Recomend An Axe

[Siberianfury]

Hi fellas,
i am a complete novice when it comes to axes, my experience is limited to cheap rusty hatchets in the garage rather than "wilderness axes".
i am basicly looking for a lightweight chopping companion to my wolverine or woodsman B&T. ive been using goloks up to now and although they are extreamly versitle i think a small axe may be lighter and more appropriate for just a short stay in the woods ect.

the exe will be used for:
1. splitting firewood for a fire or carving projects
2. cutting and limbing trees where needed
3. rough carving

it should be:
1. lightweight
2. well made
3. under £50 (student budget lol)
4. easy to control when doing fne tasks
5. nice n sharp (the one in my shed is duller than a lump of foam)


ive heard good things about Gransfors Bruks, wetterlings and Cegga.
The question is, Which one?

ATB
Josh

 

[John Fenna]

Cegga is the ultimate as far as I can see but the GFB SFA or Wildlife Hatchet are good all rounders - though master of no task

 

[Siberianfury]

Hi john,
SFA is a little on the large side as it will often be carryed on a belt or slung around my back.
does Cegga do any small ones?

 

[Mesquite]

Hi john,
SFA is a little on the large side as it will often be carryed on a belt or slung around my back.
does Cegga do any small ones?

Cegga is an axe maker, ergo he'll forge you an axe to any spec you ask for

 

[Siberianfury]

ive been looking into the GB wildlife hatchet, seems a decent starter and its hand made.
what are these ones like for general tasks. its certinatly small enough for my intended purpose.

Cegga is an axe maker, ergo he'll forge you an axe to any spec you ask for

if its under £50 ill have to look into it mate.

 

[The Cumbrian]

I got mine for less than £50 posted. It's a lovely little axe, with the best shaped handle I've ever used. The only drawback is that you might have to wait a while.

Cheers, Michael.

 

[A Jack]

Hi All, I bought this the other day, a Faithfull Steel Shafted Hatchet 1.1/4lb
http://www.pentagondirect.com/p/0-steel-shafted-hatchet-114lb1-0-steel-shafted-hatchet-114lb
I appreciate It's only a starter axe but if I paid more than a tenner for an axe, my wfie would probably test on my nether regions lol.
I like the idea of a non woeden handle.
I also bought this at the same time, a Bahco Laplander Folding Pruning Saw
http://www.pentagondirect.com/p/bahco-laplander-folding-pruning-saw

 

[Dave Budd]

to be honest buy whatever you find and sharpen it up yourself! I've got a collection or well over 30 axes, including 20+ hatchets and the ones that get used the most (above my GB, wetterlings and Cegga) are a couple of very old rusty ones that were reground and sharpened and £4.99 Blackspur that I bought for a magazine article a while back.

 

[littlebiglane]

I suggest go to a reclamation or junk style place and pick up a good quality rusty axe and re-handle it.........

my local one has dozen of old axes (some without handles) in dozens of patterns and weights - at most they cost about £2/3. Get one you like the shape and profile of and then decide the length of the handle yourself......

 

[VirusKiller]

For the uses you mention, I'd go small (i.e. hatchet).

 

[Whittler Kev]

SWMBO bought me a BG SFA. You can shave with it out of the packet and Ronnie Sunshines was doing them under £50. Have you given Lurch a PM? His pictures of the flood showed several nice looking axes on his racks.
Got to agree with A Jack you can't go far wrong with a Bacho Laplander. (Last seen on RM's Sunday prog) SWMBO said that lump of poplar was made short work of.

 

[HillBill]

As said, the gransfors axes are good quality tools. I have a few. My only gripe with them is that the mini, wildlife and SFA are absoloutely pants at splitting. They can do it sure enough, as can a mora and i reckon a mora would do it easier and safer.

If you can squeeze a bit more cash into it, the outdoor axe from gransfors looks a lot more practical for what you want. Its a cross between a wildlife and a splitting axe. It even has the steel collar to protect the shaft when splitting.

The best all round axe i have used is the argos cheapo axe. It needed re grinding but the steel is very good. When they first came out there was concern about the strength of it as it is fixed to the shaft in a weird way yet mine had been through hundreds of logs without even a wobble, it splits better than any axe i have used ( apart from purpose designed splitters) Though it wont cut as deep as a SFA or wildlife it still cuts to a respectable depth.

2 reviews here, one from Robin Wood, and one from myself.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41525&highlight=argos

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38912&highlight=argos+axe+review

 

[leon-1]

Among the small axes that I use I have a GB hunters and an SFA, but the favourite is a Norlund.

It's a shame you can't get them at the moment, but I would have said look at getting a Norlund Voyageur. It's effectively a small version of the Hudson Bay Axe, but fitted with a slightly longer handle it's a very nice little axe in use.

I have a fiskars axe as well (they are the same as the Gerber and Wilkinson Sword ones) which is pretty much bombproof, not the most pleasing of axes to look at, but it certainly does a good job.

If you want something that's for just doing a little splitting of kindling then you could always look out for an Estwing hatchet.

 

[belzeebob23]

hey Josh

just to throw in another wee axe that I think should be considered
is the husky http://www.husqvarnachainsaws.co.uk/acatalog/Husqvarna_hatchet_35cm.html
and at £26 quid its a bargain
i been thinking about getting his big brother which comes in about the £40 quid mark

Bob

 

[EdS]

have look in junk shops and antique places - you can often pick up and old Morris or Elwell axe for next to nothing.

 

[Peter_t]

stick with good old rust axes, many are as good as grandfors if you know what to do with them. all they need is a bit of tlc and maybe a new handle. iv seen your home made knives so fixing up an axe is easily within your capabilities.

look for makes such as elwell, brades, gilpin, spearwell and some older spear and jacksons.

do a search for axe rehandleing or restoration.

at the end off the day skill and knowledge are far more important than the tool itself.

i was a student not long ago and couldn’t afford an expensive axe but now i can afford one i don’t feel the need because some axes that has cost me as little as 50p have turned out to be crackers

Pete

 

[samthedog]

There are many old axes floating around for a real bargain. Even a GB can be improved upon and I am yet to find an out of the box axe that has an ideal profile. I have put together an axe refurb tutorial here:

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4995

This information is applicable to hatchets and axes of all sizes and the basic theory remains the same. For a few pounds you can have a truly custom axe/hatchet that will out chop anything you can buy in a shop. Hope this helps.

Paul.

 

[launditch1]

If you have a few quid to play with,go for the Cegga.Get it made to your specs.

Are GB axe's handmade?Handmade as in the hot metal is passed along a series of shaping dies...

 

[ozzy1977]

I second the Husqvarna as linked to above. Same spec as the GB one, from the same factory, and half the price

 

[DavidJT]

Which ever manufacturer you choose, personally I wouldn't go for something too small. As you've demonstrated, you can always split small firewood by batoning. Too small an axe could be hard work, for the limbing and cutting you mention. Why not go for something around the SFA size, and just don't take it on every trip.
Just a thought, hope you find something your happy with. (Like most people you'll probably end up with a few axes eventually, so just to decide which to start out the collection with!)