gransfors bruks outdoor axe review
I have spent about 8 hours with this maul now. For lighter weight work, I carry a neck knife (skinning/food prep. Duh. This is important, because it reduces the surface area of the blade, maximizing the pressure behind your swing. Small axe heads show deviations from perfection much more overtly than big heads. It is the oldest continually operating forge in Sweden and, like most companies that are around for over 300 years, has had a lot of ups and downs. The Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe has a light head with some powerful construction choices. You should keep this in mind if you think you’ll be … The Gränsfors Bruk Outdoor Axe has the perfect size for really precise one hand swings to be achieved and this was the beginning of a transformation in my use of the axe. The design of the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe is often viewed as a contradiction which leads to both its higher price and its lower acceptance due, in my opinion, to a misunderstanding of how to use it effectively. But rather than taking my word for it, I did some cutting tests on various pieces of wood that you can see in the below video (if you like it then subscribe to our channel, lots of vide… So let’s just check what we can do with Mini Hatchet. The bit is shorter, and the extra metal is used to expand the head fairly rapidly. A few quick strokes and the trunk is delimbed. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It should be no surprise that this versatile axe is at home in bushcraft and in domestic survival chores because it was conceived and designed with the help of Lars Fält, a noted outdoorsman, survival teacher, author, and gentleman by anyone’s standards. Oddly, performance downhill skis came to mind when I finally found the sweet spot of this axe. Gransfors Bruks is committed to using highly sustainable, high quality materials, and they accomplish that with this handle. As an Outdoor Axe, this tool is designed mostly for processing wood. The family tree of modern gear is a filled with dead branches as well long lives with many offspring. It has a phenominal balance between utility as a fighting axe and a field work axe. Gransfors Bruks is one of the last foresting tool companies that has a true appreciation for craftsmanship and integrity. it is a bit pricey but that is everything these days. Survival Choppers, Understanding Axe Types, Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet Review for 2020, Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Axe Review for 2020, Survival Gear Review: Nalgene OG Ultimate Outdoor Travel Bottle, Outdoor Element Firebiner Fire Escape Survival Carabiner Review, Best First Aid Kit for Survival: Top 7 Picks Reviewed for 2021, How to Lighten a Bug Out Bag (BOB): Top 8 Tips from Survivalists. Well, I guess that depends on the size of the dinosaur…or the tree. This tool is one of the best options out there as far as hatchets go, so if you can afford it, it’s worth picking up. A few more swings and the kindling and small firewood stacks up. By blurring the line between survival knife and hatchet, the speciality tool that Gransfors Bruks named the Outdoor Axe has further refined the most commonly used space in the cutting industry knowns as survival. And the handle is contoured and naturally lacquered to ensure a comfortable, smooth grip that won’t fly out of your hands. ClutchAxes' Top 5 Axes of the Month: From community forge to mass production to master craftsmanship, this brand has been around for a reason. Much below that and significant shortcomings will be apparent. The hickory handle has a protective steel collar near the head. this looks like fine tool I like the tomahawk style bit / heel this is the working portion when fine trimming. The master craftsmanship, the head design, the handle materials, and the assembly all work together to make this tool one of the most powerful hatchets out there. SurvivalCache.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking reviews to Amazon. While most Gransfors Bruks axes have this same type of sheath, one of its features really does work well with this axe. There was a narrow window in which the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe will operate at its best. Felling trees is the job of the big boys, but when the tree is on the ground, the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe comes into play. Although it is light, it can be used to fell a tree, thanks to its relatively long handle and heavy, elongated head. The Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe is not for surgery or first aid, but will easily gut an animal from squirrel to elk. Like I said, I really only want one axe, so I'm in no rush. With hand forged axes, the chance of a error during manufacture is much greater since the overall tolerance shrinks along with the workpiece. Best hunting axe for bushcraft: Hultafors Classic Hunter's Axe. General comparison When you want to cut circular shapes or lines into wood, or maybe make plunge cuts, you can use saws. Also learn how the head shape, weight, and design of the axe or hatchet handle help with your … Starting in the 90s, they pivoted to only care about quality. Most of the major Scandinavian axe companies like Husqvarna, Hultafors, and Fiskars all started out as community forges, named after their towns. Good Luck! There’s no question that this axe is one of the best options out there for small hatchets. I buy old ax and hatchet heads and replace the handles I have 3 sets of post hole diggers for cheap that way. Been in my truck for a decade. There isn’t much you can complain about with this company other than the amount of money you have to pay to get a hold of their fine quality. Axe Length: 19 inches Axe Head Material: Unknown Swedish steel Handle Material: Hickory Cost: $170.00 This is a very expensive axe, even more so because it is what I would consider a specialized tool. This 25 inch tool is a great all-around tool that can do nearly any cutting job. This axe is a survival must, along with other tools like the Aquastiq, letting you survive in the wilderness no matter what. The only major drawback is the price. Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe Review December 5, 2015 by chris 1 Comment The Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe is a extremly well built survival axe. Gransfors Bruk Splitting Maul 31.50 Inch Wood Splitting Axe, 450 [] 2020-9-11 19:21. And way too expensive regardless. Not only excellent in the field but also a perfect size for cabin builds. The design of the sheath allows you to easily carry the axe … I bought an axe sheath from Review Outdoor Gear - one for my Council Tool Woodcraft Axe and one for my Gransfors Scandinavian Forest Axe. Rounding out the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe is the minimalist leather blade cover. It has a high hardness rating, and is perfectly sharpened to make it work fantastically right out of the box. Not that you couldn’t fell a tree with this axe, but that would be like skinning a dinosaur with a neck knife. As a chopper, the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe takes small bites, but its low weight and long handle make for longer hacking sessions compared to heavier heads. In my experience, the $200 price point give or take $50 put an excellent medium sized knife in your hand. For something really bulky, check out the American Felling Axe. yeah. I have dissed many a expensive knife blade as "not that much better or a difference make in performance" but a good axe will make hard work much easier. It is worth using on trees up to six inches in diameter, but go back to the shed for a larger axe if your two hands cannot reach around the trunk. I have a Gransfors Small Forrest Axe and I love it, worth every penny. They believe that anything that’s unnecessary to the function of the tool shouldn’t be a part of the design. Doc honed his survival skills through professional courses, training, and plenty of real-world situations, both intentional and not. The slight curvature of the blade, the light head weight, and the protective shoulder all work together to make this tool one of the best hatchets out there. The steel is hand forged by the same blacksmith that makes the rest of the tool, which is a vital part of the process. A great axe, but the loose fit on the blade cover is a sacrilege for tools at this level. Each axe head comes individually stamped with the smith's initials, while the hickory handle is boiled in linseed oil and rolled in bees wax for a smooth water repellant finish. Gransfors Bruks Hunters Axe Review In this post I’ll take a look at one of the less widely used Gransfors Bruks axes-the Hunters Axe. So even though this axe only weighs a bit over a pound, your cuts are still going to be highly effective from the shape. According to the manufacturer, the tool was designed specifically to help hunters skin large animals by using the rounded poll to hit and separate the hide from the body. Everything Gransfors Bruks makes is made from the same high carbon Swedish forged steel. The axe has 80% or more of its weight on the far end, while the other bladed tools distribute their weight throughout the their length. The length and shape of this handle are actually pretty standard. The axe is made entirely by a single axe craftsman, from start to finish, to ensure absolute quality. The direction of the handle, whether towards or away from your body, can alter the balance of use adding another quality dimension over a standard blade. In short a Skill saw is a kind of circular saw.... Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Axe Sheath for Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet (and G.B. The information presented here is for general educational purposes only. This is true of Gransfors Bruks, having been founded in the 1600s in the Swedish village of Gransfors. I have one and absolutely love it. using small axes, in many instances where you can let the axe do most of the work for you, saves a ton of time and energy compared to a knife. Check all gransfors bruks outdoor axe reviews below or publish your opinion. It has a natural laminate, which makes it smooth to hold, and is contoured to maximize usability. Sure, you could do it, but you might starve to death in the process. Otherwise we'd all be driving Yogos, right? Takes the place of a Bushcraft wood prep knife for my outdoor adventures. The term circular saw and Skilsaw is often used interchangeably, though both are related to each other there are certain differences between both. The Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe is a piece of art. Using Iodine for Water Purification: How to Guide. If you use this survival hatchet in extreme situations like wilderness training, you can use it to easily chop firewood. How about a part about it's lack of usefulness as a car jack? These axes can usually be purchased on e-bay for $25- $50 for the head or $75-$100+ for the complete axe. Using the poll like a hammer-unless designed as such like with splitting axes-will damage the head possibly to the point of breaking it along the thin edges to the left and right of the eye (handle hole). I don't think I could break the handle even if I tried, and I seldom need to split logs or even find even-cut-off logs in the woods/mountains anyway! Gränsfors Bruk axes are one of few high quality items made today that will be passed down from generation to generation and well worth the investment. It’s what makes an axe comfortable, easy to grip, and safe to use. Gransfors Bruks has had a long history. I have owned Estwings for years and years and the only one I have had to replace is at the bottom of Lake Roosevelt. By slipping the strap through your belt and snapping the in axe, you can comfortably wear and deploy the axe with similar effort to a sheath knife. They do not float! Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe at Amazon.com. You can only cut down so many trees before you have to do something besides burn them. The Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe just might be one of those marriages between functions that goes from hype to hip in one generation. While smaller than that of the Wildlife Hatchet, it looks very much like a splitting maul. Well, maybe I exaggerate again, but like performance downhill skis slicing that perfect carve through the hardpack, this axe give back as much as you put into it and then some. Have fun.) To this day, they hold their tools to a nearly impossible standard, and believe that quality needs fewer materials, not more. Although the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe has a fairly flat poll (butt or hammerhead-looking face) this axe, like a traditional tomahawk, is designed to engage the world in only one direction. So if it takes three attempts to get one right, the the cost of labor and materials goes up quickly. Nothing beats the feeling of splitting wood with your own hands. One other that I have found to be quite useful as a camp tool, trekking, and hunting is the Snow & Nealley Penobscot Bay Kindling ax. I really hate that and avoid using it except for emergencies and to loan out to others (sure I got an axe you can borrow. One of the amazing things about the world these days is that small artisan companies like Gransfors Bruks will put considerable effort into a unique handmade axe with an excruciatingly limited user base and an extraordinary high price. Check out the team below and read more about us here. I have a particular fondness for them. And much above the price threshold, and you are paying for a few percent better steel, attention to minor details, brand name, sheath options, and more hands-on work during construction. You cannot simply just whack away with reckless abandon lest the small head will quickly slice off course like a bad golf swing. It slices, dices, chops, and cuts. Not deal killers, but obvious places where the knife could be better. I chose the Outdoor Axe over the Forest Axe and Splitting Hatchet because it gives you the best of both worlds (cutting & splitting). Doc Montana holds PhD’s in both Science Education and Computer Science and currently teaches at a University in the northern United States. Plus, the shoulders protect the handle if you overshoot your swing and strike with the shaft. In the field, the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe chops better than expected due to the long handle. Also Read: Survival Choppers, Understanding Axe Types. On the other hand, the smoothness of the poll’s edges would make this a decent skinning tool where the animal cape is pried away from the muscle by short punchy strokes once the axe’s poll is sliding around inside the critter. Taking a steel and wooden tool to survive in the woods, do work around the home, or other carpentry tasks, you really get to get a feel of the wood, and nothing beats an axe for the task. Please. With the shaft length two inches over a foot and a oval neck thickness of ⅞” by 1 5/16” inches, it is possible to swing the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe fast enough and hard enough to generate the forces necessary inflict significantly chopping damage to the workpiece means it can also injury itself when things go sideways. But the coup de grâce of this sculpture is the polished ~inch long metal collar protecting the handle just under the head. When working wood with the Outdoor Axe, one of the big things you will notice is accuracy with which you can precisely score the wood with little concern for a larger meatier head continuing on without your permission. A classic and one of THE BEST axe companies available! From a carry standpoint, the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe is much like an old-world tomahawk. Unfortunately I will probably buy more than just one... 5 people found this helpful I’ll let you look up the first two on your own, but the third deals with breaking big tasks into smaller ones or risk being overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation you now find yourself in. mostly) and a 12-inch Ka-Bar Kurki machete for delimbing, making kindling, etc., though maybe I could use the Estwing for those tasks if pressed! The Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe is one of those controversial tools about which it is easy to form a quick opinion. If slashing your way through brush, then the long cutting surface is more important, but when processing wood, the more concentrated the force the better. Highest quality leather and stitching, perfectly put together. This is where the Gransfors Bruk Scandinavian Forest Axe comes into play. I'll for sure take a look. Stay prepared my friends. While the price tag may turn many foresting enthusiasts away, there’s no denying that you aren’t really going to find a better axe than anything from this Swedish company. But it also costs $250, which is easily out of the budget of anyone except the most enthusiastic of foresters. This is a pretty short hatchet, and is very lightweight, even for the smaller length. You want to be sure that your axe won’t fly out of your hands on the upswing, and this handle does that. Read more of Doc's articles. The slight curvature of the blade, the light head weight, and the protective shoulder all work together to make this tool one of the best hatchets out there. Additionally, SurvivalCache.com participates in various other affiliate programs, and we may get a commission through purchases made through our links. It’s expensive, but absolutely worth every cent for the quality. Surviveware Large First Aid Kit Hands-on Review: Worth It? Not the tactical ones of today, but a forged (and I use that term loosely) head consisting of little more than a bit or blade followed by an attachment hole through which a study stick has been wedged. https://survivalcache.com/survival-gear-review-gransfors-bruks-outdoor-axe The size is perfect for all-around use. This can actually be a way to cover up mistakes and imperfections, which is why Gransfors Bruks avoids doing it. But only if you use it on it’s terms. I have several till and use them often. Other speciality axes with a survivalist pedigree have been known to wear an afterthought for a sheath such as the Wetterlings Bushman Axe designed by Les Stroud. The poll of the axes also differ in size relative to their heads. The head of the axe is the most important thing for actually chopping the wood. $200 is not too much to pay for any very high quality hand-forged axe hung properly on a proper handle which has been tempered properly and already has a really good edge profile on it and has been sharpened good, much less has a mirror shine and honed like a Hults Bruk for instance. Large Carving Hatchet, Carved Handle) Rated 5.00 out of 5 $ 41.95 Add to cart Leather Sheath for Bahco Laplander Folding Saw (and … This copyrighted material may not be republished without express permission. The head of the Wildlife Hatchet is smaller, but the face of the blade is almost the same length. As with all Gransfors products, the Gransfors Bruk Outdoor Axe is of excellent quality; hand-forged and made using traditional Swedish methods. As you start to come in closer to the handle, each axe head begins totake a different shape. There’s quite a few options you can look at that deliver tons of quality and durability without costing a fortune. Since 2010, the mission of SurvivalCache.com is to provide the most in-depth discussions about survival prepping. This ensures that the handle will be weather resistant without turning to industrial grade coatings. The HudsonBay Ax was the go to tool for trapping, camping, hunting, woodworking, cabin building and of course kindling and splitting. Their Outdoor Axe is a bushcraft axe that will get nearly any small cutting job done, and is absolutely worth a look. It rests on a carefully carved and contoured hickory handle, and comes in at 1.31 pounds and 14.75 inches. The price on these will only go up! Right? In the end, quality matters and there is a minimum cost for quality. You will be glad you have this tool! The single strap and snap design of the sheath also doubles as a belt carry option. Granfors Bruks are quality axes but you can also get comparable quality by purchasing older American axes like Collins, Kelly, Mann, Sager Chemical, Warren and older Craftsman. Prepping is about being ready for anything that comes your way; whether that’s a natural disaster or manmade. While I certainly understand and appreciate opposing opinions, I do have to admit that the wilderness is a much more interesting place to wander with this axe than without it. As a small camp axe and lightweight trekking tool it seemed at home finally. 14.75 inch Handle. The blade is hard and sharp, reducing the amount of axe sharpening that you’ll have to do. The handle is even long enough to get a two-handed grip for those jobs that require forceful but precise chopping, or when isometric push-pull rotating strokes are needed to accelerate the axe head in a confined space. The other aspect of concern is the precision necessary to wield this type of iron with the dexterity necessary for a razor-sharp fast-moving small head to efficiently do the violence it was hired to do. While cheap metals like aluminum can easily be sharpened to a fine blade, you can’t really change the balancing of an axe head once you’ve bought one. The head of the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe is also designed with the splitting of wood in mind. I too have a 26 inch Estwing. And, just like with the head, the handle was carved and assembled by the same master blacksmith as the rest of the tool. It will perform to astounding heights when operated skillfully by a talented user. It is a short handle splitter and works great. All materials would become sustainable, and the company would really prioritize a low-impact, high quality business ethos. And if you have responsible children around the campfire, this Outdoor Axe makes an excellent tool to both introduce and enhance axe skills. Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe by: Gransfors Bruks Good for chopping and splitting firewood, limbing a tree, and can be used as a heavy knife in cutting and carving.