"From post # 5. I got this response from another group where a few guys who seemed to know their stuff said that it's normal and that all GB small forest axes will have something similar:
Most of the people in this thread are a bit alarmist. Suppose for the sake of argument that it is a real crack in the axe(it isn't). There would two things you would worry about happening. First, you would worry about the crack running up through the eye enough that after some usage the eye would spread and the head would come loose. Second, that the crack gets worse to the extent that you will break the axehead.
In the first situation, you would notice that after some VERY serious usage that the head might jiggle a bit. No problem, just drive the handle in a bit more and add an additional wedge.
The second situation is basically impossible since these axes are differentially hardened and the eye is made of softer steel than the edge. It is more prone to bending than breaking.
What this is is a byproduct of drifting the eye through a solid piece of steel in an industrial process. A block of heated steel will be hottest towards the center and cooler wherever it makes contact with any other metal in the production process. As they drift the eye, the underside of the axe is in contact with an 'anvil' and is cooled. If the guy running the press is not super cognizant of what they are doing, the underside can be just a bit too cold to deform smoothly as the drift passes through. This causes the apparent crack you are seeing. This is not a real crack. It is a surface artifact of the manufacturing process. If this axe had a forge-welded eye, you would have a bit more reason to worry.
Use your axe with the full confidence that you are using one of the best made axes on the market. Cheers mate."
Chances are, you won't work that axe hard enough on wood to cause that head to fail for a very long time, if ever. That being said, it's still a very sizable flaw, and isn't something I'd be comfortable with, at all. That's a heck of a crack, and I don't like the direction it's running.
Alarmist? Would concerned be a better term to describe it?
As the one long as you have a guarantee, there is no need in managing your risks other than returning it.
If the ax was a hundred years old and used by you father or grandad, you might not want to return it.
Have the company send you a letter indicating the ax is safe to use while in this condition. Then use it if you trust it.