AR400 isn’t some miracle metal. Like every metal it is full of compromises and one of its compromises is that it’s actually not well suited for a razors edge.
Splitting hardwood isn’t really what this tool is designed for. It’s a 45 degree precision smashing bevel, not a splitting axe bevel. We tested splitting/felling axe bevels and they are wrong for a few reasons, not the least of which that they tend to chip or deform on embedded nails or accidental ground contact, both of which we shrug at.
If you watch the video you can see what it IS designed for - horizontal and vertical demolition, forcible entry (including through cinder block basement walls) and interior demolion. The blade survives repeated contact with everything we’ve thrown at it.
The pic below is of the blade of one of our test axes. I’ve never touched it up - I haven’t even cleaned it, as you can see. It’s gone through more than 30 concrete passes (it’s the red-handled axe you can see in many of the demo videos) plus countless pallets and the occasional 1/2 inch bolt (which it bends in half, rather than cuts). It’s surviving pretty well so far.
It swings like the cold wind from the far north, sweeping down into the south, relentless and pure. It swings with the bitter truth of absolute destruction. It swings like ice, like a night that lasts a thousand days, like the single lone fire deep in the dark. It devours your soul and replaces it with FROST, with the cold-eyed stare of frozen lakes, with the stark pale blue of a cloudless day, the deep dark blue of night. It swings like a frozen swing set, creaking in the dark, unyielding in the face of the wind.
I’ve actually been here for awhile - dating back to well before the very first Violet Blue meltdown. I consider my first BoingBoing-ing to be a major milestone. But BB couldn’t find my old login info so I used a new one.
Normally, at this point in a bOINGbOING axe thread I would be scoffing* and telling people to go buy a Wetterlings or something, but this is actually really cool.
Interesting design, @PeterNBiddle! The only changes I would make for my own personal use would be removing the crow on the pommel (having two pointy catchy ends on a handled tool intended to be used in stress conditions has invariably turned out poorly for me, I can only keep track of one) and lengthening the handle (I like 'em unusually long, because I’m tall.)
@stephen_schenck, a good axe has both weight and flexibility. If it’s too stiff, it can damage your arms by transmitting shock too effectively.
Oh yeah, on the pommel crow - one of our testers almost impaled himself on an earlier version when he was using the pick, which resulted in a massive re-design.
I shortened it, fattened it, put a bevel on the tip so it’s not so damn sharp, tucked it up a bit under the centerline and then brought the outside lines of the handle down and out so that your natural grip is nearly all the way down to the crow. While I can’t say that it’s impossible to impale yourself with it now, it’s damn hard to.
I’ve tried and I can’t manage it on purpose, and I’m fairly famous for hurting myself and bleeding everywhere.
