testing a stock gransfors bruks axe on sitka spruce wood versus sharpened council tool, rinaldi, muller, ochsenkopf iltis and hults bruk axes. the gransfors is 6 to 2 times more expensive than any other so i feel justified testing it versus some axes that have had a bit of tlc. Sharpening an axe is a skill you will have to learn anyway
Great cid Ben ! The Rinaldi put in a very good showing. Would love to see how a 1600 gram ligh blue Muller Biber would have done. The old Dayton pattern is a great design . Hope you had fun splitting that. I lived in and worked out of Sitka for 15 years or so . Tower loggin and falling timber. In the winters I would cut and sell firewood. Mostly old growth Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock 400 year old and sometimes much older limbs from a Sitka Spruce are the hardest wood in Alaska.
Always good to watch someone as good as chopping as you are Ben. This is great for me as I want to do more with my axes rather than just splitting! I've been a bit saw heavy on my channel.. time for more axe content I think!
cheers! shorts have been quite successful to get new subscribers hope you don't mind since its footage you've probably already seen before. I plan on thinning this gransfors handle and making a video on that next
I always enjoy watching your videos, Ben. It's apparent over the years I have watched, that you've gotten bigger, stronger, and more proficient (not that you were lacking in skill in your early vids). One axe I own and haven't been able to use yet is the Council Velvicut 4 lbs premium felling axe. It's a Dayton pattern on a 36" handle. It's the first Council I've owned that has a handle too thick, in my opinion. It's just too big in diameter, so I feel like my hands would get tired just working too hard to hold on to it. All of the Velvicuts I own (4) have near-perfect grain pattern and orientation, and the 4lb is the only one I feel needs to be thinned for use. Even though I love Council tool axes, the Velvicuts rival Gransfors Brüks in price, so not a good value for the money compared to their basic models. Keep the content coming 😊
Oh yeah absolutely not a fan of 'premium' axes that dont measure up, if its less than £100 im happy to do some work to it but over and it better be ready to work
Great Video Ben. I have the GB American felling axe as well and have always liked the way it performed in most woods, although I did change out the handle. Good point about voiding the warranty by reprofiling though, I never considered that.
Get on Ben top video, mate. Just watched it having my lunch. Now, back to the processor to smash out some more logs. Keep up the good work, buddy. 👍👌👏💪💪✌️
I've been watching Ben for years, and it's always surprising how accurate this guy is with this strikes. @08:15 to 8:30ish you can really see how this guy is a gd laser beam. It's crazy
The hults bruk seemed to do very well. It was just over 4 fingers as well. Im stuck between a hults bruk 3.5lb yankee and a counsil tool jersey at the moment. Both would be having handles replaced out of the box. Primary use will be for bashing felling wedges so a 32 is a great length, but straight is better for me for that. This video has me thinking maybe the HB is the better choice as council tool is significantly more money in canada.
Great vid Ben! Dunno how i missed it, watching a week late, but turns out perfect timing- bout to start a pine forest job today! Probably gunna go on for the next month or so. Got a bunch of axes to test on it of course but i was almost temped to get a special GB SFA just for the job 🤣 You had all those cutting well. Love the HB!👍👍🪓 edit: so far in the ute, we got the muller, montreal, plumb jersey, tui camp, brades boys, husqvarna boys, and the green Hytest 💪🤣🤣
Ben, would appreciate your thoughts on safely standing on a log that's up high and chopping safely. How do you get through that last cut and where do you stand so you don't fall off?
I use mostly with no polls. they are a bit harder to get used to but I find them a lot more efficient in bad grain wood. like when felling very low on the tree or when you have big nots. More then edge length I what found more and more useful on felling/foresty axes is have length betwen the handle/ edge. with this you get form my point of view a axe that is way more versatile. For the handle thiknes I think the patten and how you use the axe, and the shape of the handles. really comme in to play from my experience a handle like you have or an Gransfors one just kill my hands in 20mins of work. With a handle that is more a O shape then a 0 shape is what I need and around 32mm in diamater with these handles I can work 7h a days 5 days a week no probleme
Just been out camping and realized my little Hultafors was simply too inadequate for my needs, Australian Kari and Jarra sucks lol. Then a combo of pine too. Torn between a Muller American Felling or an Adler Rheinland, one of these should have a bit more heft than my current solution, either that or maybe get a Corona hand saw or something, they reviewed well on Project Farm
12:58 Council Tool went deep yes. 7:27 don't forget the Hults Bruk . Both 4.5 (four and a half) fingers. The thinned out handle seems to be working really well also.
i love my dayton pattern, ive thinned down the profile and handle quite a bit and its still my favorite (although I dont have many axes), i also recently bought the jersey pattern but even thinned down I think my dayton is a better splitter which is a bit saddening.
Hello Ben, I really like your video. Thanks you. I have tip for some future video topic. I would love to see summary video about steels. (hardness, edge holding, resilience, sharpening,...) Generally softer steel is easier to sharpen but it gets dull faster and Harder steel is more prone to chipping and harder to sharpen but hold edge longer. But for cutting is Geometry most important. So: How is it about edge stability on axes with thin geometry? Is harder steel more resilient to edge rolling or chipping is still worse enemy? What is your opinion/experience about steels from various makes? (Gränsfors Bruks, Hults Bruks, Helko, Rinaldi, Müller, Ochsenkopf and so on) Can you compare those steel between them? Which is hard and which is rather soft? What is your favourite brand by steel and heat treat? GB is known for chipping but some eshops claim that Rinaldi have also 58HRC. Is Rinaldi steel similary chippy and edge holding as GB?
My experience is ochsenkopf, muller, prandi and council are on the softer side, hults bruk agdor, rinaldi is medium and gransfors/ hults bruk premium are very hard, too hard to file. I dont think the softer steel is any hindrance to chopping and small rolls are easier to repair than chips, you can peen them out. I havent came across any steel that was unable to perform with the right geometry
@@benscottwoodchopper Thank you for your answer and real world experience. BTW Current information from Hults Bruk/Hultafors says that HY/Agdor line and Premium line uses same recycled high carbon steel and same heat treatment around 55HRC. Maybe there was a change. Maybe Premium line is no longer way too hard.
@@Vamtal maybe, ive only ever tried to sharpen 1 premium hb, so i cant really say for sure. Ive sharpened quite a few agdors and an arvika though, they were a nice ballanced steel
Hello, Ben. I am attempting to start learning how to properly use an axe, and I was curious about certain axe patterns. I saw a kent pattern axe (severquick) that weighs about 1 pound/ .5 kilos, and I saw an angelo B axe like the one you have. if given the choice between the two, which would you recommend for light to medium work? Also, I have to decide between a true temper jersey (3 1/2) and a Tasmanian pattern (4 1/2). Is it fair to say that I can start with the more common Jersey pattern and work my way to a heavier tasmanian head once I gain more experience? I live in Louisiana where there are some pretty dense, hard woods so I thought the Tasmanian pattern may be beneficial. Any advice is appreciated
axes under 1.5lb generally are only good for carving and kindling really, those severquick heads are nice little hatchets. I'd just stick to the 3.5lb jersey with the right grind it will be the best cutter and generally anything worth hitting with a 4.5lb axe is a bit to big to be bucked without a lot of wastage. In any case you'll find what works for you and any option between 2.5 and 3.5lb is hard to go wrong with as a working axe
Hy, I own a small forest axe from gransfors and testing it out on a wooden log it chipped almost immediatly. The same wood was chopped by a Rinaldi Trento 1300 which was non damaged whatsoever and mainteined after some work even the ability to cut paper. I wonder how is that possible.
Thanks for the great video! I'm contemplating getting the hultafors felling axe - the cheapest where i live - but I'm not sure about what size is most suitable. Would you go for the 900, 1200 or 1500 - if you only had to pick one for felling and some splitting on the go?
Where is the weight displacement with the stock Gransfors handle compared to your tuned in axes? I like mine to have the rock-in-a-sock feel with all or most of the weight in the end of the stick.
Mueller, Ochsenkopf, and Hultafors (also known as Hults Bruk or sold as Husqvarna) are of excellent quality. The head of the Rinaldi axe is also commendable, but its handle is subpar, the worst I've ever experienced, I must admit.
Hey Ben I need your help! I bought an axe that has a RO mark on it. I searched the Internet and I found nothing. Even the Reddit Axe raft community doesn't know anything about it. I know is hard to say anything when u don't have a picture of it but you might be the only one who might just know something about such Mark.
@benscottwoodchopper thanks I'll have to try that. I think I cracked the plastic on that one but might've been a different brand. I'll give it a whirl.
you absolutely should be able to sharpen in the field including bad chipping, grit in the bark, very hard knots and occasionally metal hidden in the wood can all damage your axe edge. you can repair handles in the field also albeit it's much harder with wedged headed axes, with slip fit central/southern European axes its pretty easy
Sitka is the worse wood to chop in my humble opinion 🤔how dare you say gransfors are not the best axes in the world 😁a fool and his money are easily parted 🙄 what I've noticed as being a hobby knifemaker is that why do they make an axe hardened as hard as a common bushcraft knife 🤔 noticed if the edge is hard like a gransfors and the hultafors classic range they have a tendency to have a glance now and again 🙄if you want to go into the wilderness get a gransfors 👍if you want to go into the wilderness and come back get a tuatahi camp 💪😁
testing a stock gransfors bruks axe on sitka spruce wood versus sharpened council tool, rinaldi, muller, ochsenkopf iltis and hults bruk axes. the gransfors is 6 to 2 times more expensive than any other so i feel justified testing it versus some axes that have had a bit of tlc. Sharpening an axe is a skill you will have to learn anyway
ur striking is phenomenal. cant say i disagree with anything about this video. thanks for the video
Few wiser words---as a generalization---have been spoken on this subject: it's not how much it cost. But how good you are with a file.
Great cid Ben ! The Rinaldi put in a very good showing. Would love to see how a 1600 gram ligh blue Muller Biber would have done. The old Dayton pattern is a great design . Hope you had fun splitting that. I lived in and worked out of Sitka for 15 years or so . Tower loggin and falling timber. In the winters I would cut and sell firewood. Mostly old growth Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock 400 year old and sometimes much older limbs from a Sitka Spruce are the hardest wood in Alaska.
Always good to watch someone as good as chopping as you are Ben. This is great for me as I want to do more with my axes rather than just splitting! I've been a bit saw heavy on my channel.. time for more axe content I think!
Excellent video! I'm in my happy place with the recent flurry of your videos.
cheers! shorts have been quite successful to get new subscribers hope you don't mind since its footage you've probably already seen before. I plan on thinning this gransfors handle and making a video on that next
I always enjoy watching your videos, Ben. It's apparent over the years I have watched, that you've gotten bigger, stronger, and more proficient (not that you were lacking in skill in your early vids).
One axe I own and haven't been able to use yet is the Council Velvicut 4 lbs premium felling axe. It's a Dayton pattern on a 36" handle. It's the first Council I've owned that has a handle too thick, in my opinion. It's just too big in diameter, so I feel like my hands would get tired just working too hard to hold on to it. All of the Velvicuts I own (4) have near-perfect grain pattern and orientation, and the 4lb is the only one I feel needs to be thinned for use. Even though I love Council tool axes, the Velvicuts rival Gransfors Brüks in price, so not a good value for the money compared to their basic models. Keep the content coming 😊
Oh yeah absolutely not a fan of 'premium' axes that dont measure up, if its less than £100 im happy to do some work to it but over and it better be ready to work
Great Video Ben. I have the GB American felling axe as well and have always liked the way it performed in most woods, although I did change out the handle. Good point about voiding the warranty by reprofiling though, I never considered that.
Get on Ben top video, mate. Just watched it having my lunch. Now, back to the processor to smash out some more logs. Keep up the good work, buddy. 👍👌👏💪💪✌️
Bravo et merci pour ce test!
I've been watching Ben for years, and it's always surprising how accurate this guy is with this strikes. @08:15 to 8:30ish you can really see how this guy is a gd laser beam. It's crazy
Great demo Ben! Each of those would be great to own!
The hults bruk seemed to do very well. It was just over 4 fingers as well. Im stuck between a hults bruk 3.5lb yankee and a counsil tool jersey at the moment. Both would be having handles replaced out of the box. Primary use will be for bashing felling wedges so a 32 is a great length, but straight is better for me for that. This video has me thinking maybe the HB is the better choice as council tool is significantly more money in canada.
council tool makes a 5lb fallers axe with a straight 28, might be worth looking at for your needs
Great vid Ben! Dunno how i missed it, watching a week late, but turns out perfect timing- bout to start a pine forest job today! Probably gunna go on for the next month or so. Got a bunch of axes to test on it of course but i was almost temped to get a special GB SFA just for the job 🤣 You had all those cutting well. Love the HB!👍👍🪓
edit: so far in the ute, we got the muller, montreal, plumb jersey, tui camp, brades boys, husqvarna boys, and the green Hytest 💪🤣🤣
Nice, be interesting to hear your thoughts on those axes in pine
Be interesting to see what you thought of sneedens knockabout axes from Australia.
Ben, would appreciate your thoughts on safely standing on a log that's up high and chopping safely. How do you get through that last cut and where do you stand so you don't fall off?
I use mostly with no polls. they are a bit harder to get used to but I find them a lot more efficient in bad grain wood. like when felling very low on the tree or when you have big nots. More then edge length I what found more and more useful on felling/foresty axes is have length betwen the handle/ edge. with this you get form my point of view a axe that is way more versatile. For the handle thiknes I think the patten and how you use the axe, and the shape of the handles. really comme in to play from my experience a handle like you have or an Gransfors one just kill my hands in 20mins of work. With a handle that is more a O shape then a 0 shape is what I need and around 32mm in diamater with these handles I can work 7h a days 5 days a week no probleme
Just been out camping and realized my little Hultafors was simply too inadequate for my needs, Australian Kari and Jarra sucks lol. Then a combo of pine too.
Torn between a Muller American Felling or an Adler Rheinland, one of these should have a bit more heft than my current solution, either that or maybe get a Corona hand saw or something, they reviewed well on Project Farm
Hi Ben love your insight
12:58 Council Tool went deep yes.
7:27 don't forget the Hults Bruk . Both 4.5 (four and a half) fingers.
The thinned out handle seems to be working really well also.
both are cutting nice with less shock. they are a pleasure to use. I'll thin out the gransfors and make a video on that
@@benscottwoodchopper
Yes, it would be interesting to see the thinning out process of that handle.
0:11
I'm impressed by the cut the file made. It can compete with the best axes.
😁😉👍
i love my dayton pattern, ive thinned down the profile and handle quite a bit and its still my favorite (although I dont have many axes), i also recently bought the jersey pattern but even thinned down I think my dayton is a better splitter which is a bit saddening.
all the knots in that tree. what a nightmare!
Nice video :)
Great comparison Ben. Personally I feel the GB is overrated for what you pay.
Looove it! Been posting more frequently lately ^^
Firewood season is approaching
Got most of my firewood split already but can always do more lol
@@benscottwoodchopper
Same man, i always split during early spring.
Hello Ben, I really like your video. Thanks you.
I have tip for some future video topic. I would love to see summary video about steels. (hardness, edge holding, resilience, sharpening,...)
Generally softer steel is easier to sharpen but it gets dull faster and Harder steel is more prone to chipping and harder to sharpen but hold edge longer.
But for cutting is Geometry most important. So: How is it about edge stability on axes with thin geometry? Is harder steel more resilient to edge rolling or chipping is still worse enemy?
What is your opinion/experience about steels from various makes? (Gränsfors Bruks, Hults Bruks, Helko, Rinaldi, Müller, Ochsenkopf and so on) Can you compare those steel between them? Which is hard and which is rather soft? What is your favourite brand by steel and heat treat?
GB is known for chipping but some eshops claim that Rinaldi have also 58HRC. Is Rinaldi steel similary chippy and edge holding as GB?
My experience is ochsenkopf, muller, prandi and council are on the softer side, hults bruk agdor, rinaldi is medium and gransfors/ hults bruk premium are very hard, too hard to file. I dont think the softer steel is any hindrance to chopping and small rolls are easier to repair than chips, you can peen them out. I havent came across any steel that was unable to perform with the right geometry
@@benscottwoodchopper Thank you for your answer and real world experience.
BTW Current information from Hults Bruk/Hultafors says that HY/Agdor line and Premium line uses same recycled high carbon steel and same heat treatment around 55HRC.
Maybe there was a change. Maybe Premium line is no longer way too hard.
@@Vamtal maybe, ive only ever tried to sharpen 1 premium hb, so i cant really say for sure. Ive sharpened quite a few agdors and an arvika though, they were a nice ballanced steel
Hello, Ben. I am attempting to start learning how to properly use an axe, and I was curious about certain axe patterns. I saw a kent pattern axe (severquick) that weighs about 1 pound/ .5 kilos, and I saw an angelo B axe like the one you have. if given the choice between the two, which would you recommend for light to medium work?
Also, I have to decide between a true temper jersey (3 1/2) and a Tasmanian pattern (4 1/2). Is it fair to say that I can start with the more common Jersey pattern and work my way to a heavier tasmanian head once I gain more experience? I live in Louisiana where there are some pretty dense, hard woods so I thought the Tasmanian pattern may be beneficial.
Any advice is appreciated
axes under 1.5lb generally are only good for carving and kindling really, those severquick heads are nice little hatchets. I'd just stick to the 3.5lb jersey with the right grind it will be the best cutter and generally anything worth hitting with a 4.5lb axe is a bit to big to be bucked without a lot of wastage. In any case you'll find what works for you and any option between 2.5 and 3.5lb is hard to go wrong with as a working axe
@@benscottwoodchopper Thank you very much for the quick response. I have already learned a ton from your videos, will stay tuned for more.
@@mr.sandman770 cheers! if you do pick up that severquick here's one i made and it worked out really nice th-cam.com/video/9ZKcznlUzxs/w-d-xo.html
Hy, I own a small forest axe from gransfors and testing it out on a wooden log it chipped almost immediatly. The same wood was chopped by a Rinaldi Trento 1300 which was non damaged whatsoever and mainteined after some work even the ability to cut paper. I wonder how is that possible.
Gransfors is too hard and brittle steel imo, i see a lot chip
Very interesting, it seems to me that most people that buy them don't even try to chop the wood.
Are Hultafors better heat treated?
@@giacomozandri i like the cheaper hultafors, the more expensive ones are very hard also
Anyway i believe that Rinaldi if would pay more attention to detail and aestetics and use Better handles would make fantastic axes.
If gransfors b would make that axe with a 28” handle it would be a perfect axe but 32 is to long for a chopping axe
Thanks for the great video! I'm contemplating getting the hultafors felling axe - the cheapest where i live - but I'm not sure about what size is most suitable. Would you go for the 900, 1200 or 1500 - if you only had to pick one for felling and some splitting on the go?
1500 is my favourite
@@benscottwoodchopper Thanks! :)
Bloody quizling!
Where is the weight displacement with the stock Gransfors handle compared to your tuned in axes? I like mine to have the rock-in-a-sock feel with all or most of the weight in the end of the stick.
Balances about 3" below the head so not bad, thinning would move it up a little
Just ordered a council tools Dayton for felling sycamore. What file do I need to buy to sharpen it?
How would you compare the Hultafors Adgor to your Ochsemkopf? I'm currently in the market for an axe like that and I'm considering these axes.
Agdor 1.5kg better for general chopping, splitting etc. Ochsenkopf iltis is a better limbing and small work axe, its 1kg and 10cm shorter
Very interesting! Thank you for sharing your experience and insights in these helpful videos! 🪓
Glad you enjoyed it, hopefully do more testing soon
Mueller, Ochsenkopf, and Hultafors (also known as Hults Bruk or sold as Husqvarna) are of excellent quality. The head of the Rinaldi axe is also commendable, but its handle is subpar, the worst I've ever experienced, I must admit.
You can make the handle it comes with a lot better but i dont mind it, it has its pros
have u heard about the silverline 6lbs felling axe? I wanna get that one day
Hey Ben I need your help!
I bought an axe that has a RO mark on it. I searched the Internet and I found nothing. Even the Reddit Axe raft community doesn't know anything about it.
I know is hard to say anything when u don't have a picture of it but you might be the only one who might just know something about such Mark.
Sorry i also seen that mark and have no clue of its origins
I just want a splitting axe that the axe head wont come off the handle. Any suggestions?
fiskars?
@benscottwoodchopper thanks I'll have to try that. I think I cracked the plastic on that one but might've been a different brand. I'll give it a whirl.
Surley uou dont bither with field repair tho, just use abother axe, what of a thinned handle broke, your not repairing that in the field are you?
you absolutely should be able to sharpen in the field including bad chipping, grit in the bark, very hard knots and occasionally metal hidden in the wood can all damage your axe edge. you can repair handles in the field also albeit it's much harder with wedged headed axes, with slip fit central/southern European axes its pretty easy
Sitka is the worse wood to chop in my humble opinion 🤔how dare you say gransfors are not the best axes in the world 😁a fool and his money are easily parted 🙄 what I've noticed as being a hobby knifemaker is that why do they make an axe hardened as hard as a common bushcraft knife 🤔 noticed if the edge is hard like a gransfors and the hultafors classic range they have a tendency to have a glance now and again 🙄if you want to go into the wilderness get a gransfors 👍if you want to go into the wilderness and come back get a tuatahi camp 💪😁
Something softer would be more practical.
LOL that's a 350$ axe.