The Traveling Leveraxe/Leveraxe 2 Thread

[svk]

Hi all,

@Finland has generously agreed to donate one of his Leveraxe Model 2 splitting axes to the Arboristsite community for us to use and pass along to other users for review. For those not familiar with the Leveraxe 2 it is a stainless steel and improved version of the original model.

For a recap of the original thread the demo axe went through several users before one member stopped communicating and had to be approached by another member and law enforcement to relinquish the tool. It then moved along again until a newbie member got it and disappeared with it.

Depending on shipping times from Finland I will be receiving this in the next couple of weeks. I will post my review and pass it on to the next member who replies.

Here's the rules to be eligible to receive the Leveraxe. If you post to be added to the list, you are also agreeing to the following:

1) Must be an active member of Arboristsite. Minimum of 100 posts since joining and at least 10 posts in the past month. For sale/trading post postings are excluded from total thread count.

2) Must agree to mail the Leveraxe to the next person on the list NO MORE THAN 14 days from receiving it. You agree to package it appropriately and ship at your expense* with $300 insurance and tracking. If you didn't find time to test it out within 14 days please pass it along anyhow.

3) Must agree to post your feedback about the performance of the Leveraxe on this thread whether good, bad, or indifferent.

4) If you lose or do not return the axe you agree to pay full replacement value to @Finland including tax and shipping.

*EDIT* to add 5) Arboristsite GTG's get priority over members for demo. The person who signs up to bring the axe to the GTG agrees to ship as soon as possible after the GTG (rather than the standard 14 day time period). As there are several GTG's this fall, if you ship on Monday following the GTG it will be able to be used the following weekend for the next GTG. If there is not a GTG the following weekend, the axe will be mailed to the next qualified user on the list.

*due the the high cost of international shipping, those outside the US are responsible for covering both incoming and outgoing postage.

Please post up here if you would like to get on the list. Please refrain from comments on the performance or price of the tool until you have used it.

And....go!

 

[zogger]

I would like to next year but not this year. Have to wait until my socsec check starts coming in in January to know I will for sure be able to do the shipping around costs. This is my most expensive time of the year for me, and lowest income, fall into winter, just the way it is.

Real cool you got this going, looking forward to the first review!

 

[svk]

I tell you what Zog, we've always got along and you are a positive addition to this forum. I'll send you the Leveraxe next if you want and I'll enclose postage to send it on to the next person. Deal?

 

[zogger]

I tell you what Zog, we've always got along and you are a positive addition to this forum. I'll send you the Leveraxe next if you want and I'll enclose postage to send it on to the next person. Deal?

Oh, thanks for the offer but geez, naw. I ain't busted, just I start accumulating for petfood and so on now to go through the winter, plus holiday expenses and so on. With the dogs and cats, that budget doubles in the cold weather, ha! I'll be patient and get a turn when I can carry my weight, or just maybe buy one next year, based on the reviews.

I *appreciate* the offer, quite generous.

I've shipped saws and paid for shipping on saws and long bars, not many but some, I know it will be spendy shipping a long handled axe around. I'll have it early next year for sure. Basically, although still low in traditional ways of regarding economic status, my gross income doubles next year! Whoop!

There will be other armstrong enthusiasts between now and then. At two weeks a whack plus travel time, that isn't too many turns between now and then.

 

[svk]

Ok sounds good. The offer stands if you change your mind.

 

[stihly dan]

Put me on that list, But I will need a couple months 1st, as I only have elm waiting now, and that's not fair. In another month I should have maple, oak, and beech. Just out of curiosity, I assume shipping would be about $30, how much doe's 1 of these run? Not that it matters for the test.

 

[stihly dan]

Oh, thanks for the offer but geez, naw. I ain't busted, just I start accumulating for petfood and so on now to go through the winter, plus holiday expenses and so on. With the dogs and cats, that budget doubles in the cold weather, ha! I'll be patient and get a turn when I can carry my weight, or just maybe buy one next year, based on the reviews.

I *appreciate* the offer, quite generous.

I've shipped saws and paid for shipping on saws and long bars, not many but some, I know it will be spendy shipping a long handled axe around. I'll have it early next year for sure. Basically, although still low in traditional ways of regarding economic status, my gross income doubles next year! Whoop!

There will be other armstrong enthusiasts between now and then. At two weeks a whack plus travel time, that isn't too many turns between now and then.

Zog, I think you should change your mind. Of all people on this thread, with your splitting posts, your feedback would be most interesting to me. I would pay to hear your review. Think of it as a consultant fee. When your good at what you do you get paid for it.

 

[svk]

With current exchange rates it's about $250. Shipping is about $25 with insurance.

And let's test this to the limit. As many species as possible.

 

[zogger]

Zog, I think you should change your mind. Of all people on this thread, with your splitting posts, your feedback would be most interesting to me. I would pay to hear your review. Think of it as a consultant fee. When your good at what you do you get paid for it.

Well, let's get an idea on shipping around. It depends on the next guy downstream from me, might could do it earlier. I was guessing closer to 50 bucks with the insurance. I believe the rates change radically at 36 inches, so with packaging? How long is that axe again?

 

[stihly dan]

With current exchange rates it's about $250. Shipping is about $25 with insurance.

And let's test this to the limit. As many species as possible.

I was just thinking with this advanced notice, I could attempt a short video of the pa80, fiskers, lever axe, against identical straight grained rounds. Take a 60 inch piece of straight grained red oak, maple and beech cut into 3 20 inch rounds and do a split off. This sounds like fun.

 

[zogger]

If it is really just 25 I can do it, let er rip!

 

[Philbert]

Thanks for organizing this svk.

I would love to try this, but don't have much wood to split right now. Maybe we can get this to some GTG's so that a lot of people can try it?

Philbert

 

[svk]

Thanks for organizing this svk.

I would love to try this, but don't have much wood to split right now. Maybe we can get this to some GTG's so that a lot of people can try it?

Philbert

That's a great idea. I'd notion to give GTG's priority to individuals in the rotation so several members can try this on the same day.

Being you live about 15 miles from my work I'd be happy to drive it over if we have a gtg going on and then pass it on down the line.

 

[svk]

If it is really just 25 I can do it, let er rip!

That's a quote to send it from MN to NY using a few zip codes I knew with priority (3 day guarantee) and insurance. I did quote an 8 lb package and 38" length to make sure any over size charges were applied. USPS is really the only game in town now for reasonable shipping, UPS/FedEx is getting pretty high with the fuel surcharges.

Also...never ship from "The UPS Store" or "Postnet" or similar stores. They often tack on over 100% service fee to ship your pre packaged item. Cheapest way is to bring to post office or print label at home.

 

[Zeus103363]

I would like to take a wack with it too. I have quite a large pile of red oak to split soon, and got 4 white oaks to cut and haul from the neighbors house.


Thanks

 

[woodchuck357]

Red oak wouldn't be any kind of a test, It almost falls apart with a hard look. White oak would be a good one, being a medium splitting difficulty wood. Yellow heart post oak is a little harder.
Something like live oak would be way to difficult, but not much splits that with ease.

 

[Philbert]

Sent you some GTG info in PMs.

BTW- FedEx was way cheaper for me recently, shipping a bunch of boxes. And that included insurance and tracking. It is worth it to check with each one sometimes.

Philbert

 

[ziggo_2]

COUNT ME IN!!

Id like to get in on it this time, i was intrested the first time around but didnt get the chance. I dont have alot of experiance swinging a axe but i do from time to time. Perhapes my inexperiance will provide a unbiased review , besides...i have wood that needs splitting!

 

[svk]

This is moving along nicely. With Philbert's suggestion of adding in GTG's this can greatly increase the amount of folks that can test it out.

One thing that we need to make sure about the GTG users is this: If you are the "keeper of the axe" you must make sure it comes home with you at the end of the GTG and is passed on quickly to the next person/gtg in line on this thread. PLEASE don't hand it off to a non member/newbie and risk it disappearing like the last one.

 

[zogger]

I have red and willow oak, shagbark hickory, and winged elm and some gnarly knotted up pine rounds sitting here already. And can grab some standing dead sweetgum, which is always sucky. Hmm, coupla dead sycamores by the creek, proly some more species, oh ya, some dead dogwood handy.