In reply to LucaC:
No doubt I am not climbing vertical ice waterfalls.
My aim is to find an axe that can handle a variety of conditions. Often on winter ski mountaineering conditions change quite a bit and firm ice can appear when you don't expect it.
So I am trying to find that versatile axe setup that isnt too heavy and is comfortable french stepping. But I also want something that is technical enough to dagger climb and be able to bite if you come across say a 300 foot section of firm ice that isn't vertical but steep enough that you are front pointing for a good span.
It is a conundrum. It is easy to buy a technical axe. It is easy to find a glacier travel axe. But I want something in between. I don't want to carry a little curved technical axe that is useless french stepping or self arresting, but neither do i want the adze deflecting if i need to handle a technical section.