Grandsfors Bruks MINI hatchet

M

martin j

Joined
May 16, 2001
Messages
692
Hello- I am curious in GB Mini, for those of you who have them already what is advantages & disadvantages in comperison to medium fix blade (approximate 7- 8 inch blade) knife?
How does it compere to a hi-quality medium knife like a Camp Tramp for chopping( hard & soft woods).
Small hatchet like this looks good for kitchen / camp useage in "Ulu" style chocked up grip, is this true?
Thank you for your opinions
Martin
 
One more question, what is your preffered methode for sharpening & maintaiining your ax blade at home and in the field ?
Thank you
Martin
 
Starting with your last question, care and feeding:

As with any convexed edge, you will want to strop it (i.e. edge trailing strokes) on a surface that will give a little to follow the contour of the edge. Either a charged leather strop or abbrasives in conjunction with a backing (Sand Paper and mouspad). Do not put too much pressure on the edge or it will become too rounded or roll. See Buzzbait's website for an excellent convex sharpening tutorial. I don't have the URL at hand, but a search should turn it up in short order.

You will need to keep the head of your axe oiled when not in use, which is easy enough. This will prevent rust. If you sharpen your axe with a waxed based compound (Vertias compound from Lee Valley is an excellent choice), this will provide some protection as the residual wax will form a very thin coat on the steel.

Apply a coat of boiled linseed oil or tung oil once in a while to the wood handle.

As to the GB Mini-hatchet, I find it to be an excellent light tool. It is not a real substitute for a full size axe, but if the choice is between no chopping tool at all and GB Mini, the mini will obviously serve you well. It will allow you to have a chopping too when something bigger and heavier would have been left at home.

As far as comparison to knives, this is highly dependant on wood type and thickness. On thicker wood, where a long blade spreads out the impact energy, hatchets as a general rule will perform well because they concentrate the point of impact to a much smaller area (about 2.5" vs 7") and thus pentration improves.

As well, the GB Mini will clear chips when chopping much better than most mid size knives, and is not as prone to binding.

On soft, thin wood (say clear pine and alder under 3") the small hatchet loses much of its advantage over a suitable knife.

Of course, much of it depends on the knife you want to compare it to. I fid that I can get better chopping performance with the Mini than I can with a handle heavy or neuteral balanced 7" knife like the Ontario Rat, USMC K-Bar and the like. However, a more blade heavy knife designed with chopping capability in mind, i.e. the Busse #7, SRKW Camp Tramp and to a lesser degree the Becker BK7 will readily outchop the Mini in soft woods, and have very close performance in thick wood.

In order to outchop the best of the 7" class of knives you would have to move to a slightly larger hatchet like the GB Wildlife, which will outchop any 7" knife I have seen. In order to outclass the 10" class of knives you would have to go even larger, to the Small Forest axe. The SFA allows a 2 handed swing, has a much heavier head, longer handle for more leverage and head speed, etc.

However, when considering what tool is the best choice for outdoors use, you may want to look beyond pure chopping power. A large (7" and above) knife has a broader scope of functionality than a mini-hatchet. It is much easier to use as a draw knife for shaping wood, for light prying, as a small machete for gathering grasses for cordage, shelter and clothing insulation, any tasks that involve slicing where blade length is an advantage, etc.

It is also easier to split wood over 8-10" in length with a knife than a small hatchet. Once the hatchet head is sunk into the wood all the way, if the wood does not split, you hammer down on the shaft (which will soon break under such use), pull the head out of the log and try from the other end or from the side, or pick up the whol;e thing and slam the log down with the axe head still in it and try to split it that way, which is hard on the axe and potentially dangerous.

In contrast, length of the wood is not an issue with a knife assited by a baton, you simply keep whacking away until you are through the piece.

As well, a well built knife is more durable than an axe under extreme use. A good axe has a very thin ground edge (The GB mini edge is ground as thin as any knife you are likely to see) and whn damaged from hitting rocks, nails or other inclusions it fairly easy to damage. When an axe head gets a nick, you have to remove wuite a bit of metal to restore the edge and it will thicken up reducing functinoality, and requiring more metal to be removed. Also, a knife's metal tang is much more durable than the wood handle on an axe. With extended or extreme use axe handles will break or the heads loosen. Not so with a knife.

People will say that you can always carve yourself a new axe handle, and there is some merit to that. However even with a very high skill level, having to carve an axe handle out of seasoned wood and fit it to an axe is likely the last thing you want to be doing in an emergency, you will want your tool to function without failure.

In summary, the hatchet is likely a better chopping tool, but it is also more specialized. While a large knife may not chop as well it performs other functions better than a knife. Which is the better tool for you is really a choice only you can make after analyzing your needs.

I have both, enjoy both and use both. also, the above information is simply my opinion based on my use of the tools, with my strengths and weaknesses, skill level, techniques, etc. Other people will likely have some different opinions, and I am interested in hearing other peoples views and experiences, which is what learning is all about.
 
What is it about the mini that makes me want to throw it? ;)

Am I the only one?

I where overalls most of the time and that thing sits in the hammer loop like it was made that way. Its a great, versatile tool, and it screams self defense to me, which is after all survival:D

I think, as cool as it is, the wildlife would be my preference, but the mini means to hold its own. Enjoy it. Like most tools we pay a premium for, its screamin to be used.

As for fixed blades, there`s a ton of `em. What are you used to?

They both have there place, and cross over into each others territory in many ways. No way would that keep me from havin` both :D

Are you looking for "THE ULTIMATE WEAPON/TOOL/EDC/PRYBAR" that will circumcise a nat? Let me know when ya find it :D

Don`t mind me, 7 people in my home have strepp throat and I`m one of`em :grumpy:

My opinion fwiw:rolleyes: the chase is as much fun as the find(kill), enjoy your search. :)
 
The mini's a good one. I love that it just slips into my jacket or jeans pocket. It's a serious little tool for its size.
 
knifetester said:
In order to outclass the 10" class of knives you would have to go even larger, to the Small Forest axe.
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Really??? I am surprized the Wildlife hatched is outchopped by a 10" blade. Given that the Wildlife weights around the same as the average 10" bowie, if it can't out chop it, why bother with it at all? Seems like the large knife is the better tool if at the same weight it can outchop AND out slice.
 
Seems like the large knife is the better tool if at the same weight it can outchop AND out slice.
Click to expand...

Many people would agree with you on that. That is why many people advocate a large knife as an ideal survival tool, see posts by Ron Hood and Greg Davenport for example.

When considering the total range of tasks possible, the knife comes out ahead of the hatchet under most circumstances.

A hatchet is a much more specialized tool, optimized for chopping, the the poll can also serve as a hammer, just be careful not to deform the eye.

Only the best of the 10" class of knives will outchop a well sharpened GB hatchet, think ABS class bowies and the Swamp Rat Battle Rat, Ranger RD9, Busse Battle Mistress, etc.

More neuteral or handle heavy knives, such as the BK9 and Cold Steel Trailmaster will be futher behind.

Perhaps I should have defined the term "outclass" to be a large and significant difference, say 25-35% in performance.

This is all really dependant on the type and thickness of wood being chopped. ON really thick wood (Say anything over 8-10") the hatchet will readily outpace a large knife because of the increased penetration, as well as the hatchet generally being more fluid with less binding.

However, if you are chopping wood that large, you really want to be using a full size axe or a saw.

When you are tlaking about felling, bucking and moving wood that size, you are talking about a major job, not something you would be doing in a typical wilderness outing or a survival situation. Most shelters are built with much smaller wood, well under 4".

If you want to drag a 10" tree any distance you better have a team of strong men or horses as it will weigh several hundred pounds, depending on the type of wood and height of the tree of course.

A person may choose a hatchet simply because it is a legal tool to carry and a large knife may be considered a weapon. Thus, I can keep an axe in my car and a hatchet strapped to my pack without raising an eyebrow, but if I strapped a 10" knife to my pack on public land, I may wind up in the pokey.
 
Other factors come into play in the small axe vs. big knife debate.

If you are going to be in any area where politcal correctness is a factor, go with the axe. No cop on the planet is going to look at you thrice if you have an axe in a place where you legitimatley use it -- including in town as a "gardening tool" (machetes by the same tokenin some places). But, a big survival knife that screams "tactical" in the wrong place and the wrong time will get you rousted.
 
I stock and sell the Wetterling axes, basically the 3 small models. I researched them and read field tests, they got a great write up too and the only coment was that its a shame that it had to be pitted against the GB. Fit and finish are not as high on the Wetterlings but at around 1/3 the cost and 20 mins polishing up the roughness its a good buy for those that want a light small hatchet without having to spend too much.
 
as always, it comes down to what you need, what your specific uses will be...i used to carry a big knife but no longer, not after discovering GB. personally, i think a big knife is a "jack of all trades" that excels at nothing...you can do fine work with a big knife, but not as well as with a small knife...you can chop with a big knife, but not as well as with a hatchet.

i always hear "my big mutha of a knife outchops a hatchet." that's great, but try chopping with your big knife for 30 minutes and then decide if maybe you'd rather have a tool designed for chopping...you can chop with a big knife, but after a while it's MUCH more of a strain on the wrist and arm than a hatchet. if you're doing a lot of chopping NO knife is going to outperform a good hatchet, not when you factor in comfort and efficiency.

between my GB mini and a 5" fixed blade, i get everything i need done and done well...the 5" does things a big knife won't do well, as does the GB...i suppose if i had to choose JUST ONE tool, then i'd go with a big knife...but pound for pound, i'll take the GB mini and a medium-sized fixed blade anytime...throw a SAK into the mix and i've got it all...

i LOVE my GB mini...like any tool, if you know it well, use it a lot, you'll be surprised just how much you can do with it...it's my favorite tool ever, and i've got A LOT of tools!
 
Thank you for replies, liek many of you say I am interested because small hatchet is "sheeple freindly" - it does not attract attention like a big black bladed knife on trails or camping sites. I would pair it with a 4-5 in. fix blade so it does not need to do smaller knife chores. I look at Wetterling but they dont have something so small like GB mini, do they?
Thank you for informative replies!
Martin
 
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