your local distributors. I did not misuse, abuse, or wear out this axe. It failed in normal use. Normal use here involves temperatures colder than normal use in, say, Texas. If your product cannot withstand normal use in the climate in which it is sold, you should withdraw from that market.
Even more sincerely,
XXXX
From: sales@estwing.com
To: XXXX
Subject: RE: Camper's Axe Warranty
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:38:47 -0600
Dear XXXXX,
I??m sorry you have had trouble with one of our tools.
Our warranty covers the tool that fails in normal use. We do not cover misuse, abuse or wearing out.
I have checked with our quality manager and I was told that everything no matter how well it??s made will fail with weather at -20 -30 below zero.
Please let me know if you have further questions.
Sincerely;
Yolanda Moline
From: XXXX
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 6:13 PM
To: sales@estwing.com
Subject: Camper's Axe Warranty
Sales/Warranty Dept:
I need to send in my Camper's Axe for warranty repair or replacement. I have owned a number of these axes over the years, and have never had one fail until now. I had the axe carefully secured to the rack of my snowmachine while running a trap line with a friend. Upon stopping to chop wood, I went to unstrap the axe from my machine and found that a large chunk of the blue grip was gone. It had been subject to no undue stress, but must have become very brittle in the cold (-20 to -30?øF) and broken off. While the steel of the axe is fine, the blue grip is ruined. Please respond with instructions for sending in the axe for repair/replacement.
Thank you,
XXXX
James Fleming, post: 443761, member: 136 wrote: Buying a Finnish axe is like buying a French car; I mean you could, but why would you when the world's best are made right next door?
http://hultsbruk1697.se/
https://www.gransforsbruk.com/en/
http://www.wetterlings.com/
A fiskars axe will sink head deep into Redwood bark which is like a fibrous impenetrable mattress. Estwing will just bounce off.
James Fleming, post: 443761, member: 136 wrote: Buying a Finnish axe is like buying a French car; I mean you could, but why would you when the world's best are made right next door?
http://hultsbruk1697.se/
https://www.gransforsbruk.com/en/
http://www.wetterlings.com/
In keeping with the Swedish theme, I've found this to be about the best value for money http://www.greener-garden.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=978 . A Swedish axe with ash handle for under 30 bucks. Amazing.
Dave Karoly, post: 443770, member: 94 wrote: A fiskars axe will sink head deep into Redwood bark which is like a fibrous impenetrable mattress. Estwing will just bounce off.
Does a Fiskars axe drive 3/8-inch spikes pretty well, though?
Sideways and upside down.
Kent McMillan, post: 443776, member: 3 wrote: Does a Fiskars axe drive 3/8-inch spikes pretty well, though?
You're kidding, right?
Dave Karoly, post: 443782, member: 94 wrote: You're kidding, right?
Well, it seems a strange tool to carry to drive spikes when an Estwing hammer works much better.
Kent McMillan, post: 443819, member: 3 wrote: Well, it seems a strange tool to carry to drive spikes when an Estwing hammer works much better.
Sorry, I misunderstood you.
Yes we use an Estwing framing or 4lb hammer to drive 80s but when traversing through the woods it is convenient to bring just the axe and use that, less to carry.
For the last year or so I've taken to regularly carrying a hand pruner in my vest. At first I used a no-name bypass pruner that I found on a job somewhere, but I got tired of dealing with its missing latch, so I bought two Fiskars pruners, one bypass and one anvil. Both were low-end, less than 10 bucks. I quickly found that the anvil cutter wouldn't stay latched no matter how carefully I latched it, which made it too inconvenient to carry. I then switched to the bypass cutter, and have been using it a lot. It's good for branches up to 3/4", though 1/2" is a better practical maximum. Most of the time it's fine, but there's just enough play in the blades that maybe 15 percent of the time it fails to cut all the way through.
Yesterday I was at the local hardware store and decided to spring for a Corona bypass shear that's rated for 1" branches. It's a much heavier design than the cheap Fiskars. I paid about $35, which means I could probably have gotten in from Amazon for $25, but sometimes I just like to spend some money with the local guys. I'm curious to see if it performs markedly better than the low-end Fiskars.
Jim Frame, post: 443896, member: 10 wrote: Yesterday I was at the local hardware store and decided to spring for a Corona bypass shear that's rated for 1" branches. It's a much heavier design than the cheap Fiskars. I paid about $35, which means I could probably have gotten in from Amazon for $25, but sometimes I just like to spend some money with the local guys. I'm curious to see if it performs markedly better than the low-end Fiskars.
You'll probably like them; my garden shed looks like a Corona tools showroom
http://shop.coronatoolsusa.com/
Stil Industrial weed wacker with tri blade very tough
oil mix four stroke = noisy heavy powerfull
the earlier 2 stroke where more lite and quieter and just as powerfull
don't go for these four stroke oil mix types get a true 2 stroke from husky or stil.
we use these for bush topo in heavy rose bush/black berry jungles so thick you can't see 2 feet
wear mesh full face shield and chain saw chaps the protect legs from thorns.
and welders gloves for hands.
If its real ugly
prefer steel track mini like this kx 80
[MEDIA=youtube]xj9JHmMYEiY[/MEDIA]
Jim Frame, post: 443896, member: 10 wrote: For the last year or so I've taken to regularly carrying a hand pruner in my vest. At first I used a no-name bypass pruner that I found on a job somewhere, but I got tired of dealing with its missing latch, so I bought two Fiskars pruners, one bypass and one anvil. Both were low-end, less than 10 bucks. I quickly found that the anvil cutter wouldn't stay latched no matter how carefully I latched it, which made it too inconvenient to carry. I then switched to the bypass cutter, and have been using it a lot. It's good for branches up to 3/4", though 1/2" is a better practical maximum. Most of the time it's fine, but there's just enough play in the blades that maybe 15 percent of the time it fails to cut all the way through.
Yesterday I was at the local hardware store and decided to spring for a Corona bypass shear that's rated for 1" branches. It's a much heavier design than the cheap Fiskars. I paid about $35, which means I could probably have gotten in from Amazon for $25, but sometimes I just like to spend some money with the local guys. I'm curious to see if it performs markedly better than the low-end Fiskars.
I agree, when I was in the field, mainly in an urban setting I carried hand pruners because I found out early in my career that the two things that were sure to get you in trouble was paint and bushing vegetation and I'm sure it has gotten worse. Jp
Eastwing hammer and axe, both over 30 years old and plenty of use. Amazing that I have lost either one. Fiskar hand pruners, probably 5 in last 5 years. Their warranty program is good, but wish I did not have to use it so much.
If we're talking about hammers, give me a Bluegrass every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Kent McMillan, post: 443595, member: 3 wrote: Well, if you want to justify buying inferior quality (i.e. hammers of lower quality than Estwing's) as a "personal preference", who are any of us to say that you are as deluded upon the subject of good hammers as would otherwise appear? Certainly, I would never venture such a judgment (other than sotto voce).
"sotto voce"? Never thought I would have to grab a dictionary in order to comprehend a discussion about tool brands?
I'm simply just not perspicacious enough - obviously.
Corona pruners are good, but if you want the finest in hand pruners it's Felco.
