I should confess that I am an axe collector. But the obsession aside (a benign obsession in my view) the GB brand of axe has reached a sort of cult status in some circles, especially the bushcraft crowd. And yes, I own a number of GB axes. It should be noted however that the GB is designed specifically for the hardwood forests of Sweden and surrounding areas and may not (will not) work satisfactorily in all areas. In my part of the world where hardwoods reach specific gravities of over 80 and go as high as 1.0 the GB axe's grind and shape is woefully inadequate. One needs a more robust grind slope and over-all contour. Otherwise, the blade just gets stuck or bounces off when angled. Bottom line is you must choose an axe appropriate to your surroundings, i.e., habitat. That's why so many different axe head designs existed 150 years ago. People who depended on their axe quickly learned the need to customize their axe head shape to the types of hardwoods in their area.
Do some experimenting. Talk to others in your area but don't just talk to one person. That would be a bad idea. Eliminate underlying prejudices and opinions by taking a survey instead of consulting just one "expert."
Some places you won't even need an axe. You might find a machete (there are many different designs there too) will work better; or a good quality folding saw might work better than either an axe or machete.
And then you just might be a fellow like me who falls in love with axes of varying persuasions, old pocket knives, beautifully stocked classic firearms, and brunettes with milky white skin and green eyes.
