This is just wrong...WARNING! Multiple ( as in 23 before I crash disconnected my computer) downloads of unknown content that blew past my security program!!!!--Chris

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/05/12/chop-foppishly-with-these-designer-axes/

-Tommy

Painting where your going to grip seems counterproductive. Generally on a new wood handled axe i use a knife, or even a piece of glass, to scrape the varnish off. The bare wood doesn't get as slippery. If they were going to paint a portion of the handle I would think that it would be closer to the head.

I wonder what Maine-based axe company they use?

For a great deal less money, you can get some great old steel off ebay. You'll probably have to find a new handle, but then at least you get to choose the grain and you don't have to scrape off that hideous and pointless paint job.

I have a double bit kelly true temper flint edge cruiser, a collins legitimus dayton with 18" handle, a Norlund Voyageur hatchet and a great little unmarked hatchet with a 12" handle (my first axe purchase). All bought off ebay and while shipping was pretty expensive for some of them, the axes themselves were cheap. All needed/still need a little work to get them into perfect working condition and as I don't own a belt sander that means lots of patience, sandpaper of various grains and buffing compound.

I recently saw a nice '50s kelly perfect jersey pattern go for $255 on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=120415381905

paint on the handle??--thats leave by the fireplace in the lodge stuff for people who will never really swing a axe.
Minnesota is logging country and "junk" stores and yard sales are a good source for old axe heads..i have never bought a axe at a store and i have several that saw alot of used when i was heating with wood.

Chris, I have no idea idea what happened when you visited the link. Crunchgear is a well-known blog on mostly technology. I just hit it again with Chrome, firefox, firefox with adblock disabled, and IE7 and nothing unusual. They are a little pic heavy in the right column without adblock active, simialar to the newest images column on ETS but more of them, trying to get you read other articles.

Only thing I could think of is someone might have sneaked a nasty add via one of the adservers pushing the advertisements.

-Tommy

I believe the company is Snow and Nealley of Maine.

They've been overlooked in recent years with the Gransfors

Bruk/Wetterling imports. They are one ready resource for the

classic Hudson's Bay cruising axe mentioned in the old canadian

survival kit list.