You know, that same incident really hit home with me, too. I'm not sure- do I avoid buying from Bangladesh or does that make matters worse? If I may once more skirt the edge of politics I'd like to see a law passed whereby nothing can be sold in the US if it was produced under conditions that don't meet at least American OSHA standards. This would seem to me to be a win/win for everyone. Foreign workers would get safer working conditions, and there'd be no incentive for non-compliance since the US is a big market. Undoubtedly this would make foreign goods slightly more expensive which would serve a similar function as a tariff, making US goods slightly more cost competitive. It infuriates me to see an American company raking in billions off of workers toiling in appalling conditions (looking right at you, Apple!).

This kind of pressure from consumers and corporations have resulted in some good, actually. Weird things you learn from college distribution courses: Chinese law was seriously revamped in the 90s to attract American and European investors and corporations who were used to more rational business practices. One of the many results was that beneficial labor laws were passed, since these corporations, as a matter of their internal policy, had to abide by a certain standard of labor and safety practices. China is by no means a labor paradise, but it could have been worse.

Anyway, thanks for the information on the Gransfors axes. I value craftsmanship, and I'm glad that quality still matters to some. Regrettably, I'm not enough of a woodsman to appreciate the difference in all likelihood. At some point I guess I should learn some serious deep woods skills. I do like the Viking axes, though.

I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK,
I sleep all night and work all day...

On the subject of wood processing, I'll confess that I use saws more than axes, no matter how nice. I have a couple of really beautiful Silky saws and IMOHO they're unmatched for cutting wood. I especially love my Silky Bigboy- it cuts like a light saber!

An axe certainly has it's place. For one it's simple to sharpen an axe vs sharpening a saw. I might have to pick up the Small Forest Axe while it's on sale.

Nice article! Council Tool axes are pretty nice for the money and are pretty cheap. The local ACE Hardware used to have them but recently switched to a cheaper and junkier make.

Being a geek and somewhat lazy, I sharpen and refurb axes on my Kalamazoo 1SM 42" x 1" belt grinder. You get spoiled once you try a nice machine like this, and I can only imagine how nice a Burr King must be!

Council Tools rock! (or more precisely, cut). I have had a thing for Pulaskis ever since my fire fighting days -nice and versatile... holds an edge too. I notice their price is right up there in the GB range, especially if the tool meets gov't specs.

The new Macs will be made in the U.S.A.

Jeanette Isabelle

I hadn't heard that Jeanette, but it's a step in the right direction. Especially if that includes iPhones- that's their main cash cow and the item being produced under the worst working conditions.

For your enjoyment folks..... Axes

Lee

Sweet! Watching now...

Great video. It would be fun to take that tour! It's a shame though that we didn't get to see the final polishing and sharpening. That would have been neat to see.