20" or 26" hatchet/axe, what do you prefer?

What size hatchet/axe do you prefer between the two and why?

  • 26"

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 20"

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
Wetterlings turned out great for me. I bought two for less than the price of one and I am stunned by the quality.
 
cp2u said:
Infi-del is right.
First and foremost in his promoting the Gransfors Bruks ax.
I do not however understand his need to further sharpen the edge.
My forest ax has suffered abuse at the hands of my family to the point I have entertained the idea of writing to the people who forged and created my ax to a apologize.
They are pictured in "the Axe Book" that arrived with their baby.
Anyhow, a couple of days after its arrival I was showing off the ax to a friend who collects old and unique axes by shaving the hairs off my forearm.
Get one that fits, but get a Gransfors Bruks. You'll be looking for things to chop...with a big smile on your face!

CP
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Mine didn't arrive as sharp as I'd like. I use it for more than just chopping so I like it to be as sharp as possible.
 
Depends on how much chopping you do really. If you're going to do a lot get the bigger one. The one that I would choose would be the shorter one for packability but I don't do much chopping. Actually, 20 inch handle is on the long side for my tastes. I'm 6'.
 
for backpacking i like my sfa (19") for something at home or front county camping i like a longer one
 
hoopster said:
I could use some advice. I'm looking to get something that will accompany me on backpacking/camping trips and the occasional canoe camping trip. Usually 1-3 nights. I may also want to throw it in the car trunk from time to time.

I already have a 36" axe for use at home and my wife has a cheap 14" hatchet that I can't stand. I've been looking at the Wetterlings 26 and 20 inchers but am not dead set on the maker, still debating on size.

I'm 6'1" tall, what would you choose? Thanks!
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Based on the above, definitely the shorter one. Since I picked up my GB Small Forest a year or so ago, I haven't used my larger axe one time. My brother-in-law feels the same about his Wetterlings. Unless you are processing tons of wood, a good, sharp 19-20" handle and proper technique doesn't give up much to the 26". In my opinion, that is.
 
I think you'll find a 20" Wetterlings sufficient for backpacking. I recently got one, and it's a very good cutting axe for its size. When backpacking, you'll realistically only usually be chopping and splitting maybe 4-inch diameter wood for your fire. The 20" has plenty of cutting power for that, plus I think it is much better to have a chopper that is still easy to carry and pack. I will say that I have felled standing dead trees up to 10-11" with mine, but that's quite a bit more than you'd really ever want to bite off with one of these. If you need to chop down anything over about 6" regularly, the larger axe would be much more appropriate.

Another advantage, in my opinion, is that the smaller version can be used quite handily for carving. I'm a fan of using hatchets to carve, and I find the 20" Wetterlings handles very well when you choke up on the handle.
 
20" for all the purposes others have already mentioned above.
If you need a LOT of firewood or want to clear a lot of trail, 26" would be better of course.
Having said that, try out both and go with the size you like the most.
Some forumites find the 14" 1 lb head GB Wildlife Hatchet too heavy for backpacking, another one liked the 26" 1.8 LB head Wetterlings Forest Axe the best for exactly the same purpose.
 
20" is slowly winning the poll. I've been looking at the Snow and Nealley hudson bay axe also, at 24" it might be a good compromise. The only concerns I have are whether it's hand or drop forged and their website lists the hardness at 45-55. That seems like a wide range considering the Gransfors and Wetterlings are around 54-56 IIRC. Am I being to anal about the hardness and forging or, in other words, is the size more important than the quality?
 
According to the women I've known...size is important but quality is paramount!

And any ax shaving sharp out of the box is a joy to feel bite into a solid chunk of wood.

CP
 
Thanks for all the help guys. I went ahead and ordered the 20" Wetterlings hunting axe. I'm also waiting to hear back from Snow and Nealley about their forging process and Rockwell hardness score. I may still pick up their Hudson bay axe since it seems like a good value.
 
you won't regret the 20", it is all you need for backpacking with a folding or bucksaw of your choice. I have the 26 as well but keep it in the truck for camping.
If you are travelling with a group and it is cold/snow then I would take the extra weight of the larger axe as you will need larger fires and shared weight.
 
No way I'd carry a 20" hatchet/axe for backpacking unless I was only hiking a few miles in.

My criteria for backpacking is it should weigh 1 pound plus or minus a few oz's.
 
Do any of you have any experience with Gransfors Bruks Hunters axe? I know it is similar to the small forest axe, Any big differences as far as chopping or general use? I can get a good price on the Hunters but not the Forest axe.
 
Ive used my wetterlings LHA extensively, a 26" would be fine car camping, but I prefer the 20" size for ground pounding it.

If you want pics I got them.:D
 
Fonly said:
Ive used my wetterlings LHA extensively, a 26" would be fine car camping, but I prefer the 20" size for ground pounding it.

If you want pics I got them.:D
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I wouldn't mind some good pics. The wait is going to be hard.
 
Well, the 20" Wetterlings arrived today and I like the size but am very disappointed with the axe itself. The cutting surface is only 2 3/4" and is supposed to be 3 1/4" according to the retailers website. Instead of the top of the head being straight, it's straight most of the way and then curves down at the last inch or so losing much of the cutting edge. I'm going to contact the retailer tomorrow and try to return it. I also don't think the handle is set very well, there's a gap at the back and I can tell there was one at the front also but some extra wood was added. I could have lived with that but not the considerably smaller cutting surface.

Needless to say I'm not happy, I thought I was saving money picking the Wetterlings over the Gransfors but now I'm not due to the hassle and time I'll have to spend hopefully returning the thing.
 
Well that really sucks. My GB SFA has an edge of 3 3/16". For a 20" axe, a 2 3/4" edge is pretty small. I hope you get it returned and get one you like.

Steve
 
bladz said:
Well that really sucks. My GB SFA has an edge of 3 3/16". For a 20" axe, a 2 3/4" edge is pretty small. I hope you get it returned and get one you like.

Steve
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Thanks for the input. I was wondering how other 20" axes compared. According to various retailer specs, I'm wondering if this one isn't a 15" head on a 20" handle. They also used glue in there. I don't know if that's common or not. Just really poor workmanship all around.
 
Well, getting in on this late, but since you're going to try and return the Wetterlings. . .

I have to say that first, I recommend a 24-26" axe. Generally, they use the same, or only slightly larger head than an 18-20" axe. The wood in the haft doesn't weight much, so a trapper's axe (24-28" with a mid-weight head) won't weigh much more, but you'll definitely see a difference if you decide to use it two-handed.

I have Snow & Neally's Penobscot Bay kindling axe (18"), Hudson Bay Axe (24"), and their doublt bit axe (36"). I found them to be quite nice, but they did need sharpening when I got them. They've held up well over the years, and are not so hard that they are brittle, but no so soft that they roll the edge easily (gone through several knots with no edge rolling). HOWEVER, they are old S&N's and I believe the heads were made in the USA. Rumor has it, they source the heads overseas and grind them and mount them here, so the quality might not be the same.

For brands, I would suggest you spend a little more money ad get either a Iltis Oxhead Universal Forest Axe (28") or a Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe (25").

As for carrying, lash it to your pack. If you have an old ruck style pack, rig some paracord to carry it head down, or if a more modern pack, use the ice axe loop. Who cares if it sticks up above the pack a few inches?
 
Thanks Cpl Punishment, Instead of spending over $100 for a Gransfors or Oxhead, I may try to buy a quality head off ebay and put a 24" handle on it. I figure I can do this for $50 or less and at least I'll know what I'm getting. I really wanted the Wetterlings but I guess you have to trust the retailer to pick out a decent one and they're hard to find to begin with. Oh well, the quest continues.
 
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