I totally agree with you, about what is required in a hand ax. The grain orientation in their handle, the metal that used, the profile... too much fuss made of all that. Though, that said, I do have a couple no-name vintage hand axes that won't hold an edge at *all*. Rockwell so low that all my test files cut them, easily. Hardly worth putting an edge on them, so I set them aside for show only. Their steel so mild it's less than 40? 40 at best? On the other hand, I have seven Council Tool axes in all (one Montreal hand ax, three boys axes, two full size Jerseys and a Dayton felling ax) that I bought brand new and had shipped to me. I mean, I know they're from their budget line ("Sports Utility"). But really? -- six of them needed to be rehung??? LOL No complaints. I got more than what I paid for. Just needed the usual TLC. One boys ax even came with dark blue burn marks on its bit. Whoever put the initial grind on it (minimal) had overheated it. Its edge rolled over out of the box, first strike. I took the edge back about 3/16s, maybe a 1/4 inch. Redid the bevel to 20 deg. (It had arrived with around 25 deg). No problems since. Another one, a 32" Jersey with phantom bevels, I was sharpening it when I noticed I could push the wooden wedge in about another 3/8" deeper with my thumb. Wedge was loose, too thin.That and, all but one of the seven were not true to the handle. They were a little tilted, a little out of line. It's the hydraulic press process, I think, that they use on their budget line axes. Anytime you force a head onto a haft with a press, the *possibility* it might go on perfectly aligned is kinda low. (But still, they got 1:7 right! Ain't too bad for chance. Hats off to Council Tool!) 😜 The red-headed, 36" Dayton felling ax was so dang perfect, it's still the way it came -- aluminum wedge and all! All I did was put an edge on that one and it's my go-to felling ax now. LOVE that thing!!!! Lesson: Don't dismiss cheap imports too quickly, and don't automatically assume all big brand name axes will come perfect. Name alone is not a guarantee. That jibe with your experience, too, Grizzly?

I had never thought, you know, that House Handle Co. doesn't make its living off individual, one-piece sales. It sells to bigger contracts. But I was in a hardware store (forgot the name, was while I was traveling), and saw a nicely grained boys ax handle. Ton of lacquer on it. But nice shape, big palm swell, snapped it up. Got home and thought, "Wait a minute, it looks just like the unfinished House Handles I get." Had the same lopsided shoulders as a House. One side looking like the lathe didn't cut it all the way; other side just fine. Who cares? You're going to be working on that tenon to hang it anyway. So one side needs more attention that the other. No big deal. It comes out in the end. So I put it up against one of the House boys ax handles and, yep, it was a perfect match. So I adjusted my eyeglasses a bit, held it up close and studied the label. In tiny blue letters, bottom line, you guessed it: House Handle Co. LOL ... Well, duh. Of COURSE it was! They supply larger volume orders to the replacement handle market. BTW, that's why, I think, it costs more when you select an unfinished House Handle. I've seen lots of people scratch their head about that. Why does it cost more to get an ax with less done to it. Because it's a "special selection." You're asking them to pull one from the line, in which their axes are getting lacquered. Why lacquer? Common sense, in light of the modern general home-use market. How long will those hang as floor stock in the lawn-and-garden dept. of a store before someone buys it? Years, maybe? How many hands will be on it before it's purchased? To protect the wood from climate and dirty hands, they have to cover them up. And chances are, it will be purchased by someone who is only going to hang an ax once in their life. You're saving that homeowner a step they don't want to take. Can't count on them knowing how to, or wanting to, finish it up on their own. They'll buy it and pound it on. House knows what it's doing! While the rest of us say, "Yeah, I'll give you 15 bucks for that, even though, first thing, I'll be scraping that thick ugly finish off it.

@OnceUponAnotherTime absolutely right! Spot on assessment. I must have bought 30+ handles from them by now. I have also noticed that on many of the no lacquer options the end wjere it was chucked up into the lathe has remnants of lacquer. Also the lacquer free option seem to be a bit thinner. I suspect when I customer chooses that they pull a finished handle from the stock and sand it free of lacquer. Also an indication as to the small up charge. I am actually fortunate for one of my local hardware stores (runnings) to carry house handles. They don't have the full line but stock the usuals as well as boys axe handles and cruisers as well. Whenever I'm in there I usually stroll back to the handle rack and grab any with good grain/runout. They really are a great starting point when you get a good one. And for the average Joe who just needs to slap a handle in something and get back to work, they are hard to beat.

We're on the same page. So, focusing on the Jersey, have you noticed that while modern Jersey tributes are flat-faced thin bits, a lot of the vintage ones have at least a little cheek rise? I have bids on several right now, just for the purpose of comparing them. I am hoping to snag one of each: beveled and non-beveled. My suspicion is, the bevels don't get to play much factor if the head already has that pan-fish-body-like bulge in it. Even my historic Connecticuts (no phantom bevel), notoriously sticky in green wood, are not as sticky as the modern Jerseys from Council. My Collins Connecticuts, a Legitimus and a Homestead, do have a slight swell in the face. And they have the fallout at top and bottom of the head. Just a tiny bit. I notice it when I use them side by side. Anxious, as I say, to get a vintage Jersey with phantom bevels. But the prices go up so quickly and so high. Stay tuned! -- Might win one. Or two or three. :)

Won a couple bids, $13 for one, $20 for the other. Waiting for them to arrive. I think Kelly offered Perfects only for the Dayton, Michigan, Jerseys and Kentuckys. Those first two patterns are for soft conifers and green wood. The Jerseys? Why offer a Perfect Jersey? Thin cheeks are pretty much an essential part of the Jersey's distinctive design. Can't find anything on that. Guessing because it was a favorite pattern? Kelly's either giving a favorite, top-selling pattern more utility as a general purpose ax, offering that as a choice to Jersey devotees, or since it's an extra step in manufacturing, they limited Perfect beveling solely to its top-selling patterns. Just wasting money to do it to other patterns?

That's awesome! I love hearing from other Scouts. It's where I first learned axmanship and "Scoutcraft" (aka "woodcraft." Never heard of it called "bushcraft" until recently, of course, being a "boomer" and all) :) .... and by "recently" I mean, since 50 years ago. LOL

It's great to hear that the Connecticut pattern works well on live oak! I've also had good luck with it on similar hardwoods. And my TT Kelly Perfect? -- Unbeatable, any wood. Apologies for the grand number of errors and blunders in this video. I left it up specifically to keep me humble. And real. :)

Thanks! I'm just starting to learn. Initially, just wanted to cover bits. Now... Well, hey! This is a whole 'nother level of fun.

@OnceUponAnotherTime i need to start learning how to tool

@@_BigLife_ Short learning curve. Very satisfying. Here is my first carving attempt: kzbin.infoUdpxOwc-JXA Test piece. Back and front are different. Do it!!! It's a hoot!!!

@@OnceUponAnotherTime just checked it out. I will definitely be giving it away go in the future

Trivial little thing, picked up for $22 here: www.amazon.com/stores/Zoecraftsupply/page/5A3E8B03-67E1-4C77-8813-0384ECCE14F9?ref_=ast_bln

Thank you so much for the kind words! I really don't have anything to say in my channel that many, many people more expert than I have said in theirs. But I made a decision at one point: "Put them up just for my close friends, family and customers -- or allow the public to view them as they like." Chose the latter. I love watching videos others put up, so it's only right that I share mine as well. Thanks again!

Glad it was helpful!