Wetterlings - Expedition Hatchet

Just a first impression I have used it some but nothing extensive yet. It arrived on time, when unboxing I did notice some glue dried around the axe head with the wooden wedge. I'm not sure if wetterlings uses glue to hold their wedges in place or not I assumed they used a metal wedge on top of the wooden wedge to make it extra secure. Also when closely examining the edge on the axe head their were knicks in the edge so I had to resharpen it. Other than that everything was very good the handle was of good quality. It appeared very top heavy but nothing cumbersome. It fits very well on the outside of my pack and process wood just fine. As of this moment I'm regretting not going with a Gränsfors Bruks but we'll see how it holds up over the long term.

BAD quality control! I opened up the package and right away could feel how nice this felt in the hand. the sheath was nice and actually fit. However, I also noticed the tiny chipping on the edge and felt the horrible rattle of the very loose handle. This was BAD, something I would expect from a cold steel $25 tomahawk, not from a $110 hatchet. It was loose to the point it really was not safely usable upon arrival and I'm surprised anyone even packaged it to be sent out since it was horribly noticeable when i first picked it up. It immediately got sent back as defective and I'll be looking elsewhere.

The whole package is well put together, the axe came sharp but not shaving sharp. There was some surface rust on the head that required a little scrubbing with some 000 wool to get it under control. The handle to head alignment appears to be a hair off. I won't get to use it until my trip in July. I'll update then.

I didn't know that an axe could be so good, or cut through wood so effortlessly. The forge marks and solid hickory handel connect you with a history of workmanship and times when most people labored for a living and had the tools to get the job done right. We took this hatchet camping, and not only did it help with the campfire, it turned out to be an excellent carving tool to whittle away the time by the campfire.

The metal work is great. The handle is nice. The fit of the head to handle is poor. I didn't even have it out of the envelope when I first felt it rattling. I took a few swipes with it and it performed very well. But I'm very annoyed by a loose head. There's no wedge groove so I don't know how to improve the fit. I want to like it but I just can't.

The Wetterlings Expedition Hatchet arrived swiftly. The hand forged head is on tight as can be. Nice wood wedge instead of a metal spike. Watch out! It arrived hair splitting sharp. The included leather mask is easy on and off. I have some 'volunteers' growing around my redwood tree. Cleared them off swiftly. It came with a worthwhile booklet of instructions. I would purchase again.

Not sure if Wetterlings sells factory seconds, if they do this would be one. The toe(top corner of edge) was completely ground off to the point where it created another flat angle. The bit had a couple of nicks in it. The head has a completely different stamp on it then the factory logo on the handle. This stuff is all minor, I am after all going to be chopping wood with it. The bit will get dull and need to be sharpened, which will eliminate the two major complaints. The price is why the rating is low, the quality does not fall in line with the price. I should have bought the Husqvarna for half the price,

not bad axe but the loose on axe head very bad .