Looking for an axe recommendation

So I've decided that I need to own a small axe like the Granfors Bruks Forrest axe only I have some fairly specific criteria so I wanted to know what you folks recommend. All the axes I've used in the past have been cheap hardware store axes and haven't impressed me...which is why I don't carry one into the bush. I think that's a shame since it's such a useful tool in these parts especially in winter. I convinced myself I could do without but even a day hike or overnight stay in a national park becomes a fireless one since I'm finding more and more that the 'cut' wood they stock in the parks means they cut the tree into 2 foot sections with a chain saw and that's it.

• It needs to be small enough to carry and use with one hand but big enough to use with 2. Handle no longer than 24", head no heavier than 2.5 lbs.
• Must be a capable splitting axe (knotty, frozen, and green wood alike) but still multipurpose and not a dedicated splitting maul.
• Must either have a a near indestructible handle or a straighter wooden handle which can be replaced in the field without being a master carver.
• I'll need to be able to sharpen the edge in the field (ie: No super hard steel) but the better it will hold an edge the better.
• It can't break the bank. $100+ for a Granfors isn't an option as much as I like those axes.
• I'd like to be able to find it locally so I can hold and feel before I buy.

I've done some internet searching and there seem to be a plethora of axes in different styles (both new and traditional) available for 20-50 bucks. Unfortunately I don't know anything about brands or the styles to know if they're any good...I'm sure many of them are cheap and not just inexpensive.

Lots of folks seem to like the Gerber axes:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...p;cm_ite=netcon

I have the Camp Axe, which is probably the one that matches your specs most. I wish its head was a bit heavier. I guess the handle is pretty much indestructable. Mine has held up well so far.

One axe that I've been interested in, but haven't yet handled/purchased is the Snow & Nealley Hudson Bay Camping Axe at http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?mi=2519

Its WOOD handle is 24" - so right on the edge of your specs - with a 1.75 lb head. $52.50. Its supposed to be a very good brand and made in the USA - which is big for me.

Of course its hard to know whats available in your area for handling before purchase.

"good ax" is like "good knife". Lot of personal preference.

Might want to look at Fiskars. You can probably find them at local hardware or chain stores in the less than $50 range.

http://www.fiskars.com/webapp/wcs/stores...ategoryId=10277

The Estwing 26" camp axe sounds like it should fit the bill for you, except in may be a tad heavy. I know for a fact that they are indistructable we use them for demolition. They are fairly easy to sharpen and are wide enough to use in splitting wood. You should be able to find them at any larger hardware store that sells Estwing hammers.

Hi,

I use an Estwing 26" axe quite a bit but for an odd job, I keep one on my snowmobile for checking ice thickness. It is very easy to break a wooden handled axe while chopping ice and the Estwing is near indestructable, because of this feature they are often found in small airplane survival kits. I also use it to clear deadfall on the trails and cut firewood when needed. The blade is quite thin so it is a poor splitter and often sticks in tough blocks of wood. It also glances badly and I am not crazy about how the heel of the blade sweeps in deeply toward the back of the head.

So it is not my favourite axe to use but it is the toughest one I own, therefore it sees a lot of field time. The axe will rust and it is a prime target for thieves because it looks expensive. I spray painted all but the cutting face of the axe with black rustproof paint and therefore it blends in, drawing less attention when mounted on my snowmobile or ATV carrier. In less demanding situations I usually camp with a 28" wooden handled axe with a 2 1/2lb head (called a Pulpwood, Boys or 3/4 axe); the extra mass, wider head and longer handle cut/split better and are safer.

Hacksaw - Knowing that you live in Canada, this Estwing axe goes on sale at Canadian Tire a couple of times a year (30 - 50 % off) this is where I bought mine. Canadian Tire also markets a heavier version (CT brand I think) that splits better but is not as handy.

(I have no affiliation with Canadian Tire Corp. other than I am addicted to their weekly sale flyer).

At present I am thinking of a Wetterling's Long Hunting axe for times when I am away from the vehicle. A good comparison of this axe with a Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe can be found here http://outdoors-magazine.com/spip.php?article147

I googled Wetterling's in Canada and found a few hits including this one in Saskatoon http://www.sworddepot.com/S_A_Wetterling_Axes_cid649.html they may also be marketed under the Husqvarna name so chainsaw shops may also stock them.

Good Luck buying an axe, like shopping for any outdoor gear, it can be really fun.

Mike

How about a Wetterlings axe? Hand forged in Sweden and priced very well. They are as close as you can get to a Granfors Bruks without the high prices.

http://www.bensbackwoods.com/servlet/Categories?category=Axes%3AWetterlings

That comparison is really telling! I was surprised that the Wetterlings outperformed the GB on every test. I've seen those Roselli axes too. I like the straighter handle and wedgier head for splitting. I also like that Hudson's Bay axe...seems to have the perfect dimensions.

I would never buy a hand forged axe with a wood handle online however...too risky.

I've been trying to find a place in Edmonton that sells forestry supplies...I think that's my best chance to touch and feel something of quality before I buy. I went to every hardware store I could find before I made that post and they almost all seem to have the typical fiberglass or poor quality wood handles, mass produced head with asymmetrical bevels, blunt edges, and awkward balances.

The exception are the Fiskars axes which are very good quality with strong, light handles. I've heard almost too many pros and cons to commit to buying one of these yet...their wide range of sizes make selecting just one hard too. I'm a huge Gerber/Fiskars fan which is why I'm hesitant...I don't want to buy just for the name...I want good product.

I have a combo axe and a somewhat large folding wood saw set that I bought from Coleman several years ago. The wood saw is great, but the axe is lacking. It works, and has held up well over the years. But it’s rubber grip handle moves around on the metal frame, it has been doing this from day-one. I am always worried it’s going to come loose and go flying. I will be interested to read the responses as to what is a good quality axe to buy.

I just saw this and I'm super interested in finding somebody who sells the set locally.

http://www.snowandnealley.com/products/giftsets/skgs.htm

I love the Hudson's Bay style but the camp axe is a bit too big to tote around. With the set I'd have a small splitting maul for car camping too.

Going to phone them ASAP to see if there are any dealers around here. Lots of online retailers but I'm still hesitant to order over the internet.

Hi Hacksaw,

From what I have read the Snow and Neally Brand of axes are of good quality, but I have never handled one.

The butt of the axe you linked to has a rather large knob on it, I have only seen these on mauls or picks before, does anyone have any experience with this style? I suspect that unless your hands were very large this size of knob may prove awkward and unconfortable over time.

I also like the look of the Hudson Bay Camp Axe, it is heavier but will do a lot more work for you with the same effort and be safer to use.

Mike

I think the knob is there for safer one hand use. both of the small axes in the set use the same handle (a plus IMO). Another plus is that the head on the kindling axe is the exact head which is on the Hudson Bay Camp axe so a normal axe handle could be put on it later.

Either way I think I'm going to come out of this with a one hand splitting maul. I like the one Estwing makes. 4lbs and super tough...great for in the car camping box. The axe I have now for camping sucks and all I use it for in a campground is splitting.

Last night I read the first half of Nessmuk's book. He makes several mentions to large axes being very unpractical and also notes that a good hatchet is way better in just about every way for camping and packing around. Makes me want to buy one of those cheap double bit hatchets made by Marble's just to see what they're all about.

UPDATE: I just ordered the Snow & Nealley kindling axe and maul set from Cabela's. On sale for $59 US.

I ALMOST went with the Fiskars but I think I'll be happier with this...and it's cheaper than buying a chopping and splitting version of the Fiskars axes.

After you get some dirt time with these tools, please consider posting a review. Thanks.

Very nice price!! I just ordered a set for myself. One can never have too many toys. Actually I've been noticing lately that I do more splitting of small logs than anything else, so that mini-maul will be a nice thing to carry.

Thanks!

The Canada Post came through and just delivered my axes. 7pm on a Saturday...they must have heard us bad mouthing them



When I got the box I was surprised at how light the box was...somehow I'd imagined the set to be heavier. I immediately laid them out on the floor and compared size and weight to my machete. Pretty comparable and with the simple sheaths on the axes either one would actually take up less space in my pack than the machete due to the bulky sheath on the Gerber.



They aren't really sharp and while I won't be cutting any paper or rope with the edges the way they are, I think they'd split wood pretty well in their current condition. One of my first tasks will be to put a proper edge on them both. I may also sand the handles down and oil the handles the way they should be.

I like the shape of the handles, there's no way they would slip out of my hands unless I were greased down with those thick knobs at the end of the handles. I can choke up on them pretty far and still get my hands around fine with a secure grip. I was a little disappointed about the orientation of the grain. The grain on the maul is almost vertical but grain on the kindling axe is perfectly horizontal.


I'm not sure how long it's going to take me to get out and put them to the test but I'll post a proper review once I have some chopping and splitting time in with them both.

Hi Hacksaw,

Thanks for the photo's of your new tools, they look neat. Could you post a picture with the gaurds off?

I had a full-sized splitting maul that had horizontal grain and was a mixture of sapwood and heartwood like your kindling axe is, the handle did not last long. The first time I "over-extended" when busting a chunk of frozen maple firewood the handle split lengthwise in my hand.

Mike

From their website:




In the set I bought the maul handle is just right. The axe handle's is at about 45 degrees.

I filed the axe edge a bit to improve the edge. Its fairly sharp now - I'm not trying to turn it into a knife edge.

Thanks for saving me the trouble Ken.

One of the things of note which I just noticed how that there's some light in here. Both axes are not perfectly symmetrical. To me that's proof that they were hand forged...I had a tiny bit of doubt since I didn't ever recall their website claiming they were. They're stamped with initials too...a nice touch.

Today I'm going to take the varnish off the heads, sharpen them, and then give them a good dose of Fluid Film.

Hacksaw,

What do you use to sharpen them?

I wish I knew more about axe sharpening techniques. I've found a bit on the web. I can't find ANYTHING about sharpening a maul on the web.

Ken K.

If I need to take off any major metal I'll use a heavy file. For keeping the edge relatively sharp I have an puck shaped axe stone from Gerber. I haven't tried yet but I imagine the heads are very hard so the stone should be as fine as I'll go. The Maul doesn't need to be shaving sharp to do it's job.

for the axe I'll do the same but I'm going to try to put a more refined edge on. I might try running it through my Sharpmaker once I've filed it and gone over it with the coarse stone.

OK, that's what I do. I guess I'm doing alright then.

I filed the edge of the S&N axe a little bit - not too much - maybe back about 1/4" - and then finished it off with a hockey puck-shaped stone.

I've never owned a Hudson bay style axe before. Clearly they are more suited for chopping & cutting than splitting, since the handle would get in the way of splitting larger wood. But then again, when I need to split wood I'll use the maul anyway.

With use by the Scouts in my son's troop in mind, I actually also just bought a fullsize fiberglass-handle 34" 3.5 lb Truper Axe and a fiberglass-handle 34" 6 lb Maul from Northerntool.com. I got the axe, but the maul will be a bit delayed. Very nice for only $15 each. At that cost they can do some damage to them (all too likely) without me breaking a sweat. I did quite a bit of filing on the Truper axe to bring the thickness of the edge down - back about 1/2" - and finished it off with the stone.

To this point they've really only used hand axes (hatchets). My goal is to teach them how to use/swing a fullsized axe (and maul) too. When I was a kid in Scouts (loooong ago) we only used a fullsize axe.

Here are the Truper axe & maul for those interested:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200325123_200325123

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200325115_200325115

I noticed that the Scouts spend much more time splitting logs than they do chopping. I want to teach them to use a maul for that - rather than an axe. I'm not sure how the younger Scouts will handle the 6 lb maul, but we'll see. (The S&N axe & maul are for my use - not the Scouts)

Oh, one more thing ... I'm new to mauls and I didn't know that they have mallets on the backside of the heads. Cool! Does anyone know if they're designed more for striking other stuff, or more for being struck? Or both? Or does it matter? Just curious.

One of the coarser diamond-type knife sharpeners does wonders for my old axe.

I am very interested in the S & N Hudson Bay axe (mostly because I am a menace to myself and others with a hatchet), but the old one seems to fill the bill well enough that I haven't found it in me to part with the cash for the S & N.

I found the axehead under the back porch of a house I owned a while back. It wasn't much more than a hunk of rust at the time, but I dropped it in a pan of used engine oil that I hadn't gotten around to taking to the dump station yet. After a couple of days, I was able to get all the surface rust off and fit it to a new handle. I spent an hour on the edge with a file and coarse stone, and I've been pretty happy with it ever since. It's a "Michigan" pattern, or close to it, and probably weighed 3 1/2 pounds when new. It's probably a quarter of a pound less now due to repeated sharpenings, so I would guess it was all of 50 years old when I found it. It holds its edge well and the balance is pretty good, or I'm just very used to it.

I finally got the varnish sanded off the heads...it's not all off but it's off enough not to bind in wood and not to gum up my sharpening gear.

I just sharpened the Maul and man had I forgotten how much I hate sharpening that hard axe steel.

My mill file was a bit worn but eventually I got the bevels even. I was surprised at how rough the factory grind was for a hand tooled piece but I understand good axes rarely come sharp (I found some rivet dents in the edge from shipping anyhow...that might be why?)

After I was satisfied with the angle I went over it with my diamond file (the style that's a perforated thin metal on a plastic base) and after about 10 minutes it broke. I went back to the file and then to one of the coarse rods from my Sharpmaker.

If it were a knife I'd still be working on it but it will push through a 24lb sheet of copy paper...pretty good for a 3lb. maul.

Now for the real work. The edge on the kindling axe isn't much better and I'd like to put a more narrow profile on it for chopping. Add to that the fact that it has twice the edge length and I'm in for a long night I think. Ideally I'd like to be able to use the Sharpmaker to touch it up but I don't know if I want to go that narrow. I guess I'll start filing and play it by ear as I cramp up.

One more thing. I'm tossing my Gerber axe stone. I tried it after the file and it's not up to grinding down this steel. After just one minute there was a large pile of dust from the stone and the surface was already cupping.

I know I told you all that I don't think axes need to be as sharp as knives but I can't wait to see how sharp I can get this axe. It has a very concave profile and is just begging for a nice polished edge.