@@KevinsDisobedience I love axes of most all flavors... It is indeed a compelling notions about slip fits, love'em or hate 'em. I have a super sized tomahawk made out of an old Vaughn Ballpeen Hammer 48oz., 28" haft, 5" cutting surface. I have to say it is easy to swing all day, cuts VERY deep, fells with some of my best heavy axes, is superior at limbing and packs easily. IF the haft ever breaks in the field a replacement would be easy. Absolutely one of my favorites. But, I have A LOT of favorites. LOL! Yep, I got the sickness, for sure ! I say this as I look at more than 30 some axes and tomahawks in my livingroom...
I also bought one of the NEW Hudson's Bay models, with the 18" handle.....from the start, I planned to use it as a camp HATCHET, not an axe, and I ground out a notch under the bit for my Middle finger knuckle, and now it DOES carve VERY well....very good all around camp hatchet....I also carry a Corona folding saw, and a Council Tool Pack Axe, which I have re-hung with a Boys Axe 28" handle....both Hatchet and Axe are REALLY excellent equipment ...I'm 76, and have been playing with axes and camping since I was 8, and so I have a pretty good Idea of what works....the newer Council Tools equipment is great......OnWard.....
I think it would have been interesting if the profiles between the old and new were significantly different enough that you could almost have a Hudson’s Bay chopper and a Hudson’s Bay splitter. But hopefully the taller pole will help with some of the issues Ben mentions in his video. Either way it’s still a classic design that has a place in axe lore.
Yep, that’s pretty much the comfort zone for small axes. This could definitely be made into a little Bushcraft axe, although that’s not its intended use.
Great video man always love watching and learning from your videos, I’m need to axes at the moment I only have a woodslasher I posted about it on the fb page I’ve been wanting to buy a new axe but I’m still learning. I’m really interested in the sport utility line from CT. 👍
I’ve got 1 of the older ones on a 20” handle , it came on a 28” (I think) I bought it years ago . It got ran over with a skidded & there went the long handle , but the shorter handle makes a really nice wedge driver .
Yeah, the old ones have 28” handles, but the new one is only 2lbs so not really heavy enough to drive serious wedges. But it would definitely work for smaller trees.
These new CT hudson bay axes are basically a slightly modified montreal pattern... which was/is a hudson bay with a larger eye wall face. Just like hudson bay patterns, the montreal pattern is a Canadian woodmen classic. The new CT hudson bay is slightly different then the typical montreal patterns you'll see but thats for sure where CT pulled their design inspiration from, is old montreal pattern axes. This is a no brainer purchase for me, its exactly what I been waiting to see from CT. I've been wanting to get a CT flying fox since they originally released because of the hardened poll and I like the head design a lot, but the head weight is just a bit lighter then I would like it to be. This new hudson bay is just what im looking for in a canoe/camp axe, being 2lbs and a hardened poll is perfect for such tasks, I plan to eventually toss it on a 28-32in handle (which equates to a 26=30inch once hung) and suspect it would become one of my favorite axes once hung on a longer handle. I'm a sucker for 2-2.5 lb axes on 26-30inch handles, they just suit my axe purposes best... I have more 2-2.5lb axes then any other axe weight in my collection and they're the axes that I more often then not grab when im doing axe work. Its always good to have lighter and heavier axes in ones arsenal but at the end of the day a solid 2-2.5lb axe hung on a 26-30in handle will do the work most people need accomplished out of an axe these days... obviously the CT hudson bay axes are no homesteading axe but for the occasional axe user that just needs a splitting/chopping tool for backyard fires and camp trips, the CT hudson bay 2.0 might just be the best retail option out there these days... at least imo
Excellent. You just made me get up and go get mine, a 6 month old "original" one out of the bin, to compare . Yeah the head started coming loose, but I was wailing really hard on red oak and it was like 10 degrees out. So I tamped it back down and added tons of BLO. We'll see. Looks like the newer handles got fatter? Mine (28") is really super skinny , something I'm not really used to yet. I also have to get used to such a light axe, it feels a bit "squirrely". I just finished a Boy's axe (True Temper woodsman) on an octagonal House Handle at 28" , and that feels a lot more like what I'm used to , but yeah for a pack or canoeing axe , I'll bring the CT, but I do need a collar and a sheath. The CT came pretty sharp out of the box, which was quite cool.
Yeah this handle is quite beefy and intend to flatten the sides. It’s definitely a travel axe, not something you’d keep around the house to split with.
@@KevinsDisobedience You definitely steered me on this, I bought the CT HB over the winter just for gathering kindling, after busting the handle twice on a 18" hatchet I tried to hang on a cheap china head . On PINE! The 11.00 handle was a joke, probably not even hickory. Frustration. Yeah so a weekender axe. The Boy's Axe hang went really well and it just FEELS like it's not gonna explode. Knock wood..
Thanks, yeah I enjoy Simon’s content a lot, and I know they can’t get these over there. He does more bushcraft trips than I do, so it will be neat to see what he does with it.
Nice. Neat little girl you have in the pile now man. I've heard from the whiskey river channel that Council tool had even heat treated the poll of the new Hudson bay line as well. That was an interesting detail and addition that made me greatly consider ordering one for myself. Having a hardened poll is an option that tickles my jimmies.
Majestic Reeve Weave at 3:52ish Very interesting to see. The Hudson Bay is certainly an aesthetic pattern...but I too appreciate how flawed the design is. I wonder how long it'll be before we see It here in Blighty....not counting Simon's woods
I like the look of the old model but never gone to the trouble and expense to get one down here to Aus because I've had the same head-loosening trouble with Rhineland patterns. The new version seems a lot better I reckon. Awesome. Cool opening shots too
The old model is a really sexy axe, and I haven’t had issues with it yet, but then I barely used it. I highly suspect that if I chopped with it for one whole day it would be loose.
It’s a cool little axe. Could get some people in trouble with the short handle, but as long as you bend your knees or control the direction of the cut there should be no issue. Let us know what you decide to do with yours.
You did a really nice job fancying up the old version. I think the old version is always gonna be that classic “Hudson bay look.” New version, while probably more durable, seems more like an odd hybrid of the axe. Have they discontinued the old version? Thanks for the comparison.
As far as I know the old one is still available. It was still on Amazon yesterday when I checked. But I don’t know if they’re still making them. And I agree about the look. There’s something sexy about the old model.
I totally agree with you about the shelf loosening up the head , when i first hung axes i intentionally left a shelf thinking it would help ( i was thinking mortise & tenon joint ) but every one i hung that way loosened up. How is the new style as a chopper?
Yeah, instinctively it kind of makes sense to seat the axe down on a ledge, but when you consider the dynamics you realize it’s got to go. I didn’t attempt to chop with it. For starters, I’d have to grind it back a lot, as it’s really thick and that light head on such a short handle would be a but futile I think. It could be made into a little bushcraft builder though.
@@KevinsDisobedience Its a montreal pattern... which was/is a hudson bay with a larger eye wall face. Just like hudson bay patterns, the montreal pattern is a Canadian woodmen classic. The CT hudson bay 2.0 is slightly different then the typical montreal patterns you'll see but thats for sure where CT pulled their design inspiration from, is old montreal pattern axes.
I actually really like how the new one looks. I have an older one with the thinner head and don’t ever use it because The other Hudson Bay axes I’ve used don’t take much banging around. Also the profile of the new one looks better for splitting. I do not consider the old one a splitter at all. Not sure what I consider it thin little 24” handle and thin head that works itself lose.
My older one is actually on a 28” handle. I used it as a little kindling splitter when I went canoe camping, but truth be told there are better axes for that. This new one is better for that. Not sure what I’ll use the old one for. Probably sell it before the head comes loose lol.
Thanks for asking. Really bad at the moment. They were almost back to normal and then we sheeted and taped a new house and they are right back to where they were. I’m probably going to have to see if I can get a shot of steroids or something. I’ve just been hoping they’d heal, but according to doc not if I keep working. Thanks for caring, though.
@@KevinsDisobedience Ive actually interacted with him. Seems like a decent guy. We hold wildly different opinions, I think. I will give it a watch when im not in a device chucking mood.🤣
@@theodorewood5083 cmon man. Ive owned very similar axes and have researched enough to know thehudson bay axe has s reputation for coming loose. Even council tool admits it in thier own marketing. I find keeping an open mind pays dividends, my views have changed 180 over the years because i was willing to learn
@@benscottwoodchopper It helps when the tool is not used beyond its design. I owned a Wetterlings i liked... until realizing how much i was not using using it taught me an important lesson. The Hudson bay is not a felling axe. Or a splitting axe. There was a time i argued the Wetterlings Hudson bay would have been a bit better if only it had a longer handle. But through experience and use I realized hoe foolish that was, and how much the Wetterling was trying to be a pulp ax/imaginary category axe. When I thought back to why I had liked the pattern in my youth a light went off. Then if you research the Hudson bay company and the patterns they sell.. The u Hudson bay is a belt axe. And that is where it shines. A hunters axe, a trappers axe. A short handle. Light wood work. Processing game, tending a small trail fire. A little carving. Its an axe you can wear or tuck in your belt. A hatchet. A "tomahawk' evolution if you will. And used that way in a shape like the Penobscot, (i think marbles has one that is very close to the old ones called the hunters ax) it absolutely shines. When you stretch out the handle and try to push it past what it was designed to do, that's when it fails. It is also when if you have a plethora of axes at your disposal you find it gathering dust. Because its just ruined for what it was designed to be, and falls short of what its trying to be. Ill take a Hudson bay on an 18" handle (or shorter) with a proper cheek geometry for the above mentioned task any day of the week. A Wetterlings or CT on those 24" plus inch handles they have thickened up? No thanks. Ive got 3lb axes on 30" handles that specifically do the kind of work those would be used for. And if i need a bit lighter a pulp axe will really outshine them. Just my opinion.
@@theodorewood5083 not arguing that the head style cant be useful. If you watch my vid i have 3 hudson bay style axes that i love, but they are much closer to origional fur trade axes and dont suffer from the problems that modern style hudson bay axes which which came about post 1920's. The origionals were more often than not slip fit,and the same head shape swithed to a wedged handle causing the issues. Thats my argument. If you find the head shape useful, then you can still use it for felling without issue of looseness on a slip fit
Here’s Ben’s video: ruclips.net/video/fUR6hlrw6Hg/видео.html
He makes a compelling argument.
Until someone disputes this I think it's the gospel. It's what I've found to be true with my experience as well.
You don’t have to twist my arm about slip fits. I hate ’em. But yes, I don’t think this is intended to be a felling axe.
It makes sense. I just can’t say either way as mine’s not come loose yet, but then I’ve not used it much.
@@KevinsDisobedience I love axes of most all flavors...
It is indeed a compelling notions about slip fits, love'em or hate 'em.
I have a super sized tomahawk made out of an old Vaughn Ballpeen Hammer 48oz., 28" haft, 5" cutting surface. I have to say it is easy to swing all day, cuts VERY deep, fells with some of my best heavy axes, is superior at limbing and packs easily. IF the haft ever breaks in the field a replacement would be easy. Absolutely one of my favorites.
But, I have A LOT of favorites. LOL! Yep, I got the sickness, for sure !
I say this as I look at more than 30 some axes and tomahawks in my livingroom...
I also bought one of the NEW Hudson's Bay models, with the 18" handle.....from the start, I planned to use it as a camp HATCHET, not an axe, and I ground out a notch under the bit for my Middle finger knuckle, and now it DOES carve VERY well....very good all around camp hatchet....I also carry a Corona folding saw, and a Council Tool Pack Axe, which I have re-hung with a Boys Axe 28" handle....both Hatchet and Axe are REALLY excellent equipment ...I'm 76, and have been playing with axes and camping since I was 8, and so I have a pretty good Idea of what works....the newer Council Tools equipment is great......OnWard.....
It’s a good little axe. No arguments from me.
I think it would have been interesting if the profiles between the old and new were significantly different enough that you could almost have a Hudson’s Bay chopper and a Hudson’s Bay splitter. But hopefully the taller pole will help with some of the issues Ben mentions in his video. Either way it’s still a classic design that has a place in axe lore.
Agree and agree. It’s just a cool looking design, and the taller eye will undoubtedly help. They also shifted the weight distribution some.
Interesting stuff! Lovely autumn weather you are having over there.
It’s been unusually warm. First snowfall yesterday.
My favorite size for an axe. Not a fan of the “hand and a half” 19” handles. 22-25 is the money zone for a bushcraft axe IMO👌
Yep, that’s pretty much the comfort zone for small axes. This could definitely be made into a little Bushcraft axe, although that’s not its intended use.
Great video man always love watching and learning from your videos, I’m need to axes at the moment I only have a woodslasher I posted about it on the fb page I’ve been wanting to buy a new axe but I’m still learning. I’m really interested in the sport utility line from CT. 👍
What kind of axe are you looking for? That is what do you intend to use it for?
I appreciate your honest review thanks
Regards
Dave (trogg)
Great video, I appreciate the info.
Looks like a nice axe, I feel like the changes are important functionally but the steeper beard and narrow eye looks better
Couldn’t agree more. The old model is just sexy, isn’t it. Lol
I’ve got 1 of the older ones on a 20” handle , it came on a 28” (I think) I bought it years ago . It got ran over with a skidded & there went the long handle , but the shorter handle makes a really nice wedge driver .
Yeah, the old ones have 28” handles, but the new one is only 2lbs so not really heavy enough to drive serious wedges. But it would definitely work for smaller trees.
You think cross pinning the head would be a worthwhile fix for the head coming loose?
These new CT hudson bay axes are basically a slightly modified montreal pattern... which was/is a hudson bay with a larger eye wall face.
Just like hudson bay patterns, the montreal pattern is a Canadian woodmen classic.
The new CT hudson bay is slightly different then the typical montreal patterns you'll see but thats for sure where CT pulled their design inspiration from, is old montreal pattern axes.
This is a no brainer purchase for me, its exactly what I been waiting to see from CT.
I've been wanting to get a CT flying fox since they originally released because of the hardened poll and I like the head design a lot, but the head weight is just a bit lighter then I would like it to be.
This new hudson bay is just what im looking for in a canoe/camp axe, being 2lbs and a hardened poll is perfect for such tasks, I plan to eventually toss it on a 28-32in handle (which equates to a 26=30inch once hung) and suspect it would become one of my favorite axes once hung on a longer handle.
I'm a sucker for 2-2.5 lb axes on 26-30inch handles, they just suit my axe purposes best... I have more 2-2.5lb axes then any other axe weight in my collection and they're the axes that I more often then not grab when im doing axe work.
Its always good to have lighter and heavier axes in ones arsenal but at the end of the day a solid 2-2.5lb axe hung on a 26-30in handle will do the work most people need accomplished out of an axe these days... obviously the CT hudson bay axes are no homesteading axe but for the occasional axe user that just needs a splitting/chopping tool for backyard fires and camp trips, the CT hudson bay 2.0 might just be the best retail option out there these days... at least imo
It’s definitely similar to a Montreal. And like you, I prefer axes around that weight. I hope this axe works for you. Has for me so far.
Interesting changes and it's good that Council Tool is thinking about things.
For sure they deserve credit, but I do wish they’d make some more changes-especially on their other axes.
Excellent. You just made me get up and go get mine, a 6 month old "original" one out of the bin, to compare . Yeah the head started coming loose, but I was wailing really hard on red oak and it was like 10 degrees out. So I tamped it back down and added tons of BLO. We'll see. Looks like the newer handles got fatter? Mine (28") is really super skinny , something I'm not really used to yet. I also have to get used to such a light axe, it feels a bit "squirrely". I just finished a Boy's axe (True Temper woodsman) on an octagonal House Handle at 28" , and that feels a lot more like what I'm used to , but yeah for a pack or canoeing axe , I'll bring the CT, but I do need a collar and a sheath. The CT came pretty sharp out of the box, which was quite cool.
Yeah this handle is quite beefy and intend to flatten the sides. It’s definitely a travel axe, not something you’d keep around the house to split with.
@@KevinsDisobedience You definitely steered me on this, I bought the CT HB over the winter just for gathering kindling, after busting the handle twice on a 18" hatchet I tried to hang on a cheap china head . On PINE! The 11.00 handle was a joke, probably not even hickory. Frustration. Yeah so a weekender axe. The Boy's Axe hang went really well and it just FEELS like it's not gonna explode. Knock wood..
Good information on that axe Kevin looks like that handsome bugger Simon a bloke in the woods will have a gorgeous axe to use 👍
Thanks, yeah I enjoy Simon’s content a lot, and I know they can’t get these over there. He does more bushcraft trips than I do, so it will be neat to see what he does with it.
Nice. Neat little girl you have in the pile now man. I've heard from the whiskey river channel that Council tool had even heat treated the poll of the new Hudson bay line as well. That was an interesting detail and addition that made me greatly consider ordering one for myself. Having a hardened poll is an option that tickles my jimmies.
I didn’t know that! But if I’m honest, I treat every pole as if it’s hardened 🤫
Definitely like the changes they have made. I might need to get myself one.
It’s a cool canoe axe, or camp splitter. Not much more than that, but it is definitely that.
good comparison between the 2 axes.
Majestic Reeve Weave at 3:52ish
Very interesting to see. The Hudson Bay is certainly an aesthetic pattern...but I too appreciate how flawed the design is.
I wonder how long it'll be before we see It here in Blighty....not counting Simon's woods
It is a sexy pattern. Simon’s is on its way!
I like the look of the old model but never gone to the trouble and expense to get one down here to Aus because I've had the same head-loosening trouble with Rhineland patterns. The new version seems a lot better I reckon. Awesome. Cool opening shots too
The old model is a really sexy axe, and I haven’t had issues with it yet, but then I barely used it. I highly suspect that if I chopped with it for one whole day it would be loose.
Great comparison video! Should work well for a camp or travel axe.
Basically how I intend to use it.
Great review as always! I haven't had a chance to use mine yet.
It’s a cool little axe. Could get some people in trouble with the short handle, but as long as you bend your knees or control the direction of the cut there should be no issue. Let us know what you decide to do with yours.
@@KevinsDisobedience I will definitely be making a video on it.
That’s what I wanted to hear 👍
@@KevinsDisobedience actually, I have a lot of axe content coming out for the next little bit.
You did a really nice job fancying up the old version. I think the old version is always gonna be that classic “Hudson bay look.” New version, while probably more durable, seems more like an odd hybrid of the axe. Have they discontinued the old version?
Thanks for the comparison.
As far as I know the old one is still available. It was still on Amazon yesterday when I checked. But I don’t know if they’re still making them. And I agree about the look. There’s something sexy about the old model.
I totally agree with you about the shelf loosening up the head , when i first hung axes i intentionally left a shelf thinking it would help ( i was thinking mortise & tenon joint ) but every one i hung that way loosened up.
How is the new style as a chopper?
Yeah, instinctively it kind of makes sense to seat the axe down on a ledge, but when you consider the dynamics you realize it’s got to go. I didn’t attempt to chop with it. For starters, I’d have to grind it back a lot, as it’s really thick and that light head on such a short handle would be a but futile I think. It could be made into a little bushcraft builder though.
That almost looks like an Oberharzer pattern now. Nice review
It definitely falls into a weird category. Not sure what to call it. Modified Dayton?
@@KevinsDisobedience It's modified Daytons all the way down
@@KevinsDisobedience Its a montreal pattern... which was/is a hudson bay with a larger eye wall face.
Just like hudson bay patterns, the montreal pattern is a Canadian woodmen classic.
The CT hudson bay 2.0 is slightly different then the typical montreal patterns you'll see but thats for sure where CT pulled their design inspiration from, is old montreal pattern axes.
Very similar, yes.
Nice video and thanks for the shoutout mate!
Of course. You’re the YT axe GOAT.
Good point on the heads pressed on the handle creating a shelf. I never thought about that.
Yeah it’s a big problem in the axe manufacturing world. I don’t know why it can’t be sorted out, but they just don’t.
I have the 24" Velvicut Hudson Bay. You think this new one is that much more improved and reliable? Thanks.
If yours hasn’t come loose, I wouldn’t bother. Also, how do you use yours? This is a better splitter.
I actually really like how the new one looks. I have an older one with the thinner head and don’t ever use it because The other Hudson Bay axes I’ve used don’t take much banging around. Also the profile of the new one looks better for splitting. I do not consider the old one a splitter at all. Not sure what I consider it thin little 24” handle and thin head that works itself lose.
My older one is actually on a 28” handle. I used it as a little kindling splitter when I went canoe camping, but truth be told there are better axes for that. This new one is better for that. Not sure what I’ll use the old one for. Probably sell it before the head comes loose lol.
How’s the arms?
Thanks for asking. Really bad at the moment. They were almost back to normal and then we sheeted and taped a new house and they are right back to where they were. I’m probably going to have to see if I can get a shot of steroids or something. I’ve just been hoping they’d heal, but according to doc not if I keep working. Thanks for caring, though.
is that a little AVE reference at 3:48 XD
Yes sir…😉
somęone watching ave here...
He’s the best on the internet lol
👋
First!
Axe community…wtf world am I living in?
Lol a weird one.
Clink on Bens link, "I dont actually own a Hudson bay but I looked at one once", stopped watching.
Worth watching to the end. Ben has owned every axe in existence. He also is a Timber Sports athlete. Either way, thanks for your interest.
@@KevinsDisobedience Ive actually interacted with him. Seems like a decent guy. We hold wildly different opinions, I think. I will give it a watch when im not in a device chucking mood.🤣
@@theodorewood5083 cmon man. Ive owned very similar axes and have researched enough to know thehudson bay axe has s reputation for coming loose. Even council tool admits it in thier own marketing. I find keeping an open mind pays dividends, my views have changed 180 over the years because i was willing to learn
@@benscottwoodchopper It helps when the tool is not used beyond its design. I owned a Wetterlings i liked... until realizing how much i was not using using it taught me an important lesson. The Hudson bay is not a felling axe. Or a splitting axe. There was a time i argued the Wetterlings Hudson bay would have been a bit better if only it had a longer handle. But through experience and use I realized hoe foolish that was, and how much the Wetterling was trying to be a pulp ax/imaginary category axe. When I thought back to why I had liked the pattern in my youth a light went off. Then if you research the Hudson bay company and the patterns they sell..
The u
Hudson bay is a belt axe. And that is where it shines. A hunters axe, a trappers axe. A short handle. Light wood work. Processing game, tending a small trail fire. A little carving. Its an axe you can wear or tuck in your belt. A hatchet. A "tomahawk' evolution if you will. And used that way in a shape like the Penobscot, (i think marbles has one that is very close to the old ones called the hunters ax) it absolutely shines.
When you stretch out the handle and try to push it past what it was designed to do, that's when it fails. It is also when if you have a plethora of axes at your disposal you find it gathering dust. Because its just ruined for what it was designed to be, and falls short of what its trying to be.
Ill take a Hudson bay on an 18" handle (or shorter) with a proper cheek geometry for the above mentioned task any day of the week. A Wetterlings or CT on those 24" plus inch handles they have thickened up? No thanks. Ive got 3lb axes on 30" handles that specifically do the kind of work those would be used for. And if i need a bit lighter a pulp axe will really outshine them.
Just my opinion.
@@theodorewood5083 not arguing that the head style cant be useful. If you watch my vid i have 3 hudson bay style axes that i love, but they are much closer to origional fur trade axes and dont suffer from the problems that modern style hudson bay axes which which came about post 1920's. The origionals were more often than not slip fit,and the same head shape swithed to a wedged handle causing the issues. Thats my argument. If you find the head shape useful, then you can still use it for felling without issue of looseness on a slip fit