Favorite axe?

Joe Fowler said:
I know Nutnfancy is generally the end-all when it comes to... oh, everything, but here's another (more favorable) review before you completely rule out Gerber.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6y3D1aR4OI
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+1 Joe. I like nutn but if I remember correctly, in his video, he was standing on a 45 degree slope sideways chopping a 12" fallen pine with a splitting axe. He doesn't mind toting a 12" blade but never seems to try a 19" Wetterlings, etc.
 
ESEE-5 :D
Fiskars X7 (for trekking)
Fiskars X10/X15 (for work..)

adaman04 said:
+1 Joe. I like nutn but if I remember correctly, in his video, he was standing on a 45 degree slope sideways chopping a 12" fallen pine with a splitting axe.
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That's right.. this particular review is pretty useless imho.. He was using the wrong tool for this job.. I mean.. using a splitting axe for chopping? Honestly that's a bit retarded.. the Fiskars axe is a great tool.
 
texastonydobbs said:
I would suggest Estwing ....solid contruction ,I have a small one w/leather stack handle I've had for 25years and still going strong ,hatchet looks ugly ,now my son uses it from time to time & needs a new leather sheath
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Another vote for the Estwing, practical and practically indestructible.
 
I've had a Estwing 30"(approx) felling axe for 15 years. I found the metal to be too soft, recently the head has loosened from the handle. All in all, as my first axe it has served it's purpose.

Two weeks ago I bought a second-hand Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest axe, never having used one I thought new ones cost too much. After using it, I have to say I'm thoroughly impressed. I'm looking to add some of the other models to my collection now.:thumbup:

Lastly, I use a $40 Garant 6lbs splitting maul. I figure it's gonna get beat up anyhow so why go for broke. They have a great selection too.
 
The main thing I will be using the axe for felling. I will keep it at home to work on the backyard and will use it when I clear and make trails. Weight is not factor. I would love to spend $100 plus on an axe however I will not be the only person using it the all the time. When I clear trail several people will have access to it and I don't want to baby the axe and get mad at people when they miss a cut or swing and hit the dirt. I am looking for a an axe with at least 30".

SDD
 
start watching garage/estate sales and flea markets. you will find great axes, us made, good steel for cheap. you may have to add a new handle. some of those old axes and hatchets cant be beat today, at any price. sharpen er up and there ya go.
 
I really like the looks of the wooden handled axes but the practicality of the plastic handles in the Fiskars/Gerber axes seem to be more durable? We had a little 14" Gerber axe (really a hatchet at that length) and it did everything we expected well in Peru. I gave it to one of our guides and that rascal kept it for years and beat the shit out of it. The handle finally broke but it was hollow and so he whittled a piece of wood down and 'doweled' the two handle pieces back together and kept using it.
 
SDD said:
The main thing I will be using the axe for felling. I will keep it at home to work on the backyard and will use it when I clear and make trails. Weight is not factor. I would love to spend $100 plus on an axe however I will not be the only person using it the all the time. When I clear trail several people will have access to it and I don't want to baby the axe and get mad at people when they miss a cut or swing and hit the dirt. I am looking for a an axe with at least 30".

SDD
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You'd probably be plenty happy with one of the Fiskars. Reprofile it when you get it and let folks loose.
 
MikePerrin said:
I really like the looks of the wooden handled axes but the practicality of the plastic handles in the Fiskars/Gerber axes seem to be more durable? We had a little 14" Gerber axe (really a hatchet at that length) and it did everything we expected well in Peru. I gave it to one of our guides and that rascal kept it for years and beat the shit out of it. The handle finally broke but it was hollow and so he whittled a piece of wood down and 'doweled' the two handle pieces back together and kept using it.
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I think the down side is that they are hollow. I wish they were solid at least down a certain ways to at the most common break point. But, for the money I'd say they're worth it. That's funny about the guide fixing it, it kind of seems the way they do things in the rest of the world. Most Americans would toss it in the trash and bitch about it being a piece of crap for 10 years on the internet. Haha.
 
Can someone explain the difference between let's say a bushcraft axe vs. a hunting axe? I see that some companies make both. Is it actual grinds and head weights? Or just different sized handles? Or both?
 
I'm not really sure what exactly constitutes a "hunter's axe" myself. Generally I think of one as something that you could fit on your belt or in your pack, with a light enough head and handle that you can choke up to do skinning/butchering with. The Wetterlings 19" and 15" are both labelled as "hunter's axes" I believe. Not sure I know of any others off the top of my head.

Personally were I going to carry an axe-type instrument specifically for hunting, I'd go with a hatchet for carry on hunts and take a fuller sized axe to camp. To be honest though I've never personally found a situation where I really needed an axe or hatchet while hunting. A knife does just fine.
 
My buddy got a Estwing 16" camper's axe from Home Depot for 35 bucks. It did a great job. Handle was long enough for 2 handed chopping & it was plenty sharp. They also have a 22" model if I remember correctly. Definitely the best axe for the money I've seen.
 
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