Council Tool should pay you. I feel like I need to start collecting their axe models and support their business. Thanks for your insightful review and opinions.

Mr. Stuart, your review and critique is thorough. As to the new Jersey head, my opinion is that there is a large amount of Hoffman-Smith influence to this design change/alteration. Almost suspicious it is... You mentioned ten-thousand (10K) swings in reference to the handle. For an avid axeman that is about three weeks work in my estimation. I am interested in the new head however, being a fan of the old one, I hope it doesn't disappoint...

Thanks for the review. All the changes they made seem to be well thought out and hopefully increase performance. Let us know once you giver' a few swings.

I just love the forged bevels on the council tool jersey. Mine came with a beautiful heartwood handle. I actually ordered a replacement handle from council tool for that axe in order to hang a different head but found it to be mostly run out. I also have the 30c but in the A grade. It is a nice handle but like you stated kinda pricey. Great video though describing some different things council tool is doing with their new jerseys.

I appreciate the honest review. That's a shame about the runout. Since you like the shape, it might be worth creating a pattern of the handle in case you want to make a replacement at some point. Regarding the sharpness of the handle: I routinely fix this issue on my favorite hardware store handles (which come from "Do It Best" hardware stores), and I recommend using a card scraper. Even a little bluntness will go a long way. Good luck!

Awesome video man !! Love how the axe came out, I really dig the re designed Jersey 🤙. Now as for the handle, i totally agree with you on some points, for example the lower portion near the palm swell is amazing I love it. I also keep a more loose grip on the axe and man you nailed it saying it’s like a lazy boy chair for your hand !! The upper portions of the handle where I makes that sharp tear drop shape, it’s weird but I happen to love that. When I’m tuning my handles to my liking I do it to a very similar feel. I almost feel like if the if it’s almost an oval or rounded all the way up it feels a bit wonky to me. I even tune my double bit handles in a tear drop shape to favor the more predominantly used bit. Idk maybe I’m weird, but I can see how that shape can be a bit uncomfortable for some, it is a bit sharp. Thanks for the awesome video !!

When I think of jerseys I think of a wide bit for rough hewing. If there was an affordable option that was modern, that could be quite useful to many. I'd like to see an american axe with a 5.5 inch wide bit or more. Old jerseys can have very wide bits. I just found a round lug plumb that's probably 5.75 inches wide. Axe only weighs 3lbs 9oz. I agree with everything you're saying about palm swell, pointy parts that hurts to hold and growth rings. That's definitely a bad B grade handle. It's very difficult to cross cut with an axe over a long period of time when using a tight grip. It's a lot of shock that adds up. Is that the first good fawn's foot you've gotten? I pretty much started making handles because I was disappointed in some of the ones I was getting online. Lumber and shape. I will say making your own handle gives you an appreciation of how difficult it is to process the raw materials and eventually shape the handle. I can't possibly justify selling them for a cheap price when I make them. Air dried and hand riven lumber doesn't seem very commonly sold for impact tools. I can see where the better a handle is the more it prices customers out of buying. I love making my handle, feels very valuable.

I have swung a lot of different patterns and makers. The council jersey is most likely my favorite. I am considering buying the new pattern and give it a workout.

I’m impressed, I must own one.

I agree with all your comments on the handle. I have purchased a lot of them from them and you nailed this! I lean more towards Liam Hoffman’s handles now. Some case I just buy a straight grain from HD then rework the fawn’s foot and make what I want. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Was looking forward to this review since Ethicals live, cheers for the vid. Very thorough look at both the head and handle. The new version is almost different enough to be a separate pattern. Reminds me now more of the Granfors AFA. I like the side profile, lug and poll changes. Personally I wouldn't have touched the concavity from bit to eye, but we'll see the results of that in testing I'm sure. 100% agree with your assessment of the handle. Palm swell looks good, but the run out and the eye is a bit iffy. Do they do a bevelled version of this new one? Could be velvicut worthy I reckon. Great vid!

🇺🇸God bless Council Tool🇺🇸

Looks like a great axe. I do like the looks of that handle shape but that is a lot of runout. I think with hickory you get away some runout but that looks to be pushing its luck! Still, it might last for a long time anyway. Maybe you could add a collar to deal with the sharp edge and reduce the risk of breakage.

How did you get the nice deep color of your original axe? That is a beautiful shade

Where that thin handle belly close to the head comes in handy is for splitting. Much less likely to rip a chunk out of it. Not comfortable though when choking up on the axe.

I’ve watched a bunch of your videos at this point, glad I found your channel, and Glad to see you taking such pride in US made products I too am a big fan of council tools. The Scandinavian axes are too rich for my blood. Are the whisky river handles your favorites? I’ve only used flea markets and house handles so far. I tend to take a rasp to thin them out though.

Did you consider adding a rawhide or leather wrap at the top of the handle where the edge is sharp instead of taking wood off?

Nice goat.

Thank God, Council Tools, Muller and Hultafors, still make good axes! I hate the fact, that I have to work on the handle, for days, to bring it where it should have been in terms of thickness. However, that and maybe the bevel thickness, that on some may need thinning too, is the price to pay, for a tool that will work properly. My last axe was the Muller Biber Canada, that I want to pair with the Hultafors HY 10- 1.5, and make the perfect duo for my needs!! The Muller is beaver when it comes to felling and limbing, and the Hultafors 1.5 is the perfect for larger trees or harder wood, as also for bucking the wood after you bring down a tree !! PS, My hatchet is a Fiskars X5, did you ever had a hatchet, that had an overall, better performance? I might need to get another, soon, because I've used the hell out of the X7. I can't even remember, how many years I got it

Links would be great where to buy axes you review and also you should sell your custom axes

To steal a golf term, grip like your holding a baby bird that you don't want to escape. Every time you do a deep dive review it costs me money lol. Very curious if and when they update the classic. I have one and love the bevels but I would purchase another classic if it is updated for the balance. Are the butt end of the Whiskey River handles meant to be trimmed or left as a bit of a counterbalance? Personally i don't like the look if it that way but if its more user friendly I would leave it.

Kinda sucks that the haft has such an awesome knob and yet a sharp neck like that. You could probably run that on a belt sanding tool and round it out pretty easily to fix that issue. Great axes tho.

Do you think the new designed council jersey will get stuck more when splitting? Since they concave'd the cheeks, and thinned them out. One thing I like about my older council jerseys I have, is how chubby & convex'd the cheeks are, they make good splitters.

Won't founding the handle effect the balance of the axe?

I think I would have told them to stuff that haft and not hung it. Even if it was a hatchet length haft that is terrible for the price!