[masraum]

Originally Posted by LWJ

Funny, I read a review that was very slanted away from Fiskers and toward the Tramotina.

Interesting. I'd considered getting one of the fiskars items a while back, but thought I'd go for something more interesting (aka, old).

Question for Steve above. Tell me about these prehistoric bush cutters?

The bush/brush axe isn't that unusual in the US. I think it was used by forestry folks. The head is quite heavy (like an axe). I think they are designed for smaller stuff, less then 3-4" diameter.

The billhook is common in the UK and Europe (I've also seen them used in Asia). Back in the day, most villages had blacksmiths and eventually forges, and those places made billhooks. They were used by pretty much everyone with a yard for small jobs (maybe less than 2-3"). There are a bunch of different patterns that were used by folks in different areas. Some of the common uses are hedgelaying, pruning trees (vines in France and Italy), coppicing, etc.... Pretty much anything that you can imagine having to do with more sturdy woody stuff that couldn't be done with a sickle or scythe or didn't require the heft of an axe. Billhooks also often came in 5 different sizes per pattern, and some manufacturers in the UK had catalogs with well over 100 different patterns.
billhooks




slashers