Best Gransfors axe???

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Mar 8, 2008
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I need your help. I have narrowed down my wilderness axe selection to either the Gransfors mini hatchet or the Gransfors wildlife hatchet. If you had only the two to chose from which would it be and why? Appreciate the input.:o
 
While I love my mini, I must admit the wildlife hatchet is more versatile. The mini is a special tool while the wildlife is a true hatchet. If you really want a very versatile GB, get the Small Forest Axe. It is big enough to swing yet small enough to use with one arm. My personal favorite is the GB Scandinavian Forest Axe. It is just the right size to chop with the big boys yet small enough to pack. On a winter trip in January this year, it proved it's worth in tackling a lot of frozen hardwood.

My next is the GB American Felling axe. Looking forward to that beast! I'm an axe junkie if you couldn't tell and can also recommend the Iltis without a single reservation!
 
I love my SFA! Perfect size for me. I used it one an overnight winter canoe trip and it did the job perfectly. My hands were pretty fatigued after lots of chopping, so a larger axe would have been great, but the SFA definitely got the job done! I never felt like it was too big either when packing it around.
 
Another vote here for the SFA. I have had mine for a while now and it has proven to be a very useful and versitlie tool. It is compact and light enough to carry on a pack, but has enough handle to give it a good swing. I highly recomend this axe.

A good pair.
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SFA
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i have the wild life hatchet... it is perfect... i'm sure it'll suit you just fine...:thumbup:
 
I have a SFA and the Mini. Both are great, but there really is little overlap in what they are useful for. I suppose that if you wanted something between the packability of the Mini, and the chopping weight of the SF, the Wildlife Hatchet might do. Personally though I am much happier with the two axes for different occasions than I think I would be trying to use the Hatchet for both.

I have used the SFA for felling birch for shelters and for splitting big rounds of ash, maple and pine. I wouldn't have wanted to do either job with a smaller axe. The added pack weight was more than made up for by being able to really use two hands to chop with.

If I was restricted to just one axe it would be the SF, but if I was restricted to only one of the two axes you mention, I would get the Wildlife. The Mini is great, but it is more specialized.

Whatever you get I am sure you will enjoy using it. Gransfors makes nices axes.
 
The question I would ask is what is your use?

I have the Hunters, the Wildlife, and mini.

The mini is great for backpacking when weight is really crucial. (although I once saw a review, here I think where somebody matched one up against a decent sized folding saw and the folding saw(which was lighter) beat it.

I don't like the Hunters that much. It's not as long as full size axe but too long for a hatchet. I'm probably in the minority here though for not liking it. It also is more suited to bringing it in to a multi day camp.

The Wildlife is probably my favorite hatchet for raw cutting power of any. However I consider it too heavy for backpacking, although I might carry it if it was the dead of winter and I was really relying on a fire to stay warm.

So if you are gonna carry it SOME but not backpack I'd go the Wildlife.

If you are gonna backpack I'd carry the mini.

If you are gonna set up a several day camp maybe the Hunters or the other one that size.

One shortcoming of the GB line is I wish they made a 12" hatchet that weighed about a pound. I'd really love one like that.:thumbup:
 
Yep, all depends on what you will use it for? I have many GB's. I do have the mini, wildlife, either sfa or Scandi (not sure without going to look), hunters, carpenters, swedish carving and felling. I usually grab the wildlife when going back to the woods. If weight was no issue and I had to cut fire wood then the larger sfa would be better.

Between the 2 you gave, I actually never take the mini. It is too small. The wildlife hands down over the mini unless as stated, weight is a major issue.
 
I've owned the Mini, the Wildlife hatchet and the Hunters axe. In a fit of idiocy, I traded the Mini and the Wildlife. Those two easily covered any chopping I needed to do. They were both compact and light and razor sharp.
If you do lots of chopping of medium sized wood, then the wildlife would be my choice. The mini is more for carving and lighter chopping, though it worked great as a wedge for batoning through bigger pieces.
 
All of the Gransfors Bruks axes have been designed and manufactured to fulfil the requirements of specific tasks. Define your task and desires and your option will be wholly quite clear.

In my GB collection, I have the Mini and Wildlife hatchets, Small Forest, Hunters, Carpenter's, and the Swedish Carving axes. Several of these axes were given to me after evaluating them.

The physical characteristics between the Mini and Wildlife are immediately observed right off. The Mini seems like a toy when compared with the Wildlife in weight and size. And, indeed, if voluminous chopping capabilities are compared between the two, the heavier Wildlife will easily take the lead. Myself, I don't carry hatchets - much preferring the vastly superior bucking efficiency of the well-made portable saw (Silky is a great place to start) in dry conditions. However, I will often carry the Mini in my ruck since it is SO small and light weight. Too, the Mini can be used in the place of a second or primary knife if needed (larger varieties work too). In addition to saws, we always have a larger hatchet with us when canoe camping. The hatchet is used as a wedge with wood cudgel when splitting wood for the fire. Our hatchets are not used as swinging tools when in the wilderness because of safety concerns (insurance issues if canoe guiding).

Someone mentioned the Hunters Axe in this thread. The flay poll on the hunters works real well when removing the hide off larger game like elk, caribou, bear, or moose (we keep the hides). Too, it will do well at preparing and fast processing of larger game when the sun is going down, or the bush plane is rolling in to pick up hunters. Been there, done that. The Hunters Axe, because of its thin profile, is only a fair wood chopper (a compromise that works well for some).

The Carpenter's axes, Broad axes, or Swedish Carving axes are too specific task oriented to be used as general or wilderness axes (another subject altogether). :)
 
Thank you one and all for your excellent advise and pictures. It will be used mainly on an annual 2 week trek into the backcounty of Wyoming where a base camp for hunting is set up. There are several of us who go and there is always a large axe and bucksaw, but being an independet sort, I don't rely on anyone but myself. I always bring my own gear to survive alone including several knives, a folding saw etc. Uses would be pounding tent pegs, splitting kindling, cutting small branches. Size and weight is an issue.
 
While I love my mini, I must admit the wildlife hatchet is more versatile. The mini is a special tool while the wildlife is a true hatchet. If you really want a very versatile GB, get the Small Forest Axe. It is big enough to swing yet small enough to use with one arm. My personal favorite is the GB Scandinavian Forest Axe. It is just the right size to chop with the big boys yet small enough to pack. On a winter trip in January this year, it proved it's worth in tackling a lot of frozen hardwood.

My next is the GB American Felling axe. Looking forward to that beast! I'm an axe junkie if you couldn't tell and can also recommend the Iltis without a single reservation!

k estela mirrors my thoughts exactly. I have even used my Scandi axe for carving. Not optimal for this use, but worked well non the less.

For an all around axe, the Scandi would be my choice. If your determined to get a hatchet, go with the Wildlife hatchet. Millage may vary of course. ;)

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Depends what for.

I'd say the SFA is a good compromise between full size axe and hatchet, I would probably choose it for extended use periods, but for most hikes it is just too much and a smaller axe would get the job done for a lower weight.

As for Mini vs Wildlife:
* Wildlife is some good quality hatchet
* Mini is a nice small tool that, to some extend, can perform the job of an axe but is just not one... which doesn't mean it can't be better suited for your particular outdoor activity style.
 
I need to try out one of those mini's... there is a guy that sells them, at an upcoming archery shoot we're going to...:D
 
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