>>233241see, the thing about that is they work
i hop across country, not just some day tripper. i put those thing through some worst case scenario shit, never even a hiccup. here's what i KNOW they can take and still work
thrown from a train at 25-30 mph (multiple times)
hard use in rain, snow, cold and hard sun for 4 months+ (my longest stay out)
split an enumerable amount of wood
fell 500+ trees
hold an edge for 2-3 weeks of daily hard use
hold me (125-135lbs) and my bag (30lbs) from a tree limb (i did pull ups on it regularly like some kinda moron)
on top of all that, they don't break the way wood does (splinter from the shock of impact over time). i wouldn't have time to make a new handle if a wood one broke on me. by the time the wood dried (which how would i even do innawoods in winter without cracking it) i would have frozen to death. the only way i could see a polymer handle breaking would be if some numb nuts got halfway through a log and tried to pry it the rest of the way apart. even then it wouldn't break as easily as a wood handle and wouldn't bend like metal. it's also lighter, easier on your hands, weather resistant and the Fiskars can get sharp enough to shave with (i've done it) and i stuff the hollow handle full of vaseline covered cotton balls
so, maybe if you're some stay at home axe snob and you only plan on chopping wood semi regularly in only hospitable conditions a traditional axe might work fine for you, but if you're a full time adventurer like me you're gonna want to get yourself something a little more practical. i reckon it's akin to the whole polymer vs steel frame debate when it comes to carry handguns. a 1911 is nice for the range, but a glock 20 can be battered and deep fried and still kill a bear 3 times over
also, Fiskars is made in Finland, not china
