John White
Gold Member
When I grew up in logging country, a axe was a axe. I avoided them because it meant hard work. (which I had to do anyway) I remember my Dad sitting around with other loggers discussing which axe was the best. Plumb, Kelly true temper or keen cutter. When I left home 50 years ago, that was the end of the axe discussions. If I needed a axe doing some work, now, I just went to the hardware store and bought the cheapest axe they had. I am sure made in China. It doesn't cut very good and I don't worry much if I hit a rock ( not on purpose ) . Something happened to my using ax. I was at a flea market and found a old ax for $3. Didn't want to spend much. Rusty, but not beat up too bad, axe handle had some missing wood near the head where they hit something with the handle. Got it home, wire brushed it real good. I could see it had some good steel in it that I had never seen in a axe for years. It had a name and logo on it that said "Collins, Legitimus". Got to checking and it looks like I got a winner. Cleaned it up real good, had to do very little honing on it. Ground the head down a little where they battered it driving spikes or steel fence posts. I plan on mixing up some real fine sawdust with epoxy and repair the wood to make it look a little better. I won't be hitting any rocks with this axe. Really cuts nice. Well today I was at a Flea market and seen a small hatchet that said "Collins" on the handle. With a picture of a axe. ($10) It needed cleaning up too and rust removed. (no nicks or damage) Looks like a squirrel might have chewed on the end of the handle I am going to try and fill that back in. The handle appears to be original. There no stamping on the axe head to indicate that it a genuine Collins. How can I know that it is a genuine Collins? I looked at a few pictures on a few web sites and they show only a paper emblem glued to the head.