hatchet to small axe... shopping.....

[Night goat]

so, im in the market for a new axe. ive had a fiskars since only god knows when, i got it probably mid to late 1990s. it has been a workhorse. ive used it for everything.

now, i dont have a woodstove at home, so, i am not splitting rounds or cutting firewood daily, but, it lives in my jeep, and has served as a tool for just about everyting, camping, off roading, hunting, fishing, ive found all sorts of uses for it.

its been going on 20 years or so and im ready for a new one.

as mentioned in my Helle Knifes post, i have a soft spot for Swedish in particular and Scandinavian steel in general because my grandpa was a Swede. ive had a few swede axes particularly Gransfors Bruks, and love my double bit Gransfors.

what do i need an axe for? camping, carving, wood working, building fires, cutting, hunting....

i have a wall tent with a cylinder stove, and have just purchased a titanium stove for a trekking pole tipi style tent, and am debating whether a tiny hatchet or  saw would be better to carry around. from a weight perspective an axe in a pack is dumb, but, dang, last two trips, i sure missed having an axe of some sort. what can i say, im an axe guy. fiskars always goes with when i got the big tent/stove, but, with the small tent and stove, living out of a backpack with all my gear for a few days to a week or so... debating if its worth the weight.

if i get an axe and hate it, well, i got plenty of other uses, perhaps using it for kindling at my ski shack or use in the workshop as a carpentry tool.

im after something small to medium size, not an overly thick blade, good carbon content to the metal...

a bonus would be a traditional look

https://www.gransforsbruk.com/app/uploads/2013/02/4995-Gränsfors-Swedish-Viking-Axe.pdf

thats what ive always wanted, but, its out of production and i doubt i could ask the forge to make one just for me.

CRKT makes the Freyr, but, CRKT..... so hit or miss

there are a few other bearded style blades out there, but for the most part all seem to be wanna be weekend warrior armchair viking quality. why do i like the bearded style axe? well, i like the extra cutting surface, as it can be used for more than just chopping, and can be used almost like an Alaskan ulu knife

not dead set on a bearded head, as i saw the Hults Bruk blades the other day and i was impressed... admittedlty though, i am a fan of something with some flare. function over form, but, if i can have something with some good looks, why not

if i wanted to be totally realistic the Gransfors Bruks hand hatchet or wildlife hatchet, its about the size, and its bulletproof as far as quality, and i very well might just get one of those, however id still be curious to know whats on the market

[Romulus1297]

Amazon has the hand hatchet. I have 4 different gransfors bruk ax’s. Perfect ax’s.

[Fl0und3rz]

Not to throw a wrench into the works, consider a bushcraft style knife with a heavier, sturdier blade, and a saw.

[MADMAX]

https://www.woodmanspal.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-7Wd4rvf5AIVARx9Ch2nngjvEAAYASAAEgIJGvD_BwE

[jackelope]

I ended up going with a Hults Bruk Akka.

[JJB11B]

Marbles, Hults Bruk, granfors bruk, you can hardly go wrong! I would love to get a Granfors Bruk but I would be happy with any of the three

[300rum]

You can find good US steel axes heads, look on CL or something like that.  You should pay $5-10 for a good axe head.  Clean it up with a bit of sand paper and a *censored* file and put a new handle on it from Beavertooth handle company (I have bought many handles form them) and you will have something that is yours. 

[Special T]

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[300rum]

Sorry, I'm not one to use bad language.  If you don't know what kind of file I meant, you probably don't know how to sharpen your own tools anyway.

You can find good US steel axes heads, look on CL or something like that.  You should pay $5-10 for a good axe head.  Clean it up with a bit of sand paper and a *censored* file and put a new handle on it from Beavertooth handle company (I have bought many handles form them) and you will have something that is yours.

[wadu1]

My choice is a Collins Boys Axe ay 2.5 pounds. Other brands of boys axes start at $12-14 and up to $150. I run a 5 pound for large splitting. 

[jackelope]

Sorry, I'm not one to use bad language.  If you don't know what kind of file I meant, you probably don't know how to sharpen your own tools anyway.

You can find good US steel axes heads, look on CL or something like that.  You should pay $5-10 for a good axe head.  Clean it up with a bit of sand paper and a *censored* file and put a new handle on it from Beavertooth handle company (I have bought many handles form them) and you will have something that is yours.

bas-tard file!!

[724wd]

Sorry, I'm not one to use bad language.  If you don't know what kind of file I meant, you probably don't know how to sharpen your own tools anyway.

You can find good US steel axes heads, look on CL or something like that.  You should pay $5-10 for a good axe head.  Clean it up with a bit of sand paper and a *censored* file and put a new handle on it from Beavertooth handle company (I have bought many handles form them) and you will have something that is yours.

THAT'S HILARIOUS! 

[MADMAX]

Antonio?

[optic2]

I ended up going with a Hults Bruk Akka.

Sell me on that, because it's a $169.

Being 24" handle I would call that a hatchet and not an axe.

[jackelope]

I ended up going with a Hults Bruk Akka.

Sell me on that, because it's a $169.

Being 24" handle I would call that a hatchet and not an axe.

I don’t really have a sales pitch. I don’t use it a lot. It works great for small camp wood tasks and the craftsmanship is awesome. That’s about all I’ve got. I’ve heard it referred to in the past as a 2 handed hatchet. I think it’s a great size for an all purpose tool and that’s what I wanted.  I have a friend who is hard core into the bushcraft stuff and he sold me on the Akka. 

[Bullkllr]

You can find good US steel axes heads, look on CL or something like that.  You should pay $5-10 for a good axe head.  Clean it up with a bit of sand paper and a *censored* file and put a new handle on it from Beavertooth handle company (I have bought many handles form them) and you will have something that is yours.

Not exactly an immediate solution, but 
I buy axe heads I like whenever I find them. Got some dandies for little at thrift stores, swap meets, yard sales, etc.

[Fl0und3rz]

I ended up going with a Hults Bruk Akka.

Sell me on that, because it's a $169.

Being 24" handle I would call that a hatchet and not an axe.

I don’t really have a sales pitch. I don’t use it a lot. It works great for small camp wood tasks and the craftsmanship is awesome. That’s about all I’ve got. I’ve heard it referred to in the past as a 2 handed hatchet. I think it’s a great size for an all purpose tool and that’s what I wanted.  I have a friend who is hard core into the bushcraft stuff and he sold me on the Akka. 

I do like the shape and size of it.  I just don't think I would carry it much beyond in the truck, in which I already have a full size.  It looks to be a good bushcraft axe, but then I wouldn't carry it packing over a bushcraft style knife and saw.