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Post by ShooterMike on Mar 13, 2007 1:54:50 GMT
MRL Danish Hand Axe This little hand axe is a deceptively quick piece of cutlery. While it is an axe, it handles and cuts like a big knife or a short, broad-bladed machete. But it's still an axe with a flat hammer head on the back side. It came from the box unsharpened but was very easy to sharpen to a paper-cutting edge. The head is extremely light weight and contributes to the quick handling. The haft is very thick. This is the only drawback I have found in this axe. I find it to be not nearly as comfortable or controllable as a modern hatchet or hammer, and this is the first thing I am considering replacing or whittling down to my preferred size. Just for fun, I did a little light weight plastic bottle cutting with it. The sharp edge and the light weight made this an extremely easy cutter for these light targets. The cutting went mostly as planned, except for one cut where the large haft spun in my hand resulting in a looping cut through the bottle and into the top edge of the cutting stand, shearing off part of the edge of the stand. The next testing was obviously to see how it chops wood, since it's... ...well... ...an axe, after all. The extreme light weight hindered it in this regard. It cut wood more like a machete due to it's weight, or lack thereof, in the head. I would not choose this tool for chopping down trees, as it would probably be dark before the first tree fell, even if I started at dawn. But for trimming branches and all-around light cutting it works pretty well. I haven't tried throwing this axe yet as I haven't built a target. But that is definitely a next step, along with reducing the size of the haft on it's bottom half. I would recommend this axe from Museum Replicas Limited for anyone who likes light weight little hand axes. I like mine very well.
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Post by rammstein on Mar 13, 2007 2:01:25 GMT
ya! I've been waiting for you to post this ever since I saw your picture of it in the forum album!
Quite a beautiful piece, I'd say. I think this would make a good little hatchet for a viking riding down those innocent pesky monotheistic christains ;D. (no offense intedned, trying to be historical not inflamitory.)
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Post by ShooterMike on Mar 13, 2007 2:18:54 GMT
Yeah, there's just something about this axe...
It's small and light weight. And it just begs you to ka-thunk something with it. ;D
I could see the odd Viking teen on his first raid, carrying this axe. He'd be thinking "Where's me one of those monks who run away frightened? What wimps. I wanna ka-thunk him right in the back of his head."
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2007 4:34:19 GMT
I really like that axe, to bad I cant sharpen well
the pictures of you chopping are perfectly timed, how the heck did you do that? (sorry to get of subject as I always tend to do)
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2007 19:25:32 GMT
good review Mike. I am a very big axe fan as well. Good multipurpose tool/weapon.
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Post by rammstein on Mar 13, 2007 20:02:49 GMT
Just a note: Ya, cutting the cutting stand isn't really a good idea if you use upturned trashcans like I do. I swear, one of them has a gash in it so large I could probably shove my whol arm through. But it's not too bad, nothing was severed. That's what happens when one cuts a bottle too fervently ( ShooterMike, that was around the 15th cut, same bottle ;D)
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2007 20:58:21 GMT
Is the head still snug after using it for a while? The end of the haft looks straight, rather than slightly fatter at the end like a modern axe, so it looks like the only thing holding the head on is the cross pin.
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Post by ShooterMike on Mar 14, 2007 0:44:20 GMT
the pictures of you chopping are perfectly timed, how the heck did you do that? (sorry to get of subject as I always tend to do) Hobo, it works like this: Get a digital camera and a very patient friend (girlfriend in my case). Setup the camera on a tripod about 15-20 feet from the cutting stand and pre-focus it for the shot you want. Very patiently work with said aspiring photographer to show them exactly how the shutter button and auto focus works. Have them count 1,2,3,C CUT! On "1" they press for auto focus, on "CUT" they snap the picture. Practice this about three-dozen times until you can reasonable anticipate when the picture will snap based on the position of the sword blur in the picture. Ideally, you want the sword to have just cleared the top of the cutting stand in the test pictures.
Now you are ready to try on real targets. And be prepared to make a couple of dozen cuts for each decent photo. At least that's been our experience. Is the head still snug after using it for a while? The end of the haft looks straight, rather than slightly fatter at the end like a modern axe, so it looks like the only thing holding the head on is the cross pin. It's tight as new, but that's because it's still pretty new. I haven't done any throwing with it yet, or used it for anything really abusive. That will be the real test. And you are right in your observation. There's no typical swell to the head-end of the haft. The head is held on solely by the cross-pin. Hmm. I never noticed that. Something to keep an eye on.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2007 5:18:13 GMT
Ill get some pictures later, but I have the same, but earlier version of the axe. I used it to no holy end and did eventually come into the head being loose. BUT that was after and unfortunate incident between metal, wood and however many thousands of volts run through power lines. The axe is still holding strong, mine wasnt made with the pin however so yours may be better off. Ive used mine from throwing to live steel fighting and the shaft needs some replacing but really, i couldnt be happier with it. Yours should be fine for quite some time.
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Post by jpfranco on Jun 18, 2007 14:56:03 GMT
Great review as usual my friend. Good looking little axe.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2009 17:38:05 GMT
good review nice axe very sharp then i didnt think they were that sharp
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Avery
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Post by Avery on Mar 29, 2009 0:09:13 GMT
Man, I can't believe I overlooked this thread. Great review, Mike. What shape is the axe eye, round or oval? Also, what is the diameter if the handle at the top?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2009 4:31:26 GMT
I don't think axes are supposed to have paper cutting sharp edges, after all they are axes, their design is to cut wood which requires a meatier edge.
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Avery
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Post by Avery on Mar 29, 2009 14:36:51 GMT
I don't think axes are supposed to have paper cutting sharp edges, after all they are axes, their design is to cut wood which requires a meatier edge. Blood, while I agree that most axes are meant only for wood, I think its a bit of a shallow comment to say all are.( I mean no offense here) Marbles carries a double bit axe designed for skinning. One side is slightly sharp meant for breaking bone while the other side is meant for skinning. And then there are the military tactical axes, such as the RMJ Forge products, whose versatility is unsurpassed. The list can go on and on.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2009 3:48:20 GMT
Avery: apologies, I didn't clarify my blanket statement. What I meant was that as far as I know axes meant for combat, historically, did not have such thin edges and were never meant to have such thin edges. I am not arguing that all axes should have thicker edges but combat axes, from what I know, should have a thicker edge. If this axe is meant to be thrown should it not have a thicker edge for that reason as well?
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Post by Avery on Mar 30, 2009 23:33:49 GMT
Avery: apologies, I didn't clarify my blanket statement. What I meant was that as far as I know axes meant for combat, historically, did not have such thin edges and were never meant to have such thin edges. I am not arguing that all axes should have thicker edges but combat axes, from what I know, should have a thicker edge. If this axe is meant to be thrown should it not have a thicker edge for that reason as well? Blood, no apologies neccesary. I just reread my post and realized how pompous it sounds, that was not my intent. Actually this axe is based on a Peterson type M, which if you want to do a bit of reading on its history, here is a good link. dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/520509 I realize its wikipedia, but this time they got it right. These axes historically were made pretty thin and as the article states, has a harder bit. The idea that the battle axes of the norse were heavy and unweildly is just another common misconception. These axes needed to be light and fast in order to be used from behind a shield wall or one on one combat against an opponent weilding a sword and sheild. As for throwing the axes, alot of axes, even some francescas, have a thin, bit hardened edge, more able to penetrate light armor. There is alot about axes used in battle that is misunderstood and misrepresented by people who don't try to research history and instead rely on word of mouth, thus perpetuating these common misconceptions. It does make me a bit defensive about the subject, and for that I apologize to you for my off the hip reaction. I know you to be someone willing to delve into something if your questioned on it, and research the history of it for yourself, and I should not have written such a condescending post in the first place. Edit: spelling
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2009 9:34:41 GMT
Avery: God forgives and so do I The information I have on axes is mostly from my NVG group, we were very specific about historical accuracy. I like you, am a person who can't stand the misconceptions which is why I asked about the edge and the accuracy of the edge. I haven't encountered many axes that have that kind of thin edge but then my interest has generally been in byzantine and the cultures that came into contact with them. By thicker edge this is of course meant relatively. I will peruse the link you left and many thanks for it, I need to do a bit more research it seems.
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Post by Avery on Mar 31, 2009 22:38:47 GMT
Ahhhh.... The byzantines. Yeah they have a huge variety of axes. I was speaking of the later european cultures when I was referring to thinner blades. Being a descendant of the Norse, I feel an inherent need to defend their weapons and style of battle.
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Post by ShooterMike on Mar 31, 2009 22:52:54 GMT
Blood, FYI: This axe came unsharpened. I sharpened it with a standard axeblade profile. It's just that the blade is very thin and meant for use more like a short sword than as a traditional axe, as it so light and has very little weight at the head.
It's my opinion that this style of hand axe was mostly intended as a weapon for those who couldn't afford a sword. It has very little resemblence to a "working wood cutting" axe in either handling or performance.
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Post by shadowhowler on Apr 1, 2009 5:08:04 GMT
Hows it holding up after all this time?
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