New to Me Hatchet (Swiss Army Surplus)

[barnbwt]

I spied one of these recently for sale; I'd never heard of them before. I'm a fan of the Swiss' well made...everything, so I looked into it. Apparently several dozen (only!) of these were brought over some years ago, selling for the paultry price of 35$ or so. Obviously they were gone quickly . I attached a photo of the tool below (it looks good in photos without hardly trying )

It's a slightly different design from what I'm used to, with a straight and fairly round handle that I more associate with axes (but scaled down to ~13"). It's said to weigh 2.25lbs (it's about that) and the blade is about 3.5" long. The head has a nice concave shape that wraps around the tang and terminates in a flat hammer face on the backside. The Swiss insignia is stamped ridiculously deep into the head (it's like an 1/8" deep, for some reason) so no one will ever mistake who it came from . Came with a loose-fitting green canvas cover with a wire bracket for mounting to webbing (I'm guessing the same is used for the axe and hatchet)

Great condition, as these were never pressed into service, just maintained perfectly before being crated over to us. Minor scuffs on the head, and burnish--marks on the handle are as likely a result of shipping or the previous owner's light use, as from the Swiss' storage. It's has quite sharp ~45* edge, and the lack of wear or stray grind marks indicates that is probably the factory grind.

Having seen the quality of this tool, I'd love to pick up the Axe that was imported along with it. That guy is a 5lb beast capable of much more intensive jobs, with a charm all its own;

If anyone finds of these for sale or feels like parting with theirs, I'd sure appreciate a PM

The only thing I feel is missing is an Alpenflage cover. Yes, the tool predates that camo pattern, but it is quintessential Swiss, and would look really cool;


TCB

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Nice looking ax.

 

[barnbwt]

I found the hatchet's older brother, and cost about the same as the hatchet, believe it or not. I don't think I need to worry about breaking the handle off at the head anytime soon. Despite the large handle and head, the thing actually feels pretty light, especially for something with a blade this long; weighs about as much as the old Sears camp axes with the long skinny hickory handles. I still need to find something cool to make some covers/sheathes out of (probably some 6$ alpenflage rucksack or some plain leather with the Swiss emblem embossed on it). The axe handle is more open-grained than the hatchet, so some sort of oil finish may be a good idea to keep it from getting palm stained right away.

One has to assume the axe was made in '86

TCB

 

[Sam Cade]

Well, that is just super-cool!

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Dang but that's a nice set of axes...
Good find.

 

[barnbwt]

I just need to find something to chop, now . I almost don't want to; I don't think more than a few dozen of each were ever imported, but I'm also pretty sure that no axe/hatchet will ever fetch that much for a collector, so I won't feel bad putting a sturdier finish on and using the things. They could quintuple in price and still only be a couple hundred, which ain't a lot compared to the use I could get out of them in that time

I'm still pretty sure they aren't as nice as a Gransfors, but probably on par with an old Marbles, which means it's nicer than an axe/hatchet should be

TCB

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Ahhh yes, that age old question, do I play with the toys or save them in the box for a collector in the future..?

Wish I could help you but to me an axe,or hatchet,is for chopping with not for looking at.

 

[Gordon]

I keep mine behind the seat in my 57 Chevy 4wd

 

[jakk280rem]

Both are available at Coleman's. I picked up the smaller hatchet and really like it. I used it hunting this year and came in real handy. Slides into the side pocket of my Terminator real nice. Used a bench stone to sharpen it when i got it and haven't had to touch it up since. Bargain at $20.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Thanks for the inspiration. I was wondering what to look for this year to add to my "I don't have to chop wood anymore" memorial wood-chopper collection.