axe-less cry baby

[scruff]

i found a roselli on ebay for $35 inc. p&p but some devil out bid me by $1 just 24 seconds before the close of bidding!! (there was previously only one bidder - me!!!)

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrr!!!

how????!!!!

someone at work told me these professional ebay flunkies have some kinda softwear to let them do this......where can i get it from?!


anyway i kno most of u guys seem to reckon Ros' arent much cop.....but why?

and (i kno ur all gonna say SFA's here) what should i have picked/ pick?

i wanna spend around £50 but i'd quite like to break from the norm.....how does the GB Hunter compare with the SFA??

the only thing i'm not so keen on about it is the flay poll.....how easy is it to reshape?

[tenbears10]

Ok Scruff

The ebay thing will be something like this you pay for it but not much. Many people do not like using the software because you give them your ebay name and password but that is for you to decide. If you want to win auctions you have to bid the max you will pay, you said it was $35 but if you had been willing to pay 40 or 45 then your bid would have been too high and the snipe would not work. If for example the other person was willing to pay $100 (for some reason) then they still only pay $36 because that is a dollar more than your top bid. The point of bidding late is so you don't have a chance to up your bid you can just bid manually at the last minute. There is nothing unfair about it if you are willing to pay more than the sniper then you will win.

Axes don't try and reshape the flay poll please. Just get an sfa, or a witterlings if you prefer they are the most common because they are the best suited to what bushcrafters want to do.

[scruff]

cheers for the esnipe tip.

unfortunately the auction ended at 2 am so i couldnt keep my eye on it.

i kno it is a lovely axe and it would be almost rude to abuse it but why shouldnt the poll be reshapened?

does it (the poll) offer enough of a flat edge for hammering or whatever without being too rounded to slip off target and bash your hands??

[scruff]

oops it was actually 35 quid not dollars by the way

[tenbears10]

i kno it is a lovely axe and it would be almost rude to abuse it but why shouldnt the poll be reshapened?

does it (the poll) offer enough of a flat edge for hammering or whatever without being too rounded to slip off target and bash your hands??

I don't think the poll is that round, you will still be able to batton it but your hand will be well out of the way down the shaft so I'm not quite sure what you mean


The handle of the hunters axe has groves which stop your hands sliping when you are butchering but these might cause blisters when choping with the axe. You can sand them down a bit but then you have bought a hunters axe and sanded and ground it into an............................ .......sfa. See what I mean

[tenbears10]

The best alternative is buy both

[scruff]

cheers

its hard to get a good look at the poll of the hunter do judge its 'roundness'. i simply thought if too round then if i was to literally hammer with it it may just glance off the target more than it hit it.

regarding the shape of the head of the hunter.....would the slightly longer "beard" and less up top(?) of the hunter lend itself to carving a bit better that the sfa...?? really the head shape is quite different....its more like that of the hatchet than the sfa.

also i've used an sfa of my mates a good few times i think a straighter shaft would offer a better grip particularly up close towards the head, where the shaped shaft of the sfa tends to force your hand grip slightly. (i guess this is a personal preference thing).

thats the thing about the rossy. it would seem to offer greater head control for carving......and its only a few nuggets more than the hunter really????

its like being a kid in a sweet shop really....

....which one is the best carver/ bushcraft axe tho???

[Doc]

If it was the one I was watching, you didn't miss out much. It went for 66 dollars plus 16 dollars post. That's £46. Customs would likely charge you 17.5% - say £8.00 plus a fiver to the post office for collecting it. Brings it up to about the UK price.

That's why I didn't bid.

[scruff]

thats why i didnt go crazy on my bidding....


the PO 'usually' dont charge for handling, infact i've only ever been stung once. it was for an item from japan....£45 handling. ouch!!!

i've read so many articles on axes this month i think my head will explode.

wha'dya u reckon Doc?

[MartiniDave]

All told I've got about a dozen axes available to me (I inherited a lot when my Dad died) the one I always favour for bushcraft is my GB Small Forrest Axe, it just seems "right". I was very fortunate that Jack at Woodland Organics picked me out a nice one with a beautiful grain (thanks again Jack!).

Dave

[Paganwolf]

Id discount the roselli, i have one, great for splitting due to the wide angled bit but thats about it the handle is also pretty thick, as already said the SFA is the best all rounder, if you like a thinner handle and a good carving axe you cant beat a GB french/english trade tomahawk there bloody expensive over 100 quid but are a joy to use,i was given mine by a very good and close friend and its a beautiful thing, but going by your budget buddy id go SFA you will not be dissapointed . All being said though when you get it use it as much as you can, practice makes perfect you can master a saw in a few hours it takes a life time to master the use of an axe safely and properly..

[scruff]

cheers thats what i wanted to hear or rather who i wanted to hear from.

am glad also to hear about whats being said about those GB Trade axes (see also "Saxon Felling Axes" thread).

more than anything i've had one of these two straight helved/ handled trade axes in mind....maybe from the sounds of it i'll splash out after all.

all i have to do is decide which one French/Dakota or British????? hmmm???

cheers again all

[Doc]

Hi Scruff.

Haven't got a clue what axe to get myself. much conflicting info. I've handled a SFA and liked it, but those GB trade hatchets.....mmm... tempting despite the price.

Anyone got more info on them? Weight? Is the helve secured with a wedge? (I believe on some tomahawks it is not) Is it really as good as a conventional axe? Would be interested to hear more user views.

[Paganwolf]

I have the french trade axe(being french canadian and all that lol), its a nice light work horse, and no there is no wedge but head is pressed on and its not coming off i can tell you.
The handle looks hand finished and it fits beautifully in the hand its the best axe ive used for carving and ive just come in from feather sticking crack willow and lighting them with a fire steel and it shaves curls perfectly, the only things i had to modify was the bit guard and the handle length but that was to personal preference, i like it alot but its like anything if you can try one before you buy one it saves dissapointment if its not for you, one mans meat is another mans poison

[Doc]

C'est formidable! Merci, Paganwolf.

[tenbears10]

Scruff

Thought this might help in your search

Hunters axe

I don't know anthing about the seller (although he sells a lot of gransfors) but some good pics of the flay pol on the hunters axe.

[scruff]

cheers dude

yeah not a bad set of pics

tis a fine piece of craftsmanship!

i thought about gettin one here but after p&p its almost same as uk prices

[tenbears10]

I noticed the price too and if you get done for customs it will end up costing more than in the UK

[Paganwolf]

Heres some pics of the french trade axe, remember i modded the handle (still working on) and sheath ..

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[sandbender]

Thats really nice