Can anyone tell me where I can find a list of Wetterling axe dealers? I can't find a list of dealers anywhere and would like to look at these axes before I decide to buy one.
I'm looking for one in Washington or Oregon...or Idaho.
Thanks for any effort...like I say, I've Googled and read stuff, but to no avail.

I may have to spend the money and get a Granfors Bruks, but I can't find a dealer around here for them, either.

Can't much on a local dealer, but have you tried here for their "find a local vendor"

I think the Gransfors Bruks and the Wetterling seem similar as regards the heads (but I am no expert!) with perhaps the Gransfors Bruks being ground/forged so that the blade is a bit slimmer for a longer distance from the edge before it thickens.

However, I have seen some Wetterling axes and hatchets that had very poor grain layout in the handle and would soon break. Never seen a Gransfors with really bad grain layout (and both are common here in Swedish stores so I have looked at more than a few). No big deal if you can select your item in person, but be careful buying from the web. You indeed have the right idea!

I will say that the Gransfors Bruks seems to have a more fanatical following (both here in Sweden and in North America)! There might be a good basis for that, but I do not know.

I toured Gransfors Bruks, and I had a real nice chat with one of the 'smiths who make the heads. The company even offers a course in forging, but alas my timing was bad so I could not take it. Neat company anyway -- well worth an afternoon visit if you find yourself here in the land of pretty blonde women...

John

Thank you for your response. I'll check out your link and see if I can find something. If not, I'm sure in time I can run across someone who knows where to get a look at them.
Good info on the handle quality issue. May have been an isolated incident, but it falls in line with the pictures of the heads that I have seen where the Wetterlings look pretty poorly finished...actually pretty rough. One comment I read was just that---that the GBs have more time into them in finishing them. Maybe they are worth the added cost.
Thanks again!

Hi again

The Gransfors Bruks axes are finely finished -- but just the areas that matter. I kind of like the old school appearance myself which shows the forging blows on the side of the head. They do seem to pay attention to all the important details for sure.

I don't recall the warranty on the Wetterlings, but the Gransfors Bruks is 20 years.

Click here, then select British flag to get an English version of "the Axe book" to get a pdf file with more details like how Granfors Bruks tests the hardness of each head, close ups of the finish, etc. Lot of good info here, even if you get somebody else's axe.

Perhaps it is "merely" good marketing on their part, but I have to say that I like the idea of a company that takes pride in making something really good for more than a century, and which lets you watch their 'smiths work , and from which you can take a forging or timber house building course on weekends. And of course, it will be a long shot from some crappy made in China axe too...

John

Thanks again. Half the fun is in the shopping... I agree that it's nice to see the forging marks on the head...interesting that modern methods don't produce the same pride of ownership in a product that a rougher, handmade one does.
After looking at some of the youtube videos of the Wetterlings, I think the picture I saw before of a "rough" head was just a poor picture.
I found a Wetterling dealer a couple hours away from me, but they only do mailorder business, so I still don't know where I could see some. It's looking like GB more all the time.

I have purchased several Wetterlings from Blade Matrix

I have friends that use the GB ax, as well as others that use Fiskars and other brands.

In head to head chopping and cutting, the Wetterlings did as good a job as any GB I have seen.

I don't own a Wetterling axe, but I have owned and used a GB for about 15 years. I am quite pleased with my GB.

I bought my wetterling hatchet from smoky mountain knife works for a decent price. Google them and they instantly come up. GB has a cult like following in BWCA canoe people and I think the redrock store and Piragis outfitters carry them.
I'm thinking of buying the wetterlings axe from smoky mountain. Not sure if GB is worth it, but it is a status symbol for canoe folks (and I think they are slightly better, but at 2-3x the cost...)

From what you guys are saying plus what I'm reading and seeing on the internet about them, it sounds like they are both great axes. I think it'll come down to whichever one I can actually see and handle first.
I'm planning on making some calls tomorrow to see if the stores on the Gransfors Bruks dealer list I got actually have them in stock.

Just a heads up, Huskvarna axes are actually wetterlings, and can (or could) be found at pretty good savings. I picked up 3 of the hatchets for a bit over $100 shipped off of flea bay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Husqvarna-50264...tZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439daa1b4b

snow & nealy

FWIW, I have both GB and Wetterling axes. The Wetterlings have a rougher, less polished, finish, but the quality of the steel and the balance seems equal to me.

Jeff

If you can't find one you might buy one from a store that has a 100% money back guarantee that allows you to return it if you don't like it. Just be carefull that you don't end up spending more in shipping and handling than the price difference between the two axes.

I'm sure that Wetterlings chop just fine but having examined the two I decided that the Gransfors Bruks was enough nicer for me to spend the extra money. I use them a good bit while hunting (hunting cabin has a wood heater their Splitting Maul works sweet!)...................................dj

Thanks for the responses and help. All of your posts helped me decide what to do: I've found a couple dealers of Gransfors Bruks (GB) that are a couple hours away and stock the hatchets I'm interested in, so I'm making progress on those...not so much on the Wetterlings. I would have to order a Wetterlings sight-unseen and return it if I didn't like it, and I just don't want to do that. Probably, like Mannlicher implied, I'd be happy with a Wetterlings, but I just want to see one first and compare it to the GB for myself.
I called the GB headquarters in South Carolina and the nice lady told me the same fellow owns GB and Wetterlings. He is in the process of upgrading the quality and status of Wetterlings; so taking that for what it's worth, I think I'll go with a Gransfors Bruks at this point in time.
Odd thing about the two smallest GB hatchets is that the smallest one is almost half again more money than the next size up...must be a "cuteness" factor. Pretty spendy stuff but it's like anything else --- whichever one I like best is always more money.