Evolution of the vintage Snow & Nealley Hudson Bay Axe. William Nealley and L.L. Bean joined up in 1920 to produce and sell a camping axe. This is the axe and some differences that came later.
I found one of the early ones like the second one you showed it’s marked LL Bean under the poll says 1 3/4 and has the nices 24” handle of any of that size I have. 5 bucks at flea market and also have a newer one like the 70-80 version it’s different Hudson Bay pattern different steel but still snow and nealley and the shorter stubbier handle still 1 3/4 under poll the older one I have is one of my favorites to carry about in the woods the wedge profile is fantastic
Wow that's a good deal. They are my favorites for camping too. I do have one with a 24" handle but the others are 18 and 20 inches. I think the older wedge pattern is a better design than the later style.
Nice video. I have a small assortment of Snow & Nealley / LL Bean axes and hatches and agree that the older Hudson Bay pattern is much nicer. Really like the feel of these and perfect for fire pit or camping duty. I agree with your statement on the design and physics of the newer Hudson Bay pattern and often felt the same way about bearded axes, just seems that the geometry of the lower portion being unsupported puts a lot of torque on the small bearing surface of the handle and could loosen the head. Thanks for sharing your collection.
You can not really go wrong with the classic wedge shaped hudson bay axes. They split above their weight and blast out darn big chunks when chopping, much like the Fiskars.
love the Hudson bay pattern," I guess the new Hudson bay pattern" did not no of the older style Hudson pattern. but like it only for camping and small carving task . great video by the way
Thank you for the video, I am more of a tomahawk guy myself but have more recently begun to play around with axes. I purchased a new Snow and Nealley last winter, and it seems pretty decent/fair for the price the grind was rough and the entire axe and handle was covered in a thick coat of lacquer. After stripping it down and putting a decent edge on it I really enjoyed using it, the steal seams to hold an edge very well, time will tell. I plan on taking it out this winter on a few trips and putting it through its paces.The new ones do have the distinct extra large wedge, a curiosity for sure. I do wonder as well why the head design was so popular when it seems to have no real benefit ? is there some task of the time that we are missing that it accomplished ?
I've been hearing good things about the new Snow & Nealley since they are now made in the US again. I think you will like it. I'm not sure of the details of the design and how they happened. I think L.L. Bean may have had a hand in it. I think they looked at the Marbles axe and their success with small, handy camping axes, then came up with their own. Before this period, about 1910, axes were more for work and not real packable. There were hatchets and tomahawks probably custom but they really didn't have the 1 1/2 lb. axe on a longer handle that became popular until early 20th century..
I placed an order for a new Snow & Nealley Penobscot, which has the Hudson Bay head. I sure am hoping it comes from the new Amish owners and is of good quality.
The older Snow&Nealley Hudson Bay is probably my favorite axe style along with the old Peavey Hudson Bay. A nice design and perfect weight for camping.
Hi! I'm new to axes - I recently obtained a Snow & Nealley axe. It has 3 1/4 stamped on it and the date: October 1, 1952 on it. Do you know if it is of any value? It is in fairly decent shape...
Thank you for the input. It is in pretty good shape - didn't have a handle so I'm making one for it. I may do a short video on it. Thanks again and I enjoyed your video.
