>>2302515Well wasn’t done back in the day… maybe because our understanding of metallurgy was a lot more limited back then. Steel and the understanding of its structure has changed a lot in the last 50+ years. Higher hardness doesn’t always mean more brittle depending on composition and the HT process. It’s why there are now plenty of knives in the 62+ HRC range. I own a handful over 64hrc currently.
Now granted, these harder axe edges will potentially suffer more damage if you hit an imbedded rock or nail, or miss and just hit a rock. It is something to be factored, especially if you are cutting junk wood often.
