Why Gransfors?

[Pete E]

Ray Mears certainly sings the praises of axes in a survival/backwoods situation and Gransfors in particular.

I was wondering how many people own and use a quality axe on a regular basis and if so what do you use it for? I am not talking about chopping wood for the log burner at home, but out in the field so to speak.

Besides the Gransfors, are there any other quality brands available in the UK?

Regards,

Pete

 

[TheViking]

I have one with an 800 gram head, but I don't know from which company. It's high carbon and I only use it for abusing itself. :roll: It was free, but it does the job and is a convex grind, so i can't complain.

 

[jem seeley]

Yes, guilty of Gransfors ownership too!! I've got the small forest axe which I think is Ray's fave.As well as for Bushcraft I use it extensively for green woodworking- splitting logs, initial shaping before putting the 'billet' onto the pole-lathe.Gransfors are well respected amongst the green woodworking community. For me it was a quick route to buy new rather than waiting to find a decent unabused second-hand one. There are still a lot of decent old axes around-unfortunately their owners tend to keep a firm grip on them!
I think some of this may have been covered in an earlier thread but I would still prefer to carry a good small axe as I feel they are more suited to a wider range of woodland types than a billhook.

 

[RobertsonPau]

I have a Hultafors hand axe, 600gm and 30cm helve, it's really nicely balanced and holds an edge really well. I've used it for carving spoon blanks, trimming branches, and it most recently spent a day pruning my father in laws fruit trees. Five trees non of which had been pruned for ten years, one of the apple trees had a twenty foot by 10 inch 'log' removed from the top. :shock:
The axe was used quite a lot mainly for the practice, and it still shaved hairs off my arm at the end of the day. I don't know if this counts as using it out in the field, but it certainly gets used. I'm desperately trying to find somebody who imports them into the uk, cos I want one of their Hunting Axes ): . See post elsewhere in this forum. The big advantage for me is that the hand axe cost about £10 to £15 less than the Granfors equivalent.

Paul

 

[Paganwolf]

Ive a GB SFA and a Mini ( :?: ) too and they are a fantastic axe, i have a wetterlings and a roselli both are good but i always reach for my GB, They are well balenced and well constructed, a good quality tool and a user IMO

 

[Gary]

I havce a gb and a wetterlings but I am still in swinging in favour of my Leuku - weight for weight it still wins in my book - at present anyway.

 

[Pete E]

Paul,

They are definately imported to the UK as I have seen them for sale at various gamefairs last summer. Unfortuneately I don't remember who had the stand so its not really much use! But hey :?: keep looking!

Another thought, can't you get them through Woodlore?

Regards,

Pete

 

[ScottC]

I have a wetterlings LHA, wow it's such a great tool. There's a review on a popular outdoors site which favoured the wetterlings LHA over the gransfors SFA, I can't remember the name of the site though but it has 'outdoors' in the url and it's very popular i believe.

 

[TheViking]

I have a wetterlings LHA, wow it's such a great tool. There's a review on a popular outdoors site which favoured the wetterlings LHA over the gransfors SFA, I can't remember the name of the site though but it has 'outdoors' in the url and it's very popular i believe.

Perhaps it was Outdoors-Magazine
And the exact article is here

 

[Lithril]

Thread title changed to something a little less inflamatory.

 

[Pete E]

Some people have no sense of humor! ): ):

 

[Ogden]

What is the use of an axe?
When wood gets frozen an axe doesn´t work. I have a saw in my backpack.

 

[arctic hobo]

You're right, but over here not much wood gets frozen
I have a GB SFA and I love it to bits. I use it on wood... what else would you want it for? T: :rolmao:

 

[Tony]

Some people have no sense of humor! ): ):

And that wouldn't be us

I use a GB SFA. The three things I often carry are a folding saw, my knife and a SFA. The saw is great for......sawing!! I use the axe for all sorts, carving spoons and other utensils to tent pegs, felling, butchering (on rare occasions) preparing firewood, as a hammer and all sorts of other things. That's not to say that I have to have one, it's just a useful tool. The bottom line is that one can do an awful lot with just a good knife, adding a few tools just helps keep the effort down a bit

I think that with Ray he’s found an axe that he really likes and feels that he can depend on, he also sells them so he’s got two good reasons to push them as the axe to have. Pete, did you get the Woodlore Happy Christmas mailshot? I presume you were prompted in some way

 

[Pete E]

Tony,

Although the tittle was a little flippant (never inflamatory! ) , the question was actually genuine and with out any hidden agenda.

Ray seems to like to carry an axe when he is shown up in the Scandinavian countries and he seems to like GB in particular.

So I guess I am wondering has Ray simply popularized the carrying of an axe, or is there a genuine niche for an axe here in the UK???

Incidently, I have a small Swedish axe made by HB..Its only a cheap one, but I only use it to chop morning sticks for the woodburner...

Regards,

Pete

 

[Hoodoo]

After reading the review I decided I needed to check the balance on my GB and Wetterling. I guess I have to say my results were different.

Wetterling:

GB:

To remove any bias I might be introducing by the way I was holding the axes, I placed the axes on a pad.

Wetterling:

GB:

Evidently there is some variation among the axes.

 

[Pete E]

Hoodoo,

Do you notice that difference when you use the axes in the field?

Regards,

Pete

 

[Hoodoo]

Pete, to be honest, no. I'm not that good. :rolmao: I found either one to be pretty handy although the GB has a nicer piece of wood and better finish on the bit "out of the box." The Wetterling required a lot more work to smooth out the edge. The work I did on the GB was minimal. Either one suits me just fine for a nice fall canoe trip. :wave:

 

[tomtom]

Tony,

Although the tittle was a little flippant (never inflamatory! ) , the question was actually genuine and with out any hidden agenda.

as Gransfors Burks is a small family owned company(or at least claim they are).. i think it extreamly unlikely that they have floated on the stock market if that be the case we know Ray Mears does not own shares in the company!

i have a GB wildlife hatchet.. i bought it befor i found BCUK..after reading to works of Ray Mears and Mors Kochanski.. and realising that these were people "in the know" when it came to Bushcraft.. i decided if GB was their choice it was probably a good one.. but how could i be sure lest i tryed it for myself.. so i did.. and i liked!
i dont think ray has popularised the carrying of an axe for bushcraft use.. Mr Kochanski (and many others) went before and also thought it a good bit of kit!
Ray Mears may have popularised the GB axe as the perferd carry, as he selected it as the best and had the celebrity to make his desscion widely known!

im not sure weather us bushcrafters are numerous enough to be called a "genuine niche" but we do need/like to have good axes.. and IMHO and that of others i think.. Gransfors Burks are very good axes.. though there are other very good axes avalible.. i do not think that those of us who like to think we can "think outside the circle" should begrudge the Gransfors Burks craftsmen because their product has been selected by Ray Mears as a favorite!

 

[tomtom]

goodness that came out a bit of a ramble didnt it!