Sadly, Fiskars is one of those declining companies that are taking part in a race to the bottom with price and quality. Being from Finland (where Fiskars is from), it's often the default go-to brand for gardening equipment and similar. I bought a shovel that bent before I got any dirt moved with it. Recently I saw them sell products with "quick change" handles, selling expensive changeable handles to a product (some gardening tool) that should either come with a handle that lasts or an easy to replace wooden handle. Planned obsolescence and after market ripoff all the way.
Their scissors are great. Axes are alright. Although the problem with both is the gray, stainless steel they're made of (I jokingly call it "Fiskarsium"). It stays sharp-ish quite well but is really difficult to sharpen to razor sharp.
Old fashioned carbon steel would be much easier to sharpen but it rusts (if not oiled) and doesn't stay sharp as long. Perhaps it's just that modern tools are expected to do a mediocre job despite years of neglect.
Maybe I'm old fashioned when I am willing to do a few minutes of maintenance in order to get a tool that works well.
Fwiw. I bought a Swedish-made Hultafors axe with hand forged carbon steel blade and a wooden handle. You need to sharpen it regularly, oil it after use and might have to change the handle after a few years but boy does it chop wood. The downside is that I've had to explain to several people why I bought a Swedish axe and not a Fiskars.
I have a small, child's/sewing type Fiskars scissors from a number of years ago. Made in U.S.A. -- even then, they'd grown beyond Finland. It's held up quite well.
But I needed a larger model; the "generic" office scissors I had in that size didn't take long to become fairly useless. I happened across a Fiskars model while shopping for other stuff. It even has a non-stick coating -- might be useful when cutting tape, something that's been gumming up the generic. I took a chance and bought it. We'll see, but on the package: Made in China.
P.S. It's just been my observation with numerous brands and products, that when manufacture has moved to China, quality has declined.
Their scissors are great. Axes are alright. Although the problem with both is the gray, stainless steel they're made of (I jokingly call it "Fiskarsium"). It stays sharp-ish quite well but is really difficult to sharpen to razor sharp.
Old fashioned carbon steel would be much easier to sharpen but it rusts (if not oiled) and doesn't stay sharp as long. Perhaps it's just that modern tools are expected to do a mediocre job despite years of neglect.
Maybe I'm old fashioned when I am willing to do a few minutes of maintenance in order to get a tool that works well.
Fwiw. I bought a Swedish-made Hultafors axe with hand forged carbon steel blade and a wooden handle. You need to sharpen it regularly, oil it after use and might have to change the handle after a few years but boy does it chop wood. The downside is that I've had to explain to several people why I bought a Swedish axe and not a Fiskars.