Question of the century - which axe ?

[Gcckoka]

Hey guys , i need your advice
I'm getting into hot tenting and going out in the winter more often , the only axe I have is a hatchet , a Husqvarna hatchet which I love , but it would be much better to have a proper , full size axe for winter. I have my eye on the GB Scandinavian forest axe for quite some time now , but I still have to save money for minimum 2-3 months to get it , this said I will lose precious time which I should be outdoors , sitting at home. Is it really worth to wait for it ? if you have a good option for me, to get in the place of GB without buying some crap which I have to throw away after one season, something with quality close to the GB , but cheaper , I would really appreciate your advice!
Thanks

 

[British Red]

The weight and length of the Scandinavian make for a very capable axe light enough to carry, big enough to use with two hands or one. If you want to back pack and process a lot of wood, an axe of this size combined with a collapsible bow saw is the way to go. In more temperate climates a small axe of 500g with a folding Laplander type saw is sufficient to cooking fires and shelters.

 

[Mesquite]

Hultfors bruks axes as well as Husqvarna axes are good quality and usually cheaper than GB and Wetterlings

 

[Janne]

Get a second hand, ex Swedish Army axe. Cheaper than a GB, but still made in Sweden of Superior steel.
The shipping will be the same, but overall it will cost you much less.

 

[Gcckoka]

Hultfors bruks axes as well as Husqvarna axes are good quality and usually cheaper than GB and Wetterlings

The first thing I thought was the husqvarna axe ,but after some surfing on the net I just saw way to many broken ones , all in same place where the stamp hand forged is
Which hultafors do you recommend ?

 

[Leshy]

I saw a hultafors that fits the size you're looking for , on here the other day at a very good price and condition.
I think adestu was selling it...
Worth dropping him a pm I think.



Found link
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142679

 

[Mesquite]

The first thing I thought was the husqvarna axe ,but after some surfing on the net I just saw way to many broken ones , all in same place where the stamp hand forged is
Which hultafors do you recommend ?

Probably the Felling Axe as it's the nearest to the GB SFA that you want.

That's just the first link that I found so you may well find it cheaper elsewhere

 

[Gcckoka]

I saw a hultafors that fits the size you're looking for , on here the other day at a very good price and condition.
I think adestu was selling it...
Worth dropping him a pm I think.
You won't find one for a better price...


Found link
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142679

Looks good ! Can you tell me the model name so that I can search specs and stuff ?


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[Leshy]

I'm not sure bud, could be the Agdor but that's just a guess.
It's definitely bigger than the SFA, looking at the length of the handle I'm guessing it's somewhere between the small forest axe and the Scandinavian...
Drop him a PM, no harm in asking, and doing so you'l get first dibs as that won't be there long.
I've got the GB wilderness axe, and sizes look very similar...
Sorry thats not very helpful

 

[Gcckoka]

Probably the Felling Axe as it's the nearest to the GB SFA that you want.

That's just the first link that I found so you may well find it cheaper elsewhere

Looks great but if can pay 60£ in a hultafors I'll walk by foot for a week or two and save 17 more pounds and get the GB , I want something in the range of 50$. The fact that I will buy the GB is something that will happen for sure but at this moment I can't afford it and think it will be better to get something cheaper but durable , so that I can train with it get experience and then by the top shelf stuff


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[Mesquite]

Looks great but if can pay 60£ in a hultafors I'll walk by foot for a week or two and save 17 more pounds and get the GB , I want something in the range of 50$. The fact that I will buy the GB is something that will happen for sure but at this moment I can't afford it and think it will be better to get something cheaper but durable , so that I can train with it get experience and then by the top shelf stuff

I did say you could probably find it cheaper elsewhere

 

[Leshy]

I did say you could probably find it cheaper elsewhere

Damn good price for a new Agdor there Sir.

👍

 

[Hone-boy]

I have owned the GB Forest Axe and Small Splitting Axe for years, and have more recently tried a Husqvarna hatchet. I have owned and experienced quite a number of other axes and equivalent duty tools.

The GB Forest Axe is an against-the grain specialist for many types of limbing and small tree felling. It isn't a "full-size" axe, it is a compact mid-size. It's strengths are the steep angle head shape, edge-holding, weight, balance and maneuverability in dense woodland. For the vast majority of against the grain work I leave my Felling Axes (full-size axes) at home, knowing that the GB SFA wont let me down, and the weight-to-bite-depth characteristics mean that I will not readily tire (wielding razor-sharp axes with tired hands is best avoided).

You never quite know what you are going to get with a Husqvarna, apart from good Swedish axe steel, because I understand they contract it out to Swedish smiths then whack their brand on it. So there is an advantage in buying from a shop in person, not from a website. I find my hatchet is relatively uncaringly finished, required sharpening out of the box (more than just honing), the head is too heavy, the handle unnecessarily bulky, and the balance is off. BUT IT WAS CHEAP! (think I paid £24). I have my regrets; perhaps I should have gone for a Wetterlings or GB. I'm going to have to spend more time grinding down the head & handle of my Husqvarna to par down weight as well as improving grip, balance and cutting angles. Cheap to buy, expensive on personal time to bring it to standard.

My feeling is that if you feel you need more cutting power than a Ray Mears-style hatchet, you dont want something too heavy and are going to just buy one, then I would save up and go for the GB Forest Axe. But if you be concentrating on splitting firewood, dont mistake it for a substitute for a well-profiled splitting axe, which are with-grain specialists. For this reason when absolute minimum weight isn't critical take out both, and my Lofty Wiseman parang. When it is critical, I just take the GB FA. The forest axe will split, but it's going to be harder work than a splitting axe, though easier than a hatchet.

A note on price - Gransfors, Wetterlings & Hults Bruk axes are pretty cheap for what they are. For a smith to make a precision axe, fitted with handle, for under £150.00 is good value. One can spend a lot more than that and still be getting a fair deal while supporting the preservation of these craftsman skills. Though like you, I haven't been able to afford over that level yet either. May be one day I might get a custom carving axe or a Tuatahi made to my spec.

 

[Tommyd345]

It's not as 'bushcrafty' but the Stihl forest axe is one of the most capable axes Iv ever owned. And for 30 quid it's not bad!

 

[ED-E]

I don't do much felling with an axe because of that I don't go with a traditional felling profile either. A more hollow profile is good for limbing and chopping, if it's well balanced felling becomes less exhausting but it's not that great for splitting wood. It seems like that in the recent years a more wedge like axe profile is used more and often again. It's not that well balanced when cutting down a vertically standing tree but cutting horizontal logs into segments and splitting is more efficient, imho. I now use a Wetterlings Hudson Bay Axe (most of the time in conjunction with one of my bucksaws), some more examples would be the GB Outdoor Axe, the GB Mears Wilderness Axe, the Wetterlings Bushman as well as the Fiskars axes.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Hey guys , i need your advice
I'm getting into hot tenting and going out in the winter more often , the only axe I have is a hatchet , a Husqvarna hatchet which I love , but it would be much better to have a proper , full size axe for winter. I have my eye on the GB Scandinavian forest axe for quite some time now , but I still have to save money for minimum 2-3 months to get it , this said I will lose precious time which I should be outdoors , sitting at home. Is it really worth to wait for it ? if you have a good option for me, to get in the place of GB without buying some crap which I have to throw away after one season, something with quality close to the GB , but cheaper , I would really appreciate your advice!
Thanks

Personally, if I was you, I'd save your money through this winter so that you can buy the GB axe. It sounds like you won't be happy with any other axe so no point wasting money. Just keep using the hatchet to process your wood. The Husqvarna hatchets are quite capable tools as their heads seem to be heavier than many other hatchets. If you need something more substantial then perhaps you could invest a few pounds in a bow saw blade and make your own bow saw to help process larger sections of wood or remove limbs?

 

[Leshy]

I have the Ray Mears GB wilderness axe and it's a lovely bit of craftsmanship. Very versatile and very comfortable to use for any length of time.
It will limb and fell easily and it's OK at carving if you strangle it ...
It's even good at splitting .
A great all rounder tool and combined with the Laplander and a trusty knife , it enables me to tackle pretty much everything wood related.

The only gripe I have , and it's purely a personal preference, it's the fact that it says "Ray Mears" alongside the Gransfors Bruks logo.
Makes you look like a bit of a sticker boy, "all the gear, no idea" type of guy if you know what I mean...

I'd prefer if it didn't have any markings at all , but it's a good excuse for me to start kolrosing some motifs and patterns throughout the haft , thus taking the eye off the logos.
And failing that ,re-hafting when the time comes...

But I can't deny it's an awesome tool , and it comes out with me every time.

Save the money and get the one you want, you won't regret it.
👍

 

[dave89]

https://www.manomano.co.uk/hatchet-...j1JwUAtFbFHqz9I1YJFRjd7FO-NnlIgsE_xoCyRvw_wcB

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