Walmart Recalls 246,000 Camp Axes After Discovering Heads Can Detach from Handles

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C0untZer0

C0untZer0

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/walmart-axe-recall-nearly-quarter-million-axe/

The Ozark Trail camp axes were sold exclusively at Walmart stores across the country and online from January 2017 through July 2018 for about $8, the agency said. Consumers should return the axes, manufactured by Gardex of India, for a full refund.
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The normal process is for a tool to be designed and engineered to perform a function. This is what happens when a tool is reverse-engineered to cut costs with no regard for function.
 
Gets you thinking maybe they will be a little less bean counter, and a little more QC conscious,
next time.
 
Funny, I wonder how many hundreds of thousands of wood handled axes and splitting mauls have had their heads “detach”. I’ll admit to having done a few in my younger years causing distress to both Grandfather and Father.

I was bad enough at it I finally built a log splitter a few decades ago, problem solved.
 
I thought that was just a "design feature" ;) those cheap camp axes, weather made by Ozark trail or Coghlans, have always been pretty much a one time use item.
 
They have been making those hammers and hand-axes with the potmetal hafts to the neck for
decades. On the last rare occasion that I used one, the head came clean off at the neck,
left me thinking "hmm, the upper part of the haft usually bends over, and kinks, this is new".

Estwing is a "buy once, cry once" moment, but the heft and balance gives you such
a better cutting tool than the rest of the pack that it's easily worth the extra lettuce,
if you spend more than two days a year in the woods.
 
Dibbs said:
They have been making those hammers and hand-axes with the potmetal hafts to the neck for
decades. On the last rare occasion that I used one, the head came clean off at the neck,
left me thinking "hmm, the upper part of the haft usually bends over, and kinks, this is new".

Estwing is a "buy once, cry once" moment, but the heft and balance gives you such
a better cutting tool than the rest of the pack that it's easily worth the extra lettuce,
if you spend more than two days a year in the woods.
Click to expand...

The hatchet in my emergency pack in the car is an Estwing but the one in the bedroom is a Gransfors Bruk. The later gets more use but I know I can always count on the former in a pinch.
 
I suspect that it was made in China and at least some Chinese companies have the habit of making decent quality goods initially and then cheapening it after the importer is hooked.
 
The company that supplies them has their headquarters in India, but its certainly possible that the hatchets are made in China.

I have an Estwing 26" Camper's Axe and it is very useful for a lot of chopping tasks but I think the blade on it is too thin for serious chopping of large logs. The blade cuts too deep and doesn't throw chips. I end up rocking and prying the axe out of a log after every few swings. Maybe I just need to learn to use it better, but I don't have that problem with a regular axe. Also, that all steel construction really sends the kinetic impact up into my joints. I feel it in my thumb, wrist, elbow and shoulder. But I do think it is a really dependable tool and very useful, and the axe head is never ever going to come flying off of that Estwing :)
 
One of the hazards of the "big box" world is that when you sell low cost (which usually means low quality...) goods you're going to run into the occasional (or not so occasional) problem.... The best part is that they also employ lots of lawyers who promptly whisper (or shout) into upper management's ears... "Quick, do a massive recall to prevent the lawsuits you hired us to defend you against"...

It would be downright funny if it weren't so sad... The good news is that quality tools made by reputable firms still deliver the long service you expect - if they can stay in business as the big box outfits undercut them on price....
 
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