Axes

The Bushcraft Tool

An Introduction to Gränsfors Bruks Axes

The axe is my favourite tool. If you asked me 'If you were stranded and you were only aloud one thing' Im sure it would be the axe. A good axe is strong and versatile and in times of need* it can be a useful precision cutting edge, a hammer, a wedge, help you with fire-lighting and much more.

There is only one Axe Maker I recommend: Gränsfors Bruks - www.gransfors.com

Gränsfors Bruks (of Sweden) have been making some of the worlds best axes for over a centaury now, so with that record I think they deserve a bloody good plug here on this page :)

At first glance Gransfor Bruks Axe's might seem somewhat expensive and it might have you thinking is this 'high-quality' just all hype to get more money? No, its not, to back that up Gransfor Bruks give you a 20 year product guarantee, thats a sign of faith in that produce alright.

You might like to take a look at their ethics: "What we take, how and what we make, what we waste, is in fact a question of ethics. We have an unlimited responsibility for the Total. A responsibility which we try to take, but do not always succeed in. One part of this responsibility is the quality of the products and how many years the product will maintain its durability.
To make a high quality product is a way to pay respect and responsibility to the customer and the user of the product. A high quality product, in the hands of those who have learned how to use it and how to look after it, will very likely be more durable. This is good for the owner, the user. But this is good as well as part of a greater whole: increased durability means that we take less (decreased consumption of material and energy), that we need to produce less (gives us more time to do other things we think are important or enjoyable), destroy less (less waste).
One of the goals for Gränsfors Bruks is to make high quality durable products. As proof of this goal, and to show that we have a responsibility for the product, Gränsfors Bruks gives a 20 Year Product Guarantee. An "AXE-GUARANTEE-CARD" is included in the AXE-BOOK which comes with every axe. A qualification for the guarantee is that the advice in the AXE-BOOK is followed."

Choosing Your Axe

If you really haven't got the budget for it, of course you don't have to buy a high-quality Gransfors Burks Axe. You can sometimes find cheap axe's easily available at local hardware-stores or even supermarkets. I once had bought a axe from Lidel for just £3, I think it a did me for about a year and a half of light work, before it dangerously fell apart.

Anyway, your choice of axe is very much a personal preference, it will depend on numerous factors; your budget, rucksack-weight, your build, your intended use for the axe etc.

If you are looking for a good log splitting axe that will sit at home beside your log pile then your obvious choice is a small or large Splitting Axe (shown below). With a large heavier axe head, the wedge shape will make lighter work of splitting logs than say a hatchet. If you want an axe that will follow you on camping-trips or hikes you may want to keep your sack as light as possible and go for a Mini-hatchet or Wildlife Hatchet. The most common choice of axe I have seen bushcratfer's use is either a Wildlife Hatchet or like me a Small Forest Axe. Below you can see the range of Gransfors Bruks Axes including their size and weight.

PDF Documents by Gransfors Bruks

- Ancient Northern European Axes (27 Pages) / 1.3MB

- Axe and Log Building Tools (2 Pages) / 2.4MB

- Log Building Tools - (4 Pages) / 0.2MB

- Replica Tomahawks - (1 Page) / 0.4MB