Relaunching Best Made raised many questions, chiefly: where to begin? The axe wasn't a guaranteed starting point until I met Nathan Brandt. After announcing the reacquisition, I received an email from Anderson, Indiana. The sender wanted to make the next Best Made axe. One phone call later and I was driving west to meet him.
Nathan Brandt's main business, Coal Iron, produces forging equipment for axes, knives, and tools. A skilled blacksmith by trade, Nathan wanted to return to the forge and make axes solely for Best Made. We spent an afternoon discussing the possibilities. And I left knowing I had a partner and exactly where the next Best Made would start.
Old Gold No. 1 draws from a mid-nineteenth century design by William McKinnon of Rockaway, New Jersey. Known as the ""Rockaway"" pattern, it features a pronounced lug, sweeping heel, and a long elegant bit. McKinnon died tragically in his shop in 1905. You’ll find his pattern on the pages of most any axe history book, but despite its iconic status, the pattern nearly vanished from production.
For months Nathan and I worked closely on the research, design, materials, and features that would define this axe. Nathan guides every step of the manufacturing of our axes. Each axe is forged by hand, the 1060 high-carbon steel is tempered to a Rockwell Hardness of 55-58 HRC, and the tempering process allows for subtle color variations that create this limited edition golden hue. The visible forging marks give each axe its “forge-finished” character. And for the first time, Best Made axes bear our trademark X and the blacksmith's initials, deep-stamped in their heads.
Each axe is ground and sharpened by hand, and securely stowed in a branded corrugated box with our signature Wickett & Craig bridle leather blade guard.
