I would say that it is relaxing more then entertaining :) Used to chop wood every winter when I lived with my mom and dad, so relaxing is my personal opinion ^^
I am always very pleased with your reviews. You are very careful to be self aware when your opinion may be shaped by outside sources that not all consumers would have but are also not afraid to state them. In addition your academic approach to testing is much appreciated and welcome. When I am looking to by items of this nature or just want to browse what's out there, I watch your reviews. Keep up the awesome work!
***** This is a little off topic but, in the past you have talked about exercise and physical fitness being something that you wanted to focus more heavily on. Well, it looks like you may have just found you workout routine. You were balls out with that ax, and I bet it was a pretty serious workout. Screw a gym, I want to get down with the Skallagim wood chopping exercise program to get in shape this year.
I actually worked in gränsfors bruk when i was a teen. Really awesome people there and its just quality everywhere. Nothing is spared. And the metal as you said is kinda "secret" at the place. All i know or heard over there is the metal they use is re-used metal from other stuff. But mostly from things that is long lasting and hard.
PrimyFritzellz Hey, Idk if you'd respond to a comment 3 years later but I was wondering about the tour of the place in Sweden. I found online that Gränsforse Bruk will teach you how to make one of their axes and also a log-house depending on what you pay, though much of this I can't really verify. Is this true and if so, where can I sign up for this?
i like how the axes from my country always get excellent reviews we still got an military axe at home from when my dad was enscripted, no sharpening done in the last 30 years and it can still go through 15-30 cm (against the fibers, it goes to far to measure otherwise.) of the hardest wood we got nearby. it got a new shaft of course
angrydragonslayer Your country and old culture is beautiful. I've always wanted to vacation there. I'm 29, and only just now making the kind of money that would, *maybe*, allow me to save up enough to go. My fear is the whole of Europe will so drastically change in the next 10 years that, by the time I have enough disposable income to do it, it will have been transformed into something else entirely. Very sad, but looking at birthrate data of natives vs immigrants, it looks like a real possibility. I'd only want to visit the rural areas, so hopefully they will stay relatively the same! haha
David McKee i'd expect it to be safe for another 5-8 at least, just avoid ghettos, alleys and beggars and you should be safe well, that's the scenario today anyway
@@unwnme Im 33 now. Time flies haha. No, my predecessor left our company and I had to fill his shoes (somehow, by a miracle lol) and I got married and had a daughter and a son is on the way. So, it will be another few years before we can really get out and see the world. But whem the kids are a bit older..it is still on my list!
@@strat5520 Good to hear, I can recommend the archipelago and coastline of Gothenburg or more up north Höga Kusten (The High Coast Road). Stockholm is okey but the rest of Sweden is better in my and many others' opinion.
Just a tip: if you are going to use the axe on a cold winter day, make sure to warm up the edge (hugging it, breathing on it) in order to prevent it from chipping and/or cracking.
Devils Advocate It does in your book, but maybe not in other people's book. It's right that he should be more specific. A winter's day where I live can be anywhere from -5 to 5 Celsius.
I live in Sweden and got a axe from Gränsfors Bruk. It is over 10 years old by now, still in good shape. I use it for splitting wood for the most part, have to split wood every once in a while all year. I have only sharpened it once every year. ONly thing i have changed is the handle, which broke once.
Thanks Skall for including a UK supplier..Living in Ireland makes it hard to get these kinds of things without paying stupidly high shipping! Much appreciated!
A few friends and I recently went on a 3 day winter camping trip. We went out to chop wood and my buddy brought out his Gränsfors Bruk for the first time. Its only cut a couple of logs in the driveway to test out up until this point. After only 3 strike to a upright dead tree, the handle split in half right along the grain. He took photos and sent them to Gränsfors Bruk, with an explanation letter. Without hesitation, They sent him a brand new Axe, and he was able to keep the old head, and he just replaced the handle. Now hes got 2!. Customer service is another thing to look for when purchasing a tool such as this, and Gränsfors Bruk has excellent customer service just in case anybody is wondering/interested. That axe head is beautifully made and is indeed razor sharp when you receive it. At the end of this month, were going camping again with the new Gränsfors Bruk (and old) and we hope to make some damage with it this time! Great review again ***** !! keep it up! I really enjoy your videos!
I have this very axe, it is amazing. I am not one to fanboy with companies or products in general, but Granfors Bruks (excuse the pronunciation/spelling) is sooooooo good! Anything of theirs ----> 10/10! Easily the best axe I have ever used/owned and for around $100 amazing value too!
i have been chopping wood for my wood stove for about five years, and i'm no were near professional, but from what i know and can tell, skalla's way of chopping wood is pretty good for someone who dose not chop wood on a daily basis.
I was trying to find a good axe to buy the other day, then I remembered this one that you reviewed. Seems to be the consensus among opinions I've heard that Gränsfors Bruk axes are the way to go, so mine's on the way. :) I always prefer hand-forged work. Thanks for introducing us to this company, otherwise I might've ended up settling for something generally worse.
Just to keep in mind, a lot of axes have a low HRC so don't worry too much about that. Any high carbon spring steels are fine, which is probably exactly what it is. They probably don't want to list the actual steel because then some other company will say they use some other "high-tech" steel and people will buy it regardless of its quality. It's like how 52100 ball bearing steel and 5160 spring steel are superior to almost every expensive steel out there but nobody likes saying they use steel that is cheap and readily available. The tempering on axes is mostly about the edge and having a really soft core and base to absorb the shock, anything hard like a knife blade will just break, imagine smashing your folding knife into a tree - it won't end well. I think most axes have a HC of like 45-55. It's probably closer to 55 at the tip and softer at the core.
AburridoDeTodo No problem, I might be wrong on a couple of things but that's what I've heard. :D On a fixed blade having a high hardness of like 60+ is awesome because you're never smashing it into stuff, even when batoning the edge is resting on the wood you're splitting so it doesn't matter, so it really doesn't matter if an axe has a low hardness. That doesn't mean the temper isn't important, but honestly the worst thing that can happen is for the axe to be overhardened.
It's an old company and considered by many to be the apex axe maker in the world. I doubt the secrecy is to keep others from claiming their steel is inferior. More likely an attempt to prevent others from apeing their products.
I understand what you mean but stuff like 52100 can not cut as much as for example, M4 or vg-10, not enough carbides Wear resistance is not free Toughness is not free either Pick one
45 is very, very low, i don't think any axe would have such hardness. However i've heard of axes performing at 60 Rockwell and they seem to be all-right. You can get very high hardness and a relative flexibility, however then comes the price.
The place where they make these (town of Gränsfors) is just a few kilometers from where I live =D They offer small guided tours in the summer, which I went to once. Really interesting stuff and I was definitely impressed by how much of a non-mass production environment it was. They have around 20 employees and have actively held back on "growing" the business too much, to be able to keep making them on this top quality level. Highly recommended if you ever find yourself in northern (or even mid) Sweden. My dad bought one of their axes back in the early 80s and has never done any maintenance or sharpening whatsoever, and it still chops like an absolute dream (and the handle is battered but still in excellent shape). It has seen A LOT of use, too. Like as much use as someone not using it professionally/in daily life can accumulate EDIT: I checked the edge on it and it's still very managable
Good review mate. I can attest to the quality of Gransfors Bruks axes. I own their Small Forrest Axe and Wildlife Hatchet, both are excellent. From what I can tell all GB axes come shaving sharp from the factory (both mine did and all my friends that have invested in a GB axe report it as well) if you want to invest in old world quality buy a GB axe. In BushCraft circles GB axes are all the rage. The axe fills one of the "Three or Four" essential bushcrafting tools slots.
I have been nothing but pleased with my Gränsfors axe. If you have the chance, it would be great to see a comparison video with a Wetterlings axe. Some people say they're on par, others clearly prefer Gränsfors. I would be interested to hear your opinion :)
Handmade axe, probably had one of the best qualities on our earth. Gets very sharp, sustainable edge, handmade. Also dont shop it into the snow if possible... if you hit stones you can ruin the blade. I own this axe and you cant get any better though. This is the kind of things that makes me happy living in this cold land! Just pick a axe that work for you needs and buy one, you wont regret it :)
Nice one Skall! So far I have been using a pretty ordinary run of the mill DIY-market-axe for most of the stuff around the garden and bit of wood working (whittling big 3m wooden staves to a point to build a [fairly] species-appropriate rabbit enclosure) and in my experience it grows dull fairly quickly and hold a fresh edge only for a couple of uses.. so maybe it's time for a "mystery high-carbon steel" Swedish axe;). Thanks for the review! Best regards Raoul G. Kunz
Good Axe! Here in Brazil I use a produced by a local cutler, wrought as ordered, with a cable made of "Anadenanthera macrocarpa" or "angico preto" common name in Portuguese. Thanks for the video!
This is a classical axe. I've used some old axeheads from my family farm that are about 100 years old now, and they are basically identical to this one. The main benefit from this one is the form of the eye of the axehead, the handle just fits so much better, and the treated handle. This is what is at work out behind woodsheds all over Scandinavia. Note: If you ever break the handle, remember to properly dry, then treat with linseed oil, the new handle before fitting it to the axehead. Otherwise you will have to keep the handle moist in order to avoid shrinkage between uses. A lot of old axes with cheap local wood handles are keept with the handle in a bucket of water just to make sure the handle don't shrink so the head flies off when used. Also remember to use a wet shapeningstone if you ever have to do any major resharpening of the edge, because getting the metal to hot while sharpening it may damage the tempering. Still, this is an axehead that you can abuse a lot and still have functioning ok. You might try re-forming the edge on some of your "crappy" camping-axes with this one as a model and see how much better they perform.
Such a good axe. I don't think I can resist buying one. Just one of the many Skallagrim inspired purchases :) . Spyderco Byrd Robin 2 next. Good review as always!
I have a Collins double bit axe that my father dug up in my grandfather's backyard as a child I've used it to fell many trees and do some small splitting work a beautiful well-crafted axe
Its one of the best axes around i fuckin luv mine,the only axe thats better would be a John Neeman axe but there $400, i just tested the small forest axe & it kicks ass! may it serve you well my friend!
Helko North America has a wide range of high quality axes at price ranges dependant on the finish you want but all of them are well made. With a little bit of work on putting a final edge on them and removing the laquer on the handles and replacing that with a finish of your choice, you will have an axe as good as if not better than a gransfors, wetterlings, or hultafors at a lower price. The edge retention is just as good and I actually prefer their steel and head geometry over gransfors. Their handles actually have a fawnsfoot to them as well like traditional handles which is nicer, but thats just preference. Husqvarna basically is just a rebranding of hultafors or wetterlings depending on which is making their axes at the time, but can be had for much less. Same with Stihl rebranding of Ox Head axes. Restored vintage american axes are great too. Premium axes can be had with some know how and research at much lower prices. All are great options.
I've got a fairly odd selection of bushcrafting gear. I have two tools by the Japanese company, Silky -- a Silky Pocket Boy folding saw with medium teeth, and a Silky Nata Japanese-style hatchet, double-ground rather than the more common single-grind or chisel grind. If it's too big to chop with the Nata, I would saw it with the Pocket Boy. For the "small knife" you mention, I have a dedicated bushcraft knife in my go-bag, a Footprint brand "hacking knife". It's around a 5" blade, full-tang between leather scales as a grip. The hacking knife is designed primarily as a glazier's trim knife, intended for the back of the blade to be pounded on with a hammer to cut straight down through window trim or molding. Because of this, and the thick wedge-shaped blade, it makes a fantastic batoning blade. You don't have to worry about breaking the blade or breaking the handle or other issues that plague knives used to baton wood because it's actually made for even harder treatment. If it can take being beat on with a steel hammer, it can take being whacked with a piece of wood. I tested the saw and the hacking knife last winter by taking them and my Solo stove out into the back yard. I found a piece fo deadfall branch about six feet long by 3 inches in diameter and hauled it back to my patio table, where I used the saw to slice it into lengths that would fit easily into the Solo stove. Then I used the hacking knife and a longer section of the same branch to split the branch segments into smaller billets. They burned quite enthusiastically in the Solo stove when ignited with a petroleum-jelly soaked cotton ball and a spark from a ferro rod. This may not sound like a big challenge, but I'm disabled from a severe neck injury. I can't swing a big felling axe or splitting maul, and I need to be very economical with my exertions or I suffer excruciating pain for hours afterward. I ached a little after this experiment, but not severely, so I consider it a good test. I have yet to take the Nata out for a test, but Silky makes quality gear and I have little doubt it will serve excellently for removing branches and chopping deadfall in place of a hatchet or axe. Have you had any experience with the Silky products?
I have a wood stove. I use a chainsaw for cutting wood, and a splitting axe for, obviously, splitting wood. The splitting axe is a lot fatter and a lot heavier (2 kg). I'm surprised how well this Gransfors handles splitting wood. I would have thought it would get stuck a lot more.
I believe Gransfors to be one of the best axes on the planet being produced today. If you can find some of the old or antique axe heads manufactured in the late 1800's to mid 1900's you will find that that steel is also very high quality. And the various types of axes just from coast to coast are amazing in the differences in design for various jobs.
I've got axes that my Great grandad bought and used from 1915 and was passed down along with other forestry tools. Any tool that is taken care of will last several lifetimes. I have a felling axe that I dug up in the floor of a Virginia barn that burned down during the Civil War and after getting the rust brushed off with a wire wheel, sanded, and filing the edge, etc. I rehafted it and it's a work monster that really holds an edge even after chopping and splitting all day it only needs an occasional touch up with a whet stone. Just always follow the basic rules for the tool you are using and it will outlast you easily..
We were using these to do finishing work on logs used for making cabins. In the coarse of building 9 cabins we broke 3 of these. The handles all cracked just under the head on the handle side. One head went flying. We had some issues with the metal chipping where it is sharpened on one of them. We had 5 of these and this wasn't an issue on the other 4. Found that if you sunk this into wood in a splitting motion it got stuck ALOT and we spent more time digging it out of the wood than we did cutting. If you did a lot of cutting you had to keep re sharpening it constantly. Would I buy another one. Yes but I would buy an extra handle and another sharpening stone as well. Oh and your chopping technique looked just fine by me and way better than most that think they have a clue. So don't sweat it. lol
It's cool that the head is capable of fine work and basic carving, cause in addition to cutting shavings for fire starting, if you break the handle in a survival-type situation you can rig up a new one using the head fairly easily.
The swedish make fantastic blades, axes and tools. Also their military surpless equipment is very high quality too. Don't worry about the axes edge too much, a good axe should not be knife sharp as it is dangerous and it won't hold the edge well. You need a nice wide general grind that's plenty good for chopping wood but blunt enough not lose its edge immediately.
I live next to Gränsfors and of course I have a few Gränsfors axes. I wouldn't want a too sharp axe if Im chopping fire wood (I mean chopping already sawed up logs. Not chopping from the side). I noticed that if the axe edge is too sharp the edge needs cut through more fibres, while if the axe edge is not chipped but just the right amount of blunted it cuts fire wood better because instead of cutting every fibre it seems to push fibres aside and opening up the wood by leverage. The axe also tend to not get stuck in the wood as much either. And there is the safety aspect too, if the edge is a little blunted a tired wood chopper accidentally cutting him/herself wouldn't do as much damage. Damage of course but not as much. I spoke with an expert and he confirmed what I had noticed and he knew about it from before. What do you guys think?
I got a bit of an experience with splitting for my grandmother when I was younger. Basicly when you are splitting blocks for logs, you generaly use 1 hand unless it is a tough one...You have your blocks on left ( Assuming you are right handed ) and then chop everything to the right into a nice pile of logs. Well you know assuming that you have a pile to chop in a first place. :D Trying not to chop of your left hand in the mean time. :D
Could you explained what a carving axe is? Why and how would one use an axe for carving? Also you said that this one is not a carving axe since it does not have a straight edge, but when I googled "carving axe" I only got images of axes with round edges (?). Anyway thanks for the video and for always taking the time to reply to so many comments, it's nice to see a youtuber putting so much effort into their channel.
I have a Small Forest Axe (50 cm handle, 800g head) and I can confirm the quality. I also own a Hultafors equivalent of the one in the video - and the overall finish is noticeably of lower quality, though it performs similarly for half the price. Simply put, Gransfors offers a better axe but you need to pay a lot for not a huge difference. Oh, and my hultafors came with handle not oiled properly, contrary to Gransfors.
one of my brothers has the exact same model,very handy,but a lot of power,good for cutting little trees with 10 to 30 cm in diameter,or just use it like a hatched but if the wood is difficult to cut,it´s better than any hatched,sharp and stable
+Skallagrim The steel is probably grade 6 or maybe even 7. Ovako supplies steel for SKF bearings so they know how to make steel. SKF doesn't use any cheep crap in their bearings.
Its a solid axe.. and if the price is simply too steep then Wetterlings may be an option. I would recommend saving and getting Gränsfors Bruk's over Wetterlings tho.
Im impressed by your prenouncment! Swedish can be a little tricky, with the letters that have a lot of dots above them. Regarding the axe - I think Gransfors are just about as good as it gets. Personally, I use Hultafors at the moment. Thats another really good brand, but maybe not as good axes as gransfors.
You pronounce it better than I do, and I'm norwegian=D. And yes, I have the axe. It doesn't seem powerfull, since it's very light, but holy shit it cuts. I barely put power into it, and I can fell whatever I want without too much work. Limbing is just as simple as moving the axe along the trunk. Comes shaving sharp. Mine is from TT. I haven't found anything to complain about in regards to the axe, but the sheath could be better.
I watch another channel by the name of Wranglerstar, he swears by his Gransfors Bruk axe and seeing this video just confirms my desire to purchase one, albeit for decor purposes.
Necrotix Dawn I don't know why people sometimes gets so obsessed with re-uploads... It's extremely rare that I do a re-upload and when I do it's for a reason. :)
***** I always check the description to check if there is a stated reason for a re-upload. And I think people gets mad when some youtubers are trying to earn money twice from the same video. And by the way I'm really happy that I got a reply from you! I love your videos and I hope you don't quit making them in the future.
***** I think it's more about people second guessing themselves and their memory, wondering whether what they're watching is something they've seen before, or just déjà vu.
I'd love to see a video about sharpening, and also just axe techniques and safety as well (not for combat, but more general use). In the First Impression video, Skal was chopping on his knees for safety reasons... I never would have considered that, it made me realize that I know very little about even basic axe techniques.
Yes, I'm far more interested in techniques to help survival generally (which you may not be able to provide) but I'm sure a "how to keep your sword/axe edge and blade in good condition" would be helpful to many.
that S&W looks like it has a similar grind to a benchmade killian hawk witch is meant to be used as a breaching tool, with such a thick edge profile, extra weight, spike and one piece construction it would be better suited to a demolition site then a camp site, the right tool for the job kinda deal, you wouldn't use a hammer to make a sandwich so why compare it to a butter knife, really like your channel, lots of awesome content and 0% BS
The Ovako mill in Smedjebacken is basically what's keeping the little town alive.
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when the blade of an axe gets stuck into a piece of wood lift the axe up with the wood and hit with the back side of the axe is easier and works like a charm i learnd that technique from my old man
A little tip to bush crafters, and hikers. carry a solid thick steel machete, and a decent mid size fixed blade knife. dont even bother with the ax. the machete will do any ax work as good or even better. save a couple pounds in your pack, and just carry the machete, and knife. I skinning neck knife would also be handy. The nice thing about a machete, is the amount of batoning it can take. you can split wood, make notches, dig holes, clear brush and even use the machete as a cooking surface! I've used my machete to fry fish on. and you can use the blade as a hammer. for fine work you will have the knife. good combo. medium sized fixed blade knife, and a machete
I'll only take scandinavian axes to use bushcrafting..never anything from hardware store/sports stores. Also none of these 'tactical' axes, If it has a black handle, I won't use it edt- Thanks for the review, I'm looking for a new ax currently. I'll look at more reviews, but I may stick to this one you reviewed, nice only positive things said about it, and for principality of the company recycling materials
Hey Skallagrim! If you like knifes as well, I would propose a Fällkniven A1 or F1 depending on what size you want :) Good quality Swedish steel there as well!
People probably thought that you were paid to advertise the axe because you knew so many specific details about it such as the oil used on the wood handle. Maybe it would be useful to explain how you learned that information, so people don't think that a company told you to say it. Anyway, thanks for the amazing videos. I worked at a local hardware store, and yea, you can buy much better stuff on the internet because they simply cannot stock high quality items because they have so many different kinds of products.
These thing cwn indeed last a lifetime...my grandmother has a Gränsfors Axe(a bit more dedicated to chopping than this)and it still functions perfectly...and it's pretty old(not sure exactly but definitely 17+ years).
What exactly is a tactical axe? When I was in the military (Norwegian, conscription, yadda yadda) we had axes on every vehicle. They were larger than the Gränsfors axe you show, and were from the seventies and eighties for the most part. Because taken care off, that stuff lasts for a long time. But that was a regular tool/wood axe. Because sometimes you need to fell birch to make poles. (Variety of uses for those. You can take a few and make shelters and such, or add 2-3 jackets and you have a pretty damned decent field stretcher. Basically a lot of problems can be solved by applying manpower to it. (You also have heavy and light shovels, a handspike and a pickaxe. on vehicles, as well as hammers and screwdrivers, etc. But that's a different story.)
My grandmother worked with the "secret" steel development as a chemist at Ovako in Hofors. According to her the reason they don't want to tell what type of steel it is, is because it's more advanced than any of their competition. So the formula will remain secret until the competition catches up.
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Why is Skall chopping wood one of the most fun things to watch on TH-cam?
Alexandros Brightraven For some mysterious reason watching someone chop wood is always entertaining, no matter who does it. :)
***** idk i think its just you that makes it entertaining
Dylan Rankins I think that the fact it's not me doing the work makes it entertaining :)1
I would say that it is relaxing more then entertaining :) Used to chop wood every winter when I lived with my mom and dad, so relaxing is my personal opinion ^^
Foxer604 "...it's not me doing the work..."
You hit the proverbial nail on the head.
I am always very pleased with your reviews. You are very careful to be self aware when your opinion may be shaped by outside sources that not all consumers would have but are also not afraid to state them. In addition your academic approach to testing is much appreciated and welcome. When I am looking to by items of this nature or just want to browse what's out there, I watch your reviews. Keep up the awesome work!
Erin Tuncan Thanks for the positive feedback!
***** This is a little off topic but, in the past you have talked about exercise and physical fitness being something that you wanted to focus more heavily on. Well, it looks like you may have just found you workout routine. You were balls out with that ax, and I bet it was a pretty serious workout. Screw a gym, I want to get down with the Skallagim wood chopping exercise program to get in shape this year.
I have some one . Finnish ax - Fiskars. dug out of the ground. Lost in the war in 1939.Legend of Scandinavian axes I can give you as a gift!
I actually worked in gränsfors bruk when i was a teen. Really awesome people there and its just quality everywhere. Nothing is spared. And the metal as you said is kinda "secret" at the place. All i know or heard over there is the metal they use is re-used metal from other stuff. But mostly from things that is long lasting and hard.
PrimyFritzellz Hey, Idk if you'd respond to a comment 3 years later but I was wondering about the tour of the place in Sweden. I found online that Gränsforse Bruk will teach you how to make one of their axes and also a log-house depending on what you pay, though much of this I can't really verify. Is this true and if so, where can I sign up for this?
"Long lasting and hard." ;)
Probably train rail steel
i like how the axes from my country always get excellent reviews
we still got an military axe at home from when my dad was enscripted, no sharpening done in the last 30 years and it can still go through 15-30 cm (against the fibers, it goes to far to measure otherwise.) of the hardest wood we got nearby.
it got a new shaft of course
angrydragonslayer Your country and old culture is beautiful. I've always wanted to vacation there. I'm 29, and only just now making the kind of money that would, *maybe*, allow me to save up enough to go. My fear is the whole of Europe will so drastically change in the next 10 years that, by the time I have enough disposable income to do it, it will have been transformed into something else entirely. Very sad, but looking at birthrate data of natives vs immigrants, it looks like a real possibility. I'd only want to visit the rural areas, so hopefully they will stay relatively the same! haha
David McKee i'd expect it to be safe for another 5-8 at least, just avoid ghettos, alleys and beggars and you should be safe
well, that's the scenario today anyway
@@strat5520 Hi David, did you get to do that trip to Sweden you wanted to do?
@@unwnme Im 33 now. Time flies haha. No, my predecessor left our company and I had to fill his shoes (somehow, by a miracle lol) and I got married and had a daughter and a son is on the way. So, it will be another few years before we can really get out and see the world. But whem the kids are a bit older..it is still on my list!
@@strat5520 Good to hear, I can recommend the archipelago and coastline of Gothenburg or more up north Höga Kusten (The High Coast Road). Stockholm is okey but the rest of Sweden is better in my and many others' opinion.
Just a tip: if you are going to use the axe on a cold winter day, make sure to warm up the edge (hugging it, breathing on it) in order to prevent it from chipping and/or cracking.
Define cold. What is cold for you might not be cold for someone else and vice versa.
ADHR26 i would assume he ment subzero/freezing
ADHR26 'winter's day' covers that in my book. Use you head, though: he advises breathing on it, so clearly below 15 degrees Celsius.
ADHR26 I'd say you need to warm up the edge when it is around freezing point or below
Devils Advocate It does in your book, but maybe not in other people's book. It's right that he should be more specific. A winter's day where I live can be anywhere from -5 to 5 Celsius.
Skall, your community demands a 10hr wood chopping video of you!
Calluth livestream.
I live in Sweden and got a axe from Gränsfors Bruk. It is over 10 years old by now, still in good shape. I use it for splitting wood for the most part, have to split wood every once in a while all year. I have only sharpened it once every year. ONly thing i have changed is the handle, which broke once.
I think this was the most fun I've ever had watching you chop wood. It's really nice to see a proper axe in action!
To me, Gransfors Bruks axes are basically the axe equivalent of Albion swords.
+Sir Trollsalot Swedes for the win aye!
+DemonWeasel1990 Made by vikings after all ;)
+Sir Trollsalot isn't Albion in Wisconsin, USA?
I've seen quite a few in stores next to normal, crap axes. They are above and beyond any other axe I've seen.
Liam Hoffman is what i would say maybe beyond granfors.
I own one of these and after roughly 8 years, it is still an absolute joy
That is the sharpest (out of the box) axe I have ever seen. Chopping wood is so much fun, I wish I had trees to chop like you do.
Thanks Skall for including a UK supplier..Living in Ireland makes it hard to get these kinds of things without paying stupidly high shipping! Much appreciated!
I want one! Looks great and Wood chopping is one of the best stress relievers there is.
I'm so jealous, I've wanted a Gransfors for ages. Such a gorgeous axe!
A few friends and I recently went on a 3 day winter camping trip. We went out to chop wood and my buddy brought out his Gränsfors Bruk for the first time. Its only cut a couple of logs in the driveway to test out up until this point. After only 3 strike to a upright dead tree, the handle split in half right along the grain.
He took photos and sent them to Gränsfors Bruk, with an explanation letter. Without hesitation, They sent him a brand new Axe, and he was able to keep the old head, and he just replaced the handle. Now hes got 2!.
Customer service is another thing to look for when purchasing a tool such as this, and Gränsfors Bruk has excellent customer service just in case anybody is wondering/interested.
That axe head is beautifully made and is indeed razor sharp when you receive it.
At the end of this month, were going camping again with the new Gränsfors Bruk (and old) and we hope to make some damage with it this time!
Great review again ***** !! keep it up! I really enjoy your videos!
Woodcutting level has increased!
I have this very axe, it is amazing. I am not one to fanboy with companies or products in general, but Granfors Bruks (excuse the pronunciation/spelling) is sooooooo good! Anything of theirs ----> 10/10! Easily the best axe I have ever used/owned and for around $100 amazing value too!
Hi Skall, nice vid, I have the small forest axe and i agree the quality is outstanding! Btw your chopping technique is fine don't worry!
i have been chopping wood for my wood stove for about five years, and i'm no were near professional, but from what i know and can tell, skalla's way of chopping wood is pretty good for someone who dose not chop wood on a daily basis.
I was trying to find a good axe to buy the other day, then I remembered this one that you reviewed. Seems to be the consensus among opinions I've heard that Gränsfors Bruk axes are the way to go, so mine's on the way. :) I always prefer hand-forged work. Thanks for introducing us to this company, otherwise I might've ended up settling for something generally worse.
"Tactical" is marketing speech for "We have no idea what we did or how to use this. You figure it out."
+SmegSlebChef No carbon? You mean like the carbon in this axe?
Ashton Conley
I'm fairly certain he means carbon fibre. =)
Just to keep in mind, a lot of axes have a low HRC so don't worry too much about that. Any high carbon spring steels are fine, which is probably exactly what it is. They probably don't want to list the actual steel because then some other company will say they use some other "high-tech" steel and people will buy it regardless of its quality. It's like how 52100 ball bearing steel and 5160 spring steel are superior to almost every expensive steel out there but nobody likes saying they use steel that is cheap and readily available. The tempering on axes is mostly about the edge and having a really soft core and base to absorb the shock, anything hard like a knife blade will just break, imagine smashing your folding knife into a tree - it won't end well. I think most axes have a HC of like 45-55. It's probably closer to 55 at the tip and softer at the core.
o.o=b thx good info
AburridoDeTodo No problem, I might be wrong on a couple of things but that's what I've heard. :D
On a fixed blade having a high hardness of like 60+ is awesome because you're never smashing it into stuff, even when batoning the edge is resting on the wood you're splitting so it doesn't matter, so it really doesn't matter if an axe has a low hardness. That doesn't mean the temper isn't important, but honestly the worst thing that can happen is for the axe to be overhardened.
It's an old company and considered by many to be the apex axe maker in the world. I doubt the secrecy is to keep others from claiming their steel is inferior. More likely an attempt to prevent others from apeing their products.
I understand what you mean but stuff like 52100 can not cut as much as for example, M4 or vg-10, not enough carbides
Wear resistance is not free
Toughness is not free either
Pick one
45 is very, very low, i don't think any axe would have such hardness. However i've heard of axes performing at 60 Rockwell and they seem to be all-right.
You can get very high hardness and a relative flexibility, however then comes the price.
The place where they make these (town of Gränsfors) is just a few kilometers from where I live =D They offer small guided tours in the summer, which I went to once. Really interesting stuff and I was definitely impressed by how much of a non-mass production environment it was. They have around 20 employees and have actively held back on "growing" the business too much, to be able to keep making them on this top quality level. Highly recommended if you ever find yourself in northern (or even mid) Sweden. My dad bought one of their axes back in the early 80s and has never done any maintenance or sharpening whatsoever, and it still chops like an absolute dream (and the handle is battered but still in excellent shape). It has seen A LOT of use, too. Like as much use as someone not using it professionally/in daily life can accumulate
EDIT: I checked the edge on it and it's still very managable
Good review mate. I can attest to the quality of Gransfors Bruks axes. I own their Small Forrest Axe and Wildlife Hatchet, both are excellent. From what I can tell all GB axes come shaving sharp from the factory (both mine did and all my friends that have invested in a GB axe report it as well) if you want to invest in old world quality buy a GB axe.
In BushCraft circles GB axes are all the rage. The axe fills one of the "Three or Four" essential bushcrafting tools slots.
Gränsfors is as best as a axe can be in my opinion, i own the "throwing axe" and its just pure fun.
I’ve got three Gränsfors axes one of them is the Hunters axe (basically the same) and they’re great, I would never recommend over than these!
I have been nothing but pleased with my Gränsfors axe. If you have the chance, it would be great to see a comparison video with a Wetterlings axe. Some people say they're on par, others clearly prefer Gränsfors. I would be interested to hear your opinion :)
Handmade axe, probably had one of the best qualities on our earth.
Gets very sharp, sustainable edge, handmade.
Also dont shop it into the snow if possible... if you hit stones you can ruin the blade.
I own this axe and you cant get any better though.
This is the kind of things that makes me happy living in this cold land!
Just pick a axe that work for you needs and buy one, you wont regret it :)
Totally awesome to watch. I love my Graensfors SFAxe also MB forged. I paid $169 USD. 11.2019
Nice one Skall!
So far I have been using a pretty ordinary run of the mill DIY-market-axe for most of the stuff around the garden and bit of wood working (whittling big 3m wooden staves to a point to build a [fairly] species-appropriate rabbit enclosure) and in my experience it grows dull fairly quickly and hold a fresh edge only for a couple of uses.. so maybe it's time for a "mystery high-carbon steel" Swedish axe;).
Thanks for the review!
Best regards
Raoul G. Kunz
I have exactly the same one! Loving it! Thank you for the review !
The leather sheath is a nice touch
Good Axe! Here in Brazil I use a produced by a local cutler, wrought as ordered, with a cable made of "Anadenanthera macrocarpa" or "angico preto" common name in Portuguese.
Thanks for the video!
Greetings from Portugal, keep up the awesome work! :D
Hi Skall, u can buy an old used one for around $10-20 in Sweden.
Great vid.
This is a classical axe. I've used some old axeheads from my family farm that are about 100 years old now, and they are basically identical to this one. The main benefit from this one is the form of the eye of the axehead, the handle just fits so much better, and the treated handle. This is what is at work out behind woodsheds all over Scandinavia. Note: If you ever break the handle, remember to properly dry, then treat with linseed oil, the new handle before fitting it to the axehead. Otherwise you will have to keep the handle moist in order to avoid shrinkage between uses. A lot of old axes with cheap local wood handles are keept with the handle in a bucket of water just to make sure the handle don't shrink so the head flies off when used. Also remember to use a wet shapeningstone if you ever have to do any major resharpening of the edge, because getting the metal to hot while sharpening it may damage the tempering. Still, this is an axehead that you can abuse a lot and still have functioning ok. You might try re-forming the edge on some of your "crappy" camping-axes with this one as a model and see how much better they perform.
Such a good axe. I don't think I can resist buying one. Just one of the many Skallagrim inspired purchases :) . Spyderco Byrd Robin 2 next. Good review as always!
I have a Collins double bit axe that my father dug up in my grandfather's backyard as a child I've used it to fell many trees and do some small splitting work a beautiful well-crafted axe
Its one of the best axes around i fuckin luv mine,the only axe thats better would be a John Neeman axe but there $400, i just tested the small forest axe & it kicks ass! may it serve you well my friend!
Helko North America has a wide range of high quality axes at price ranges dependant on the finish you want but all of them are well made. With a little bit of work on putting a final edge on them and removing the laquer on the handles and replacing that with a finish of your choice, you will have an axe as good as if not better than a gransfors, wetterlings, or hultafors at a lower price. The edge retention is just as good and I actually prefer their steel and head geometry over gransfors. Their handles actually have a fawnsfoot to them as well like traditional handles which is nicer, but thats just preference. Husqvarna basically is just a rebranding of hultafors or wetterlings depending on which is making their axes at the time, but can be had for much less. Same with Stihl rebranding of Ox Head axes. Restored vintage american axes are great too. Premium axes can be had with some know how and research at much lower prices. All are great options.
This is my favorite tool period.
Brother tac?!?!?
victor plitt aw yeah
I've got a fairly odd selection of bushcrafting gear. I have two tools by the Japanese company, Silky -- a Silky Pocket Boy folding saw with medium teeth, and a Silky Nata Japanese-style hatchet, double-ground rather than the more common single-grind or chisel grind. If it's too big to chop with the Nata, I would saw it with the Pocket Boy.
For the "small knife" you mention, I have a dedicated bushcraft knife in my go-bag, a Footprint brand "hacking knife". It's around a 5" blade, full-tang between leather scales as a grip. The hacking knife is designed primarily as a glazier's trim knife, intended for the back of the blade to be pounded on with a hammer to cut straight down through window trim or molding. Because of this, and the thick wedge-shaped blade, it makes a fantastic batoning blade. You don't have to worry about breaking the blade or breaking the handle or other issues that plague knives used to baton wood because it's actually made for even harder treatment. If it can take being beat on with a steel hammer, it can take being whacked with a piece of wood.
I tested the saw and the hacking knife last winter by taking them and my Solo stove out into the back yard. I found a piece fo deadfall branch about six feet long by 3 inches in diameter and hauled it back to my patio table, where I used the saw to slice it into lengths that would fit easily into the Solo stove. Then I used the hacking knife and a longer section of the same branch to split the branch segments into smaller billets. They burned quite enthusiastically in the Solo stove when ignited with a petroleum-jelly soaked cotton ball and a spark from a ferro rod.
This may not sound like a big challenge, but I'm disabled from a severe neck injury. I can't swing a big felling axe or splitting maul, and I need to be very economical with my exertions or I suffer excruciating pain for hours afterward. I ached a little after this experiment, but not severely, so I consider it a good test. I have yet to take the Nata out for a test, but Silky makes quality gear and I have little doubt it will serve excellently for removing branches and chopping deadfall in place of a hatchet or axe.
Have you had any experience with the Silky products?
fuck it, im buying it
Yeah! Go for it
Me too.
I have a wood stove. I use a chainsaw for cutting wood, and a splitting axe for, obviously, splitting wood. The splitting axe is a lot fatter and a lot heavier (2 kg).
I'm surprised how well this Gransfors handles splitting wood. I would have thought it would get stuck a lot more.
damn. that's a beauty of an axe.
Ohhh very finely made!
I believe Gransfors to be one of the best axes on the planet being produced today. If you can find some of the old or antique axe heads manufactured in the late 1800's to mid 1900's you will find that that steel is also very high quality. And the various types of axes just from coast to coast are amazing in the differences in design for various jobs.
Bloody hell, I love axes.
Got to let your inner lumberjack out, I see. Definitely loved the review!
I've got axes that my Great grandad bought and used from 1915 and was passed down along with other forestry tools. Any tool that is taken care of will last several lifetimes. I have a felling axe that I dug up in the floor of a Virginia barn that burned down during the Civil War and after getting the rust brushed off with a wire wheel, sanded, and filing the edge, etc. I rehafted it and it's a work monster that really holds an edge even after chopping and splitting all day it only needs an occasional touch up with a whet stone. Just always follow the basic rules for the tool you are using and it will outlast you easily..
We were using these to do finishing work on logs used for making cabins. In the coarse of building 9 cabins we broke 3 of these. The handles all cracked just under the head on the handle side. One head went flying. We had some issues with the metal chipping where it is sharpened on one of them. We had 5 of these and this wasn't an issue on the other 4. Found that if you sunk this into wood in a splitting motion it got stuck ALOT and we spent more time digging it out of the wood than we did cutting. If you did a lot of cutting you had to keep re sharpening it constantly. Would I buy another one. Yes but I would buy an extra handle and another sharpening stone as well. Oh and your chopping technique looked just fine by me and way better than most that think they have a clue. So don't sweat it. lol
You have a pretty decent aim when chopping wood :-)
I really like the handle shape in this one.
It's cool that the head is capable of fine work and basic carving, cause in addition to cutting shavings for fire starting, if you break the handle in a survival-type situation you can rig up a new one using the head fairly easily.
or you buy their Outdoor Axe which has a metal collar to evade this kind of situation.
The swedish make fantastic blades, axes and tools. Also their military surpless equipment is very high quality too. Don't worry about the axes edge too much, a good axe should not be knife sharp as it is dangerous and it won't hold the edge well. You need a nice wide general grind that's plenty good for chopping wood but blunt enough not lose its edge immediately.
I do plan on adding one of their axes to my collection in the future.
I own the american felling axe, the forest axe and the maul, all are very good
I live next to Gränsfors and of course I have a few Gränsfors axes. I wouldn't want a too sharp axe if Im chopping fire wood (I mean chopping already sawed up logs. Not chopping from the side). I noticed that if the axe edge is too sharp the edge needs cut through more fibres, while if the axe edge is not chipped but just the right amount of blunted it cuts fire wood better because instead of cutting every fibre it seems to push fibres aside and opening up the wood by leverage. The axe also tend to not get stuck in the wood as much either. And there is the safety aspect too, if the edge is a little blunted a tired wood chopper accidentally cutting him/herself wouldn't do as much damage. Damage of course but not as much. I spoke with an expert and he confirmed what I had noticed and he knew about it from before. What do you guys think?
Nice looking axe bro. Chops like a beast.
I got a bit of an experience with splitting for my grandmother when I was younger. Basicly when you are splitting blocks for logs, you generaly use 1 hand unless it is a tough one...You have your blocks on left ( Assuming you are right handed ) and then chop everything to the right into a nice pile of logs. Well you know assuming that you have a pile to chop in a first place. :D Trying not to chop of your left hand in the mean time. :D
It's the go to company for axes for Ray Mears. They collaborated to design an axe; The Gransfors Bruks Ray Mears Wilderness Axe.
Great review and great axe!
Could you explained what a carving axe is? Why and how would one use an axe for carving?
Also you said that this one is not a carving axe since it does not have a straight edge, but when I googled "carving axe" I only got images of axes with round edges (?).
Anyway thanks for the video and for always taking the time to reply to so many comments, it's nice to see a youtuber putting so much effort into their channel.
I have a Small Forest Axe (50 cm handle, 800g head) and I can confirm the quality. I also own a Hultafors equivalent of the one in the video - and the overall finish is noticeably of lower quality, though it performs similarly for half the price. Simply put, Gransfors offers a better axe but you need to pay a lot for not a huge difference. Oh, and my hultafors came with handle not oiled properly, contrary to Gransfors.
one of my brothers has the exact same model,very handy,but a lot of power,good for cutting little trees with 10 to 30 cm in diameter,or just use it like a hatched but if the wood is difficult to cut,it´s better than any hatched,sharp and stable
Thank you sir. I have been considering a few different mid axes to keep in my emergency stash in the truck.
Awesome, good to see it in action with someone with not a lot of experience chopping, I have pretty well none and was wondering how it'd be too.
+Skallagrim The steel is probably grade 6 or maybe even 7. Ovako supplies steel for SKF bearings so they know how to make steel. SKF doesn't use any cheep crap in their bearings.
Its a solid axe.. and if the price is simply too steep then Wetterlings may be an option.
I would recommend saving and getting Gränsfors Bruk's over Wetterlings tho.
Great work on video mate
I ordered one of these axes. Looks like a great size for all around use/camping/limbing. I don't like the crack in the wedge on that one.
Im impressed by your prenouncment! Swedish can be a little tricky, with the letters that have a lot of dots above them.
Regarding the axe - I think Gransfors are just about as good as it gets. Personally, I use Hultafors at the moment. Thats another really good brand, but maybe not as good axes as gransfors.
Erik Granqvist Isnt Skall norwegian himself? Or is that something ive missunderstood...
Not sure why I was reminded of this but ***** Should definitely do a fantasy rant about the Abraham Lincoln axe from A.L. vampire hunter movie.
You pronounce it better than I do, and I'm norwegian=D. And yes, I have the axe. It doesn't seem powerfull, since it's very light, but holy shit it cuts. I barely put power into it, and I can fell whatever I want without too much work. Limbing is just as simple as moving the axe along the trunk. Comes shaving sharp. Mine is from TT. I haven't found anything to complain about in regards to the axe, but the sheath could be better.
We know how to do our stuff here in sweden
+Astrid Nipflake I agree. The craftsmanship you swedes have is outstanding. tools, beer, food, music, ect. All great.
unfortunally we are not allowed to be proud of it because that would be too nationalistic
+Stefan Nilsson indeed. If we are proud of something from Sweden we are called racist
what?... im not from Sweden so would someone please explain
joseph george our gouvrnment is what reddit would be if it was a country
I watch another channel by the name of Wranglerstar, he swears by his Gransfors Bruk axe and seeing this video just confirms my desire to purchase one, albeit for decor purposes.
I thought this was a re-upload but then I looked it up and saw the other video was a first impression.
Necrotix Dawn I don't know why people sometimes gets so obsessed with re-uploads... It's extremely rare that I do a re-upload and when I do it's for a reason. :)
***** I always check the description to check if there is a stated reason for a re-upload. And I think people gets mad when some youtubers are trying to earn money twice from the same video.
And by the way I'm really happy that I got a reply from you! I love your videos and I hope you don't quit making them in the future.
***** I think it's more about people second guessing themselves and their memory, wondering whether what they're watching is something they've seen before, or just déjà vu.
Do you have a guide on sharpening? Techniques, types, materials to use etc? If not, it might make a useful 10 min video
I'd love to see a video about sharpening, and also just axe techniques and safety as well (not for combat, but more general use). In the First Impression video, Skal was chopping on his knees for safety reasons... I never would have considered that, it made me realize that I know very little about even basic axe techniques.
Yes, I'm far more interested in techniques to help survival generally (which you may not be able to provide) but I'm sure a "how to keep your sword/axe edge and blade in good condition" would be helpful to many.
Axes are by far my favorite tool/weapon.
Could you do reviews on crossbows are are you not into ranges weapons as much as melee?
that S&W looks like it has a similar grind to a benchmade killian hawk witch is meant to be used as a breaching tool, with such a thick edge profile, extra weight, spike and one piece construction it would be better suited to a demolition site then a camp site, the right tool for the job kinda deal, you wouldn't use a hammer to make a sandwich so why compare it to a butter knife, really like your channel, lots of awesome content and 0% BS
Gonna buy one of these soon.
Winter is coming at your place!
for everyone in sweden that wants to buy this, it's called "Gränsfors Jägarens Yxa"
The Ovako mill in Smedjebacken is basically what's keeping the little town alive.
when the blade of an axe gets stuck into a piece of wood lift the axe up with the wood and hit with the back side of the axe is easier and works like a charm i learnd that technique from my old man
Sweden represent!
A little tip to bush crafters, and hikers. carry a solid thick steel machete, and a decent mid size fixed blade knife. dont even bother with the ax. the machete will do any ax work as good or even better. save a couple pounds in your pack, and just carry the machete, and knife. I skinning neck knife would also be handy. The nice thing about a machete, is the amount of batoning it can take. you can split wood, make notches, dig holes, clear brush and even use the machete as a cooking surface! I've used my machete to fry fish on. and you can use the blade as a hammer. for fine work you will have the knife. good combo. medium sized fixed blade knife, and a machete
I'll only take scandinavian axes to use bushcrafting..never anything from hardware store/sports stores. Also none of these 'tactical' axes, If it has a black handle, I won't use it
edt- Thanks for the review, I'm looking for a new ax currently. I'll look at more reviews, but I may stick to this one you reviewed, nice only positive things said about it, and for principality of the company recycling materials
Hey Skallagrim! If you like knifes as well, I would propose a Fällkniven A1 or F1 depending on what size you want :) Good quality Swedish steel there as well!
In general, especially in cold climate locations, a good axe is the tool you can least afford to be without.
I hope I get one of these one day.
I like the icy beard look you got going on at the end heh. Must have been pretty darn cold.
Nice axe! Ill have to consider it for my future axe purchase, as im in need of one.
People probably thought that you were paid to advertise the axe because you knew so many specific details about it such as the oil used on the wood handle. Maybe it would be useful to explain how you learned that information, so people don't think that a company told you to say it. Anyway, thanks for the amazing videos. I worked at a local hardware store, and yea, you can buy much better stuff on the internet because they simply cannot stock high quality items because they have so many different kinds of products.
These thing cwn indeed last a lifetime...my grandmother has a Gränsfors Axe(a bit more dedicated to chopping than this)and it still functions perfectly...and it's pretty old(not sure exactly but definitely 17+ years).
I think I need to start looking for reasons and opportunity to chop my own wood...
Excellent vid . Gonna buy one of those axes. FWIW I usually put my chainsaw to those branches. YMMV
They now make some amazing looking bearded axes that I believe are a limited run.
If you want to know the hardness, read the Axe Book. Page 16 should state a bit hardness of 57 on the Rockwell C scale.
What exactly is a tactical axe? When I was in the military (Norwegian, conscription, yadda yadda) we had axes on every vehicle. They were larger than the Gränsfors axe you show, and were from the seventies and eighties for the most part. Because taken care off, that stuff lasts for a long time.
But that was a regular tool/wood axe. Because sometimes you need to fell birch to make poles. (Variety of uses for those. You can take a few and make shelters and such, or add 2-3 jackets and you have a pretty damned decent field stretcher. Basically a lot of problems can be solved by applying manpower to it.
(You also have heavy and light shovels, a handspike and a pickaxe. on vehicles, as well as hammers and screwdrivers, etc. But that's a different story.)
My grandmother worked with the "secret" steel development as a chemist at Ovako in Hofors. According to her the reason they don't want to tell what type of steel it is, is because it's more advanced than any of their competition. So the formula will remain secret until the competition catches up.