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Best Made Axe Opinions

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matthew

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Dec 4, 2009
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I've never tried one, but I've admired the Gransfors axes in person a time or two. Just thought that given your location you'll want it shipped, so you might want to check out Lee Valley's website.
 
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Slowboat

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Nov 5, 2010
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Green Mountains
My buddy got me a Best Made axe - it's a pretty sweet object. I'm not sure I will ever split wood with mine (I have a few beautiful old axes that I use), but the craftsmanship is really nice.
 
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BHH

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Apr 1, 2011
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I have not tried Best Made axes but have bought several of their other products and they are awesome.
 
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BHH

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gbh said:
Nice looking items. I don't know anything about manufacture of these things but...$180 for a carpenters axe...$470 for a kitchen knife?
Is there that much difference in time, material and so on?
:dunno:
Click to expand...

This is why...

 
C

cheechi

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Feb 29, 2012
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Triad, NC
I'm not an expert but I like my Fiskars axe & my SOG hatchet. Fiskars hatchets are ok too but for camping and such the SOG is lighter/easier to carry & pack.
 
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Monte

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Dec 23, 2008
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Germany
www.hultafors.com

IMG_8773.JPG
 
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2oolhound

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Dec 18, 2010
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BC Canada
Been out of the scene for 30 years but Arvika used to rule the roost for chopping axes. There seem to be a lot more choices today.

After watching that video I now know why there are so many one eyed blacksmiths. The guy should consider wearing eye protection. Nice work though!

I used to use an Estwing for log building and falling (among many others). It was good steel and cut well for it's weight but just too light for heavy chopping.
 
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Boost Creep

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Feb 17, 2010
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michigan
i have a fiskars chopping axe. also a fiskars hatchet...and machete.....and shovel....and scissors....and pruning shears. not going to claim they're the best but i like their stuff and i think they're a good bang for the buck
 
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gbh

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May 2, 2012
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:headscrat
BHH said:
This is why...

Click to expand...
Yes, beautiful.
Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with $180 for such a beautiful item as the axe. What I'm asking is if there is so much more work, material and time invested in making a kitchen knife? $470 :headscrat
 
G

geologist

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Dec 14, 2011
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gbh said:
Nice looking items. I don't know anything about manufacture of these things but...$180 for a carpenters axe...$470 for a kitchen knife?
Is there that much difference in time, material and so on?
:dunno:
Click to expand...

The knife is absolutely insane in price. I've no idea what's so pricey about it. As for the axe...

It's a lifetime tool that can be passed down. Neeman is sort of like the Snap-on of handmade tools in that his quality is unsurpassed at any price. Granted, the kitchen knife is insanely priced, but I can see where some people might be into that kind of thing. So while $250 for an American felling axe is a bit high (a Best Made is $158 -- a Gransfors Bruks is $189) if you live off of the land, and you've ever felt a Neeman, it's a no-thought, one-time purchase. It's sort of like the difference between a Craftsman ratchet and a Snap-on ratchet -- both will get the job done. One is two or three times the price. It's easy to poke at the price until you've used one though, then the differences become obvious in short order. After all, the title was "best made axe opinions", so IMO, John Neeman makes the very best. If I had a budget to follow, it might be something different, but when price is no object, it's Neeman or nothing.
 
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m151

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Jul 23, 2011
Messages
62
For a splitting ax, Fiskers all the way. Recently, they came out with a longer handle version that works much better. It seems to go through the log with much less resistance than other axes.
 
S

shoturtle

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Jan 15, 2012
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Frankfurt AM
gbh said:
:headscrat
Yes, beautiful.
Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with $180 for such a beautiful item as the axe. What I'm asking is if there is so much more work, material and time invested in making a kitchen knife? $470 :headscrat
Click to expand...

475 is not insane, look at some of the japanese sushi knives, they are upward of 1000 dollars.
 
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shoturtle

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Frankfurt AM
geologist said:
The knife is absolutely insane in price. I've no idea what's so pricey about it. As for the axe...

It's a lifetime tool that can be passed down. Neeman is sort of like the Snap-on of handmade tools in that his quality is unsurpassed at any price. Granted, the kitchen knife is insanely priced, but I can see where some people might be into that kind of thing. So while $250 for an American felling axe is a bit high (a Best Made is $158 -- a Gransfors Bruks is $189) if you live off of the land, and you've ever felt a Neeman, it's a no-thought, one-time purchase. It's sort of like the difference between a Craftsman ratchet and a Snap-on ratchet -- both will get the job done. One is two or three times the price. It's easy to poke at the price until you've used one though, then the differences become obvious in short order. After all, the title was "best made axe opinions", so IMO, John Neeman makes the very best. If I had a budget to follow, it might be something different, but when price is no object, it's Neeman or nothing.
Click to expand...

Depends on how much time he spent on folding the bade of the knife. The more folding the more time, the higher the price.
 
B

Burgerkong

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Apr 17, 2010
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2,501
Location
Markham, Ontario, Canada
geologist said:
The knife is absolutely insane in price. I've no idea what's so pricey about it. As for the axe...

It's a lifetime tool that can be passed down. Neeman is sort of like the Snap-on of handmade tools in that his quality is unsurpassed at any price. Granted, the kitchen knife is insanely priced, but I can see where some people might be into that kind of thing. So while $250 for an American felling axe is a bit high (a Best Made is $158 -- a Gransfors Bruks is $189) if you live off of the land, and you've ever felt a Neeman, it's a no-thought, one-time purchase. It's sort of like the difference between a Craftsman ratchet and a Snap-on ratchet -- both will get the job done. One is two or three times the price. It's easy to poke at the price until you've used one though, then the differences become obvious in short order. After all, the title was "best made axe opinions", so IMO, John Neeman makes the very best. If I had a budget to follow, it might be something different, but when price is no object, it's Neeman or nothing.
Click to expand...

The company is called 'Best Made'. ;)
 
OP
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BAZZMAZZA

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Dec 11, 2009
Messages
37
Thanks everyone for the comments and recommendations. I really enjoy this forum and respect the opinions of its members. Thank you again. I ordered the Best Made Axe and looking forward to receiving them. I got the felling and the Hudson Bay and will post some photos once I receive them. Thanks again,,, BAZZ
 
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Southern

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Jan 27, 2012
Messages
242
If I'm not mistaking, Best Made Company doesn't actually make anything. They just sell stuff from other places on the net for a markup.

Check out their cloth covered extension cords. They buy them from sundial wire for the same price you can, then mark it up.

Same with their EDC tool kit. Look at how much the want for it. Then go to countycomm.com, who they buy the kit from, and see how much they're paying for it.

I have a real beef with best made co because it looks like it's just a big ripoff on people who don't look the **** up. Point being, I'm pretty sure they're just selling some other brand of Axe, and if you do a little hunting, you can buy the axe from whoever makes it for way less than Best Made wants for selling it over retail.
 
G

gbh

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May 2, 2012
Messages
611
shoturtle said:
475 is not insane, look at some of the japanese sushi knives, they are upward of 1000 dollars.
Click to expand...
You misunderstood my question.
I'm asking if there is such a difference in the axe and the kitchen knife in terms of work, materials and so on given that they're produced by the same company.
$1000 sushi knives from other manufacturers is not what I'm asking about.
 
A

afazz

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Nov 25, 2007
Messages
860
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Southern said:
If I'm not mistaking, Best Made Company doesn't actually make anything. They just sell stuff from other places on the net for a markup.

Check out their cloth covered extension cords. They buy them from sundial wire for the same price you can, then mark it up.

Same with their EDC tool kit. Look at how much the want for it. Then go to countycomm.com, who they buy the kit from, and see how much they're paying for it.

I have a real beef with best made co because it looks like it's just a big ripoff on people who don't look the **** up. Point being, I'm pretty sure they're just selling some other brand of Axe, and if you do a little hunting, you can buy the axe from whoever makes it for way less than Best Made wants for selling it over retail.
Click to expand...

They used to say right on the site their axes are made by Council Tool, but it's clearly not the same as the standard Council axe. I agree that all of their products are private label versions of standard products with a big mark up, but there are usually subtle differences that set them apart. In this case it's the paint, markings, packaging, and finish work. That's worth $100 to some people, and that's who Best Made is targeting.
 
S

Swan

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Apr 5, 2011
Messages
264
Location
Winona, MN
GBH, I thought the same thing until I watched this from Neeman: http://vimeo.com/46430171

A chef's knife with 300 layers looks good and sounds nice in the video but more importantly will hold a sharp edge for a long period of use and will last a lifetime. My rotator cuff hurts just thinking about pounding a blade thousands of times on an anvil. The price is relative to the time needed to produce such a knife. I cook at home, but not professionally and use my Henkel knife daily. If I were a professional chef, this tool would be a reasonable investment.

BAZZMAZZ, glad you found your axe.
 
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G

gbh

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May 2, 2012
Messages
611
Swan said:
GBH, I thought the same thing until I watched this from Neeman: http://vimeo.com/46430171

A chef's knife with 300 layers looks good and sounds nice in the video but more importantly will hold a sharp edge for a long period of use and will last a lifetime. My rotator cuff hurts just thinking about pounding a blade thousands of times on an anvil. The price is relative to the time needed to produce such a knife. I cook at home, but not professionally and use my Henkel knife daily. If I were a professional chef, this tool would be a reasonable investment.

BAZZMAZZ, glad you found your axe.
Click to expand...
Now THAT'S what I was wondering about. A lot more time seems to have been involved in the manufacture. Thank you!
 
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