Gransfors Bruks: Scandinavian or Small Forest Axe?

I don't have a Scandi to compare them, but I certainly love my small forest axe. Small enough to carve and shape, big enough to take on decent-sixed wood. For a hiking/packing/general use axe, it's awesome. I have zero regrets buying it, it's certainly not a waste of money in my opinion. I also have some vintage axes and I love them as well, but they take some work generally to find, clean, sharpen, rehandle, etc. But if you're in the market for a GB, you probably already know what you want and why. I'd say the small forest axe is definitely a great choice (especially if size and weight are a factor). I have a Norlund about the size of the Scandi, and it's awesome and I really like the size. But...I wouldn't want to hike with it due to it's length.
 
I appreciate the input on axe restoring, but I haven't the time for builds so I'll be going with the Gransfors. Probably the small forest axe after hearing all this good press.
 
I'll have to wait for after the holidays (too many kids to buy for) but will definately update everyone once I decide.
 
I own the Scandinavian forest axe and I love it when I camp I find its worth the small bit of extra weight and it fits on the side of my pack just fine. I like the extra length if you ever need the extra leverage its nice to have it.
 
I too would go for the Scandinavian Forest Axe, between the 2 you specified. I like the extra handle length and it really doesn't amount to a huge weight penalty. But lately I've been looking hard at the Wetterlings Forester's Fine axe (someone posted one earlier in this thread). I love the idea of a lighter head on a longer handle, and the carpenter-shape head looks very very handy. My only fear is the QC of Wetterlings seems to be a bit off lately. I've read a few reports of edges chipping (the first gen Les Stroud Bushman axe had this problem), and heads hung wrong, and for an axe that costs north of $120, that is not acceptable to me. I think GB as a brand is a very safe choice, and I've never heard anyone say they were disappointed with their SFA
 
Yea, I decided to scale down my axe by half for most camping and backcountry hunting foraging trips. I still have the american felling axe, but the fine forester is a great alternative. The quality issues I've seen online, but never in person. A few smoke jumper friends turned me onto the idea of carrying them. Fits right on the side of my bag.

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B34NS said:
Yea, I decided to scale down my axe by half for most camping and backcountry hunting foraging trips. I still have the american felling axe, but the fine forester is a great alternative. The quality issues I've seen online, but never in person. A few smoke jumper friends turned me onto the idea of carrying them. Fits right on the side of my bag.

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Well, this is the only encouragement I need right here. I also found the video review done by E2E very convincing. I just wish I had a stocking dealer around here. I hate buying this kind of stuff online, I really need to examine it before I buy. I might be a little OCD. Yeah, a little:rolleyes:
 
Unless you're really bent on ounces and portability, I'd go for the Scandinavian since it'd be more efficient and safer than the small forest ax. There's a 6 inch half pound difference between them.
 
raindog101 said:
Well, this is the only encouragement I need right here. I also found the video review done by E2E very convincing. I just wish I had a stocking dealer around here. I hate buying this kind of stuff online, I really need to examine it before I buy. I might be a little OCD. Yeah, a little:rolleyes:
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I hear that! Everyone's use cases will be different, just my take after trying a bunch of things on the market. The GFB axes in question are both great. It comes down to your handle length needs. 8oz isn't what I'd really call a difference.

Look forward to that follow up tiogatires when the time comes!
 
B34NS said:
Yea, I decided to scale down my axe by half for most camping and backcountry hunting foraging trips. I still have the american felling axe, but the fine forester is a great alternative. The quality issues I've seen online, but never in person. A few smoke jumper friends turned me onto the idea of carrying them. Fits right on the side of my bag.

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Cool, I haven't heard the term smoke jumper for some time now. Very neat that it came up on my thread. I had the chance to join back in the day when they were looking for folks up in Alaska. I was stationed there for a few years and when I was out processing Ft. Wainwright, they asked if I had any interest since I met many of the requirements.... I was young and missed my girlfriend too much..... DOH!

thanks for bringing back some cool memories.
 
Nice! That's some tough lonely work! One I grew up with served under the 101, then did contracting before moving onto it. My buddies since moved to the yosemite valley this year, which was pretty intense on it's own! Especially with how dry everything has been out here, they've been busy! Glad to bring up great memories!
 
Camber said:
TT,

I don't know how much you're looking to spend, or how fast you want the axe, but I would at least take a look at Brent Bailey's work and also contact Med Chandler of Ship's Coy Forge. They will be more expensive (well maybe not Med), but you could have something custom built.

Again, I do understand if it's not something you're interested in, but just thought I would throw it out there.
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I respectfully disagree. Gransfors Bruks (GB) has a huge selection of axes and hatchets. They are the best in the world, and while not an impossibility I would think it very difficult for the laymen to think they know better than a manufacturer who has been hand making axes for over a century. Kind of like those blokes who use to try modify Mercedes Benz AMG's. No offence, but stop splitting hairs. One should choose the closest GB axe for his needs, like I have. He wont regret it :D
 
I was in the same boat as you. Went with the SFA and love it.
Packs easy and I have no issues using the axe of its size.
 
Since I chimed in earlier (i.e. last year:D), I've gotten rid of my Small Forest Axe. I found it to be too much of a tweener, and I was reaching for my Boy's Axe for the heavy-duty wood processing, and my Wildlife Hatchet for when I wanted to go light, and was carrying another knife, and a folding saw. The Small Forest Axe just got left out of the rotation too much. And I hate keeping a fine tool like that, if it wasn't going to get used. But I'm very happy with my system right now. And the Wildlife Hatchet, with it's smaller size, is easier for the novice (my 10 year old daughter) to use, so there's that.
 
I am not some type of lumberjack or whoop-de-doo axe man. All I have are a common mans impressions of these tools...from actual use. Top to bottom, left to right. Wetterlings Scandinavian forest axe.... heavier head, thicker handle, feels robust and splits well. Good all rounder to me, but leans to the slightly heavier end of scale. Husqvarna Traditional multi purpose axe, much lighter in weight than the Wetterlings, nice chopper, average splitter. A really light weight full sized axe to pack in somewhere. Hultafors 2 pound head medium axe, feels compact and very robust also, another one with a thicker handle, feels like a little tank, splits and chops well with its size restrictions, or benefits, as you see fit. G. Bruks small forest axe, yes all the hoopla is real and it is good, but it is quite restricted in splitting, sweet chopper though, I use it more for smaller diameter wood. Husqvarna hatchet (you get the Huskies from a dealership), sweet hatchet, decent weight head and robust handle, not heavy, but not wimpy either, its a good one. Wetterlings #106, sweet small, very lightweight, not much inertia to bite hard but it is a little wood scalpel, I like it a lot, more of a kindling to light limb processor. Fiskars X7 hatchets and the X25 splitter, nothing bad to say about them, decent tools, lifetime warranty if you bust the handle, hatchets weigh nothing, the 25 has real weight and splits very well.....I had a few Cold Steel hatchets floating around but cant find all, likely in a trunk or something. These are just My impressions, others will likely vary. My pick of the litter ? The Hultafors as a smaller, robust size restricted chopper/splitter and more heavy duty than the Bruks small forest, I'd take the Hult. The Wetterlings Scandinavian and X25 for heavier work, with the large Husqvarna coming in reasonably close, but with a lighter head. The big Husky is a lot of axe for very little weight. My choice if I had to hump a full size, or near full, for some distance. B.T.W. the Huskies have heads contracted out to the same famous Swedish axe maker that Hultfors comes from and they are half the price of the big Swedish names.

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nice collection, upnorth! is that a cold steel frontier tomahawk? if you like it i suggest trying an h&b forge shawnee - a little heavier head and to me a better designed handle (tear drop as opposed to oblong which resists twisting in the hand better especially with one-handed)...that would round out your collection nicely.
 
JV3 said:
nice collection, upnorth! is that a cold steel frontier tomahawk? if you like it i suggest trying an h&b forge shawnee - a little heavier head and to me a better designed handle (tear drop as opposed to oblong which resists twisting in the hand better especially with one-handed)...that would round out your collection nicely.
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Thanks, I will take it into consideration. It's funny, I never had any intention of having an axe or knife ''collection''. It just seems to happen, as I'm sure it does to most of us. I still might grab one of those ''carpenters'' and ''small wood splitter'' axes. For me they are toys as much as tools so I don't really need much justification, lol. It's all about having fun right ? :)
 
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