gransfors bruks hunter's axe.

[JV3]

everytime i see someone looking for advice on which gb to buy it's inevitable that the small forest axe gets the recommendation...a distant second is the scandinavian forest axe (nematocyst and santacruz awhile back came up with the "scfa" shorthand so let's call it that). the hunter's axe never gets mentioned even though it's a lot closer to the sfa in size and weight than the scfa...i figured i'd find out first hand which is better so i bought both the sfa and hunter's.


the hunter's axe.

...knurled handle that's only on the lower 1/3rd of the handle.

...the hunter's rounded poll next to the wildlife hatchet's poll (the scfa and the sfa's poll looks the same as the wildlife's).

i'm not a hunter (i'd like to hunt someday but haven't gotten around to it) so i didn't buy the hunter for the rounded poll/skinning but rather for the drastically different
handle shape compared to the sfa and scfa.

the hunter's handle is pretty straight and has a very hand-filling oval shape (the cross section) compared to the sfa & scfa's tear drop shape.

my first impression is this is by far the most comfortable handle to choke up on and do feathersticks out of all the gb axes i own (the others are wildlife, sfa, & scfa). the sfa and scfa's tear drop shape i find it creates a hotspot with my fingers.

also, opposite the pointy end of the tear-drop shape there's the hump on the sfa and scfa that creates a hotspot on my hand's webbing when choking up on that doesn't exist in the hunter's axe.

this is the first axe that i don't feel the need to carry a belt knife for feathersticks since it does it so well...feels very knife-like when choking up so it feels very comfortable to use to start a fire from chopping all the way to just before lighting the tinder.

 

[JV3]

sfa on top, hunter's below.

clearly a much bigger difference than just the polished poll of the hunter's axe: different head shape and weight. also, the hunter's handle is slightly shorter and shaped very differently.

the hunter's axe (middle) is closer to the wildlife hatchet (bottom) than to the sfa.

the sfa (middle) is closer to the scandinavian forest axe (top) than to the hunter's.

scfa and sfa.

hunter's and wildlife hatchet.

the pic's angle is weird but all the axes' handles' pommels are lined up.

my first impression is that the hunter's axe is a better design than the sfa...but if i can only have one axe i'll pick the scandinavian...two? i'll add the wildlife hatchet.

 

[JV3]

took a day hike last week to do an in-the-woods chop off...the full trip report here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1123798-another-day-hike-axe-chop-off.

used this roughly 6" diameter dead fall (i think it's oak)...these two axes made me miss my scandinavian forest axe but my ocd wants a size between it and the wlidlife hatchet though...hence this chop off.

prior to this trip, the hunter's axe was ahead but chopping this log evened things out...the sfa's longer handle, heavier head, and mostly that hook-shaped pommel area felt better/more secure for me when i really wailed on it and put all my power into the chop.

i checked, both my legs are still intact and no blood anywhere (kidding...i followed proper axe technique and was kneeling down the whole time)...round two!

...i still preferred the sfa over the hunter when it came down to pure chopping.

time to try the smaller stuff...held this piece vertical with one-hand (to prevent the axe from hitting the ground) and chopped one-handed...this is when the hunter's handle design shines - single-hand use like the wildlife hatchet but more power.

...splitting was about even.

when it came time to use the axe one-handed while holding the wood with the other hand to split kindling-size (see ray mears' axe video on the technique) then the hunter started to inch ahead again.

...and the hunter's more knife-like handle ergonomics pulls away when it came time to doing feathersticks...despite their similar handle length/head weight specs, they're very different axes in my experience...what i found is that for pure chopping and a belt knife to do the finesse stuff, i'll take the sfa...paired up with a folding saw and/or no knife at all, i'll take the hunter's axe.

 

[JV3]

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[JV3]

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[lmalterna]

JV3,
First class review as always. The comparison pics really do the job. I had the SFA for years, my wife bought me a SCFA not knowing how similar the two are. So I sold the SFA and intend to buy the Wildlife. The Mini has tempted me but I think it will be something in the future.
Thanks,
Bill

 

[eomeo]

Thanks for showing this. It is really interesting to see the details of each handle.

 

[erik the red]

Thanks for the detailed side x side pics. Should help more than a few future Gransfors purchasers. :thumbup:

 

[upnorth]

I was aware of the rounded poll on the Hunter's a few years ago and it kind of turned me off. My sfa has turned out to be one of my favorite tools, functionally and aesthetically. Thanks for the pics, it really clarifies the differences between these tools.

 

[KuRUpTD]

Nice collection of GB's bro , I must admit I'm a little envious ... now stop showing off

I can't take it anymore.

 

[HornyToad]

I liked the hunter's axe but the price was significantly higher than your other three axes. I bought the wildlife, SFA and the mini (before the price really went up). I did not realize that the hunter's axe may be thought of as a long handled wildlife rather than a SFA with a different haft.

 

[Mastalerz]

Thanks for the review, been looking for a new axe. Great information!

 

[jbob24]

Very cool review, I picked up a Hunters Axe a few months back but haven't had the opportunity to use it yet

It's with my father in Colorado on his annual elk hunt... I may not get it back

 

[mewolf1]

Nice review. The hunter is on my list for my next GB. I have the sfa and the small splitter.
I can't say enough good about the small splitter; comes sharp as any ax, chops well and splits
better than any splitting maul I've ever used. Small and light enough to take on most outings.

 

[trailbum]

JV3 great review and thanks for all the picks.
I really like the wildlife hatchet.

 

[upnorth]

Nice review. The hunter is on my list for my next GB. I have the sfa and the small splitter.
I can't say enough good about the small splitter; comes sharp as any ax, chops well and splits
better than any splitting maul I've ever used. Small and light enough to take on most outings.

Thanks for the impressions on the small splitter, I read this with interest. I only have two decent axes, a Wett. small axe, which I use as a hatchet, and the G.B. Small Forest. I am now seeing that I am being silly with them. They are my ''good axes'' and are kept tucked away for trips to the Boreal, which are not often now due to relocation. And my hawks and trunk beater axe split all our camp fire wood in a local regional park. The warden and I get yearly passes and go out all the time. The parks people chain saw up dead and damaged trees and leave it in designated wood dumps. Many times I have seen rounds slathered in the mud and crushed with sand\pebble filled ends. There was no way that I would put a decent tool through that crap. So the axes sat gathering dust. No more. I'll use them as they were meant to be and get past this silliness. I can use alternate splitting methods to avoid the rock filled ends that I find now and then. It is time to use these tools regularly, as I wish to.

 

[JV3]

JV3,
First class review as always. The comparison pics really do the job. I had the SFA for years, my wife bought me a SCFA not knowing how similar the two are. So I sold the SFA and intend to buy the Wildlife. The Mini has tempted me but I think it will be something in the future.
Thanks,
Bill

thanks, bill! i really like the wildlife - surprisingly powerful for such a light head and overall small size. i tried a friend's mini a few weeks ago and i'm pretty sure i'm not buying one. it's too small and light that it felt like chopping with a 5" knife - i really had to power swing it instead of using the head's weight to do the work.

i have an overnighter scheduled in two weeks and will put both head to head. 2-3 friends will be there too to do the same and i'll report back which came out ahead in pure chopping.

Thanks for showing this. It is really interesting to see the details of each handle.

you're welcome!

Thanks for the detailed side x side pics. Should help more than a few future Gransfors purchasers. :thumbup:

you're welcome!

I was aware of the rounded poll on the Hunter's a few years ago and it kind of turned me off. My sfa has turned out to be one of my favorite tools, functionally and aesthetically. Thanks for the pics, it really clarifies the differences between these tools.

you're welcome! it's hard to capture the hunter's more rounded/hand-filling handle so i suggest if you can go and handle it in person.

Nice collection of GB's bro , I must admit I'm a little envious ... now stop showing off

I can't take it anymore.

thanks, bro! you know you can always check them out - i'm in harriman frequently enough...gotta drag riley and tonym for another overnighter!

I liked the hunter's axe but the price was significantly higher than your other three axes. I bought the wildlife, SFA and the mini (before the price really went up). I did not realize that the hunter's axe may be thought of as a long handled wildlife rather than a SFA with a different haft.

yup! the hunter definitely has that bigger wildlife hatchet feel to it and in a good way...for me the rounded handle shape and slightly lighter head equates to a better balanced feel especially using it one-handed.

Thanks for the review, been looking for a new axe. Great information!

you're welcome! it'll be put on a head to head chop off in two weeks - i'll report back which i and my friends prefer.

Very cool review, I picked up a Hunters Axe a few months back but haven't had the opportunity to use it yet

It's with my father in Colorado on his annual elk hunt... I may not get it back

thanks! since i'm not a hunter yet i have no use for the rounded poll...will your father use it to skin the elk? i'd be curious how well it works.

Nice review. The hunter is on my list for my next GB. I have the sfa and the small splitter.
I can't say enough good about the small splitter; comes sharp as any ax, chops well and splits
better than any splitting maul I've ever used. Small and light enough to take on most outings.

thanks! i like the looks of that splitter, but too bad i don't have a fireplace so no real excuse for me to try one.

JV3 great review and thanks for all the picks.
I really like the wildlife hatchet.

thanks! i like the wildlife hatchet - surprisingly a lot of power for such a light package. i tried my friend's widlife on an overnighter 3 weeks ago and it was actually the one that started my gb buying spree...having tried his mini a few weeks ago i knew i won't go smaller than the wildlife and not bigger than my scandinavian so between those two extremes the only thing left in the middle are the sfa and hunter.

Thanks for the impressions on the small splitter, I read this with interest. I only have two decent axes, a Wett. small axe, which I use as a hatchet, and the G.B. Small Forest. I am now seeing that I am being silly with them. They are my ''good axes'' and are kept tucked away for trips to the Boreal, which are not often now due to relocation. And my hawks and trunk beater axe split all our camp fire wood in a local regional park. The warden and I get yearly passes and go out all the time. The parks people chain saw up dead and damaged trees and leave it in designated wood dumps. Many times I have seen rounds slathered in the mud and crushed with sand\pebble filled ends. There was no way that I would put a decent tool through that crap. So the axes sat gathering dust. No more. I'll use them as they were meant to be and get past this silliness. I can use alternate splitting methods to avoid the rock filled ends that I find now and then. It is time to use these tools regularly, as I wish to.

good to hear you'll be putting them to use more often!

 

[mewolf1]

QUOTE=JV3thanks! i like the looks of that splitter, but too bad i don't have a fireplace so no real excuse for me to try one.

Saves on batoning

 

[Brad "the butcher"]

Picked up a gransfors hunter a couple months ago returned to lee valley with a little damage to the top edge and initials on the bottom handle and sheath in sharpie for sub 100$ canadian!!!

5 minutes with a file and ceramic and its good to go.

I have the wetterlings hunters version and it has been a great tool for 5 or so years, fit and finish is better on the gransfors and diff handle as OP compared to wildlife sfa etc.

Gonna put it through some work this year and compare the two.

BTW the Husquavarna small splitting axe is a great splitter if looking for a cheaper alternative, does not have the steel collar but has special wide cheeks with an airspace before the head to really pop it open.

Made by wetterlings, its my new car camping axe.

Upnorth....beat em, their axe's and can take it.

 

[Brad "the butcher"]

Double post