- Joined
- Mar 12, 2010
- Messages
- 975
Hello All,
I am writing this persuasive argument to Jeff and Mike, and I'm hoping to gain support from the rest of the ESEE community as well.
In the words of Mors Kochanski, "The axe is the most important of the basic bush tools. Outside of fire, little else can contribute more the living comfortably in the wilderness than knowing how to properly use a well chosen axe."
There are many reasons why this statement may mean more to some than it does to others. Lets consider some of the possibilities.
First of all- environment.
The environment you live in will greatly influence the tools you use. If you find yourself consistently above the tree line in mountainous regions, a simple knife might do the trick for you. If you find yourself in the rainforest, your tool of choice will most likely be a machete to deal with the intense undergrowth of the the forest. If you are in a temperate climate or even a colder climate, an axe or hatchet might be your go to blade.
I don't personally know Jeff and Mike, so my next few words are simply an assumption. We all know that Jeff and Mike offer survival instruction specializing in jungle environments. I can only assume that this influences their designs greatly. Therefore, to continue creating the best products out there for all of us bush and knife freaks, they need to rely on us to communicate to them what OUR needs our in OUR environments.
Jungle environments are home to roughly 50,000,000 people. The current estimate for the number of people in the World is 6,895,592,579. This means that less than .007% of all people live in jungle environments. I could not find the exact statistics for the temperate regions, but a much greater portion of the world population lives in regions like these.
This would mean that for a majority of the worlds' nature enthusiasts, bushcrafters, woodsman, and other types of outdoorsman, an axe or a hatchet might be the most useful tool available.
Another factor that plays a part is the skill of the user. A large knife, like the Junglas, is much simpler to use when used in a fuel gathering application. The large blade surface makes it easy to swing and hit. More energy is expended, however, because the design is not optimal for taking advantage of the physics of the a chopping motion. An axe has a smaller surface because of it's more concentrated weight in the head of the axe. This means that a properly wielded axe will use less energy from the user, because the weight and inertia of the axe head alone is all that is needed to cut appropriately sized timber. A skilled axe user relies more on a good rhythm than on brute strength.
Two of the biggest concerns for an outdoorsman in a temperate climate are going to be fire and shelter. Both of these concerns are best accomplished with a good axe or hatchet. I love my ESEE's. I love the company and it's philosophy. I want to spend more money with ESEE. I feel like there is a very big opportunity for Jeff and Mike to not only design and produce the best wilderness tool out there, but to market it's usefulness and demonstrate how to properly use an axe or hatchet. A lot of us that aren't in Jungle environments are at odds about who makes the best hatchet or axe at the right price point. There is not clear cut winner. ESEE could help decide this for us.
An ESEE made axe or hatchet made with the same attention to detail, quality, and philosophy as the rest of the ESEE lineup would be hard to compete with for anyone out there, and it would find it's way into the hands of thousands of people in temperate climates (and others) everywhere. That, coupled with Jeff and Mike's ability to spread knowledge on how to properly use this misunderstood wilderness tool would make for a very successful addition to the ESEE line I'm sure.
JGON
I am writing this persuasive argument to Jeff and Mike, and I'm hoping to gain support from the rest of the ESEE community as well.
In the words of Mors Kochanski, "The axe is the most important of the basic bush tools. Outside of fire, little else can contribute more the living comfortably in the wilderness than knowing how to properly use a well chosen axe."
There are many reasons why this statement may mean more to some than it does to others. Lets consider some of the possibilities.
First of all- environment.
The environment you live in will greatly influence the tools you use. If you find yourself consistently above the tree line in mountainous regions, a simple knife might do the trick for you. If you find yourself in the rainforest, your tool of choice will most likely be a machete to deal with the intense undergrowth of the the forest. If you are in a temperate climate or even a colder climate, an axe or hatchet might be your go to blade.
I don't personally know Jeff and Mike, so my next few words are simply an assumption. We all know that Jeff and Mike offer survival instruction specializing in jungle environments. I can only assume that this influences their designs greatly. Therefore, to continue creating the best products out there for all of us bush and knife freaks, they need to rely on us to communicate to them what OUR needs our in OUR environments.
Jungle environments are home to roughly 50,000,000 people. The current estimate for the number of people in the World is 6,895,592,579. This means that less than .007% of all people live in jungle environments. I could not find the exact statistics for the temperate regions, but a much greater portion of the world population lives in regions like these.
This would mean that for a majority of the worlds' nature enthusiasts, bushcrafters, woodsman, and other types of outdoorsman, an axe or a hatchet might be the most useful tool available.
Another factor that plays a part is the skill of the user. A large knife, like the Junglas, is much simpler to use when used in a fuel gathering application. The large blade surface makes it easy to swing and hit. More energy is expended, however, because the design is not optimal for taking advantage of the physics of the a chopping motion. An axe has a smaller surface because of it's more concentrated weight in the head of the axe. This means that a properly wielded axe will use less energy from the user, because the weight and inertia of the axe head alone is all that is needed to cut appropriately sized timber. A skilled axe user relies more on a good rhythm than on brute strength.
Two of the biggest concerns for an outdoorsman in a temperate climate are going to be fire and shelter. Both of these concerns are best accomplished with a good axe or hatchet. I love my ESEE's. I love the company and it's philosophy. I want to spend more money with ESEE. I feel like there is a very big opportunity for Jeff and Mike to not only design and produce the best wilderness tool out there, but to market it's usefulness and demonstrate how to properly use an axe or hatchet. A lot of us that aren't in Jungle environments are at odds about who makes the best hatchet or axe at the right price point. There is not clear cut winner. ESEE could help decide this for us.
An ESEE made axe or hatchet made with the same attention to detail, quality, and philosophy as the rest of the ESEE lineup would be hard to compete with for anyone out there, and it would find it's way into the hands of thousands of people in temperate climates (and others) everywhere. That, coupled with Jeff and Mike's ability to spread knowledge on how to properly use this misunderstood wilderness tool would make for a very successful addition to the ESEE line I'm sure.
JGON
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