Hi Zack:

What a variety of suggestions I am sure all are in good faith. As I read the responses I personally would steer away from buying through Ebay for such an item. I can honestly say that I have no experience with the european axes although I have heard that some of them are excellent. My preference is a good North American style antique head with about a 10" cutting face. The bevel should be one sided, with a good quantity of tool steel showing on the inset. It is very important that you try the edge before purchasing one with a file to test its hardness, it should not bite in at all but slide across the surface.Examine the cutting edge closely for imperfections, and where it may have had pieces shattered by knots, and also cracks along the forging joint(s) Holding the head loosely and taping it with a metal object should make it ring, this means that it has good metallurgical characteristics. The cutting bit or edge should not be too flat if it is it will not work well it should have about
1\2" curvature, and if you lay a straight edge along the flatside opposite the bevel it should be slightly full at the centre, this is proper for the axe to take wood as you hew. Take it from me make and get used to your own handle,handles are something that reflect your character and stature, if you need help in that regard I can send you some information on a vhs tape that showns one being manufactured by hand and then installed in the head, in your case it would need to be right handed. Make sure that you in fact need a right handed broadaxe, I have spoke to many that wrote and did many other things right handed but when it came to handling and using an axe to their amazement they were in fact left or at least needed a left handl(ed) broadaxe. Best of luck NH