First axe-replacing big knife?

Jason B.

Jason B.

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
Messages
11,168
So over this past weekend I went camping with some friends and family, we had a blast and I took a lot of knives to test out but I couldn't help but to think how so many tasks could be better performed by a good axe. I usually use my folder and a 7.5in bowie and that seems to be a great combo for me but I found myself mainly using my folder and wishing I had a bigger chopping tool, like a axe. My bowie has worked great over the last two years but the more I use it the more I feel its too big to replace a small knife and too small to be of much use for heavier work.

I don't think I want a full size axe for size and weight concerns but I don't want something too small either. Bit geometry and handle ergonomics is by far my greatest concern but I was also hoping to use this for more than just chopping and splitting. Small tasks where you could choke up on the handle and use the axe to sharpen a stick, make a feather stick, etc... Would be a big plus.

GB was my first thought but its the only axe maker this axe noob knows as quality. So what else is out there?

P.S. was looking on the Tuatahi site and really like the looks but not the price so much, will pay the extra if its really worth it but would like to keep a $200 cap on this.
 
Husqvarna gets good marks. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/800445-Husqvarna-Hatchet-Review

Also do your reading ad go hit the flea markets, thrift/consignment shops, craigslist.org (check tools and farm & garden), most antique shops ask way too much money for tools. You can find great tools for less than $20 most of the time.

I just got a Woodings-Verona Tool Works government marked 4lbs head for $6, and the hatchet I am cleaning up (posted here too) I paid $3 for.


-Xander
 
Hello Knifenut, I buy all my axes and hatchets at yards sales and junk shops for basically nothing. Antiques shops are usually more expensive but sometimes they just make bigger mistakes than the junk shops. Take a new file along to check the edge.
Here's a link to information on the old makers that will help if the axes is marked. Good hunting.
http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears Tools/Home.html

Regards

Robin
 
Thank you, fast14riot & pipeman.

I'm getting the impression that there is a certain lust for older axes? Makes me think the top end axes are more of a luxury item, like a sebenza of axes?
 
Go with the Gransfors. Not sure what bowie you have but generally speaking a Gransfors is about the same price. Most people think of Gransfors as too expensive and when compared to Fiskars and the like yeah it's expensive but compared to some of the knives people buy, it's pretty reasonable. Size is up to you and how much you wanna pack. I personally have no need for anything bigger then a hatchet. Weight wise that is.
 
If you want to pack it along I would be interested in something in a small forest axe size of Gransfors Bruks or Wetterlings. they ought to be found under you price line.
 
A good hawk made in the old style, like a trade axe or a nice small hatchet will weigh less than a big chopper(knife)..
You can find an old Plumb,Bluegrass,Kelly or the like and it will do everything a new far more expensive axe will do and for a fraction of the price..gransfors are nice, it all depends on what you want in the end..
 
I had a very similar experience. After which, I ran out and bought a Cold Steel Trail Hawk and a Trail Boss. The Hawk was too light weight to penetrate and part of the head that goes around the handle was too abruptly thick to penetrate well. The Trail Boss did much better but in the long term cross cutting was very difficult and splitting got harder and harder over time because of the weight. That doesn't even take into account the fact that it was pretty heavy and unruly to pack in and out. All this being said, I went back to the big knife. Please don't tell me that the GB or Wett would have made that big a difference in one trip; I am an idiot and I just won't believe you :)
 
Kentucky said:
A good hawk made in the old style, like a trade axe or a nice small hatchet will weigh less than a big chopper(knife)..
You can find an old Plumb,Bluegrass,Kelly or the like and it will do everything a new far more expensive axe will do and for a fraction of the price..gransfors are nice, it all depends on what you want in the end..
Click to expand...

Actually that's part of my reasoning for looking into a axe. I brought along a Scrapyard Regulator, scrapper 5, CS Vietnam tomahawk, and my ZT0551. I found my hawk with a thinned edge to chop waaaaay better than the convexed Reg and my S5 is a great blade but the ZT was more than enough knife for everything the hawk or axe couldn't do. After seeing what that small hawk could do it dawned on me that a medium sized axe could replace my large blades, be more practical, and obviously far more effective.

I think I'll start with cheap and work my way to higher end/price axes. Keep the suggestions coming though, never too many options :)
 
The hatchet is a nice one and the reviews are good but a little too small for what I need. I see they have something like a small forest axe, guessing that one would be just as good? Equal quality across the product line?
 
Try it out, what the heck. Then come back and write a review of it. That's a big part of what we're all about here.
 
I think the hatchet would outchop a 7" bowie, but if you want something bigger, the next step up is the SFA or the equivalent Wetterlings. Not too many choices in that size for now, but I'm sure there will be more as Bushcrafting takes off.

For me, I would go with a hatchet or tomahawk, then bypass the SFA size to the Boy's Axe or Hudson Bay Axe.
 
I love my GB small forest AX, It splits so much easier than buttoning with a knife, and it came so sharp it's great for carving, and it's light enough in the hand to do many tasks a large knife is suitable for, plus the steel they use is so easy to sharpen, you can keep it razor sharp easily.
P5080237.jpg



However, if you are going to use it for Chopping, the Ax doesn't come close to the saw, especially for larger logs, imagine chopping down this tree with that Ax. it wasnt that easy even with the saw


P5080232.jpg
 
Sheckey said:
I had a very similar experience. After which, I ran out and bought a Cold Steel Trail Hawk and a Trail Boss. The Hawk was too light weight to penetrate and part of the head that goes around the handle was too abruptly thick to penetrate well. The Trail Boss did much better but in the long term cross cutting was very difficult and splitting got harder and harder over time because of the weight. That doesn't even take into account the fact that it was pretty heavy and unruly to pack in and out. All this being said, I went back to the big knife. Please don't tell me that the GB or Wett would have made that big a difference in one trip; I am an idiot and I just won't believe you :)
Click to expand...
By penetrate you mean splitting? This is a methodology problem. Hawks are not good splitters on large rounds. They do okay but aren't great. When hiking/camping you don't need large rounds usually and that's not what you should go after with a hawk. Think rounds as thick as your forearm. Hawks are good at splitting them and you split them from the side, not the end. As for cutting cross grain, someone on the forums said it best. "Cutting cross grain is for suckers."
 
Slider817 said:
I love my GB small forest AX, It splits so much easier than buttoning with a knife, and it came so sharp it's great for carving, and it's light enough in the hand to do many tasks a large knife is suitable for, plus the steel they use is so easy to sharpen, you can keep it razor sharp easily.
P5080237.jpg



However, if you are going to use it for Chopping, the Ax doesn't come close to the saw, especially for larger logs, imagine chopping down this tree with that Ax. it wasnt that easy even with the saw


P5080232.jpg
Click to expand...
Couple of things here. First you need a longer saw for rounds that big. It'll make it easier. I would personally use the axe on that tree over the saw you have pictured. It may take longer but I bet I would expend less energy. Second, he wants an axe for camping. What kind of camping do you guys do that you need logs that big? Bonfire much? :D
 
Yup. Not to mention that lugging an axe that size around all day is nobody's idea of a fun time.
 
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