BTDT with three of those generic beauties- reworking them, that is. Trust me, you ain't gonna get that done with a bench grinder, unless you are some sort of NC machine.
It will take a while with a large right-angle grinder and a means of holding the maul head in place. By far the most of the work is in flattening the "cheeks" of the head. A very small amount of work will then be required to put an edge on it. (Easiest way: rigid disc, followed by flexible.)
I learned about effective maul head shape from my Mueller maul, and mimicked that on the noname-os. Huge difference. Some folks dismiss all mauls based on the lousy performance of such cheapies. Then become fanboys for slick marketeering and packaging. (Chopper 1, Monster Maul, Fiskars)
Both the cheapies and the fiskars fall short in the metallurgy department. Lousy steel compared to quality alloy properly heat-treated. IME both Mueller and Wetterlings mauls are made of far superior steel, as are some others too, no doubt. Just not as flashy for the marketing boys/girls. Good steel costs more than fancy plastic.
Doesn't make much difference if you are in the selling products business and neglect marketing.
I have yet to see any of those good metallurgy axes or mauls you talk about offered for sale in any store, which means I have never seen one in meat space either, just pictures.. Even the stihl dealer here doesn't carry the stihl axes, he said they won't even consider them because they just cost too much and guys won't buy them. His words, not mine.
Marketing is reality, you have to get your products out there in front of people. I don't dis or ignore that, marketing is an integral part of capitalism. These companies can either get their products out there somehow, or not sell many in the US. Maybe in europe they are out in the stores more, I don't know that, but, they ain't around here any place. Perhaps in big metro areas there are stores that carry them, but not out here in the semi sticks.
Fiskars has superior marketing, they get their products out there and are "good enough". they aren't the very cheapest, sure not the most expensive, but for just a little over the cheapest you get pretty good, which is "good enough" for most people.
Much more expensive than 50 bucks for an axe or maul, these other companies are going to have to do a better job with "marketing" if they want to sell more. Ain't seen a factory rep for any of them chime in here on the largest wood mangler forum on the net other than that finnish guy who is a member here, and his sells for what, over 300 bucks? None of the other axe/maul makers have bothered to sponsor or chime in yet.
They can compete, but until you get them out there, and one guy local buys one..then another, then another..you ain't selling too many.
Fiskars sells in my area due in large part to ME going around and asking about them and talking them up after I bought one and used it and found it spiffy for a lot of my splitting needs. And I am not seeing the inferior metallurgy, although I can easily believe there is better, it is "good enough" and makes a decent max price point.
As far as I know, I have the very first fiskars axe sold in this area, and I had to order it. No store, not even the box stores, had them previously, now several stores carry them. If wetterlings, oxgore, blastinhammeraxen, etc want to sell more axes, they need to get them to the stores somehow, even if it is consignment sales. If they are happy mail order only and keeping a high price, that's their strategy then, but I tell ya, people (joe sixpack a few cord a year home wood buster "people") are reluctant to drop 80 to over 200 bucks sight unseen on a cutting tool like that. Human nature, they are going to want to see one, pick it up, heft it, etc.
40-50 bucks is one thing, doubling and tripling that is another.
Just like with saws, most people a few cord a year can get by with a cheap factory refurb, I agree..it is the same with axes and mauls. Price point/performance versus need. 435 refurb husky versus 346xp. price point/performance vs need. corrola/lexus/ferrari, price point/performance vs needs.
