On my last 2 guided hunts, the guides used hunting axes. I was impressed with their utility and handiness. As I am planning on an unguided moose hunt next fall, I think I need one of my own. Anyone care to comment on best combination of handle length, head size, favorite manufacturer? Is it advisable to track down an older one? Is there a good one still made in the USA?

Gransfor Buk (hope I spelled that right) has a high reputation here. Just got one of their hatchets for a friends Christmas present and you could shave with it. Definitely a true piece of art. Sage Creek Outfitters. They are not cheap so be prepared for a little sticker shock. TM

Check out Sage Creek Outfitters and look at the Gransfors Bruk line. They're the best. I have the small forest axe, but all are handy. Ask for Scott he'll do ya right.

Ditto, ditto......

1

I skinned a few Bucks with my baby GB,just for curiousity.

One can palm it Ulu-esque and it worked nicely.

Will be curious to try it fleshing Spring Bears...........

If you buy the Gb you'll want to reprofile the edge for a more obtuse angle. Moose bone will do a number on the factory edge.GB is great for wood cutting from the factory, bone is a different story.

This is the little Wetterlings hunter's axe I carry on long trips in the woods. You would be amazed at the edge it will take, and hold.

Wetterlings Axe

Had no trouble,with either of my GB's on Mooses,Deerses or Bearses.

I like the story...................

I am partial to the Marble's belt hatchet. It don't split kindlin' as good as the GB, but I thinks it is better balanced and skins better...... Pictured with a full-sized Vaughn riggin' axe(now retired to a pack pannier) and my Dozier knives for scale. Works most dandily for choppin' elk to quarters.....

Aren't the new Marbles axe's now stamped "MADE IN CHINA?" That'll turn me off about everytime. Love the Dozier's btw. Let's see, Slim Outdoorsman and Pro Guides Knife, correct?

Yup on the doziers. The hatchet is American made. You can still find 'em on ebay and a couple knife outfits. Don

If you want one of the all time best hunting hatchets around, buy yourself a Ruana, out of Bonner, Montana.

You can't go wrong.

L.W.

A nice combo Huntsman 22.....Doziers are hard to beat as well as your hatchet choice......good taste!

Yep, the new ones are stamped "CHINA." The stamping is very discreet, and could likely be buffed out, but I still don't like it. The head design is slightly different than the Gladstones also. I'd definitely save up the them intead.

I have a Marble's belt axe made in Gladstone, not china. Bought it several years ago.

Don

i went to a store that carried the gransfors bruks line in stock to do a hands on evaluation...

the same store also carries the full line of estwing axes and tools...

estwing's smallest hatchet and gransfors bruks' smallest are about identical for size and weight... that's where the similarities end...

the G.B. comes with a sharper edge. a small advantage... it had what appeared to be a hardwood stick for a handle, secured with a poorly fit wooden wedge... if i owned one i'd have to change the handle before i attempted to use it...
OTOH the handle can be replaced...

the estwing feels better in my hand, looks to be more durable, and as per my experience with my estwing standard hatchet, will easily take an edge to equal the G.B. .... the handle is an integrally forged extension of the head... the grip is of compressed leather washers... if the handle breaks, the unit is scrap metal...
before the day of the nail gun though, estwing hammers with the same handle design were common, and maybe even prevalent on a lot of carpenters belts... never saw one break...
my own standard estwing hatchet i have had as long as i've been married... (that's a really long time ) it appears to be as solid as the day that i bought it... (thats pretty solid)

briefly, i compared their larger axes, too...
the G.B.s get better with size...
i would roughly rate the their quality and useability as equal and maybe a tad better as compared to the estwing standard hatchet, which in size, i would judge to be somewhere in between G.B.s wildlife hatchet, and their hunters ax...

the estwing still looks pretty good, but the superiority in quality and usability that i perceived in the comparison of the smallest models was not there....
without calling them unbreakable, i do believe that the estwing handle is as bombproof as they come..... john w

Buy a Snow & Nealley Hudson Bay from ebay for $49.00. You'll be glad. Buying American Made products, put food on the tables of your fellow man.

got a hudsons bay... made in America, when it was America... a collins...

estwing is made in rockford, illinois... about 2 blocks from the hardware store where i made my comparison...
rockford is a good town to avoid... unless you are looking for tools or tooling... then they are just about the epicenter of the world.....

+1 on the Snow & Nealley. Great steel, and very good balance.

Still, I think the GB is a touch better overall... maybe more than a touch...

Either way, though, it wouldn't be a bad choice.

+1 for a Wetterling.

I have both GB and Wetterlings, but find that most people feel the GB is a better axe because of its reputation and the nicer finish. I like the Wetterling and think that it is really a better value, after all, an axe isn't any use unless you actually use it and who wants to baby a high priced axe? Kind of like actually hunting with a rifle that has a xxx grade piece of walnut for a handle, you spend more time watching where you put the stock than you do watching for game.

BTW, my Wetterling took and held a razor sharp edge at least as well as any axe I've ever seen and better than most.

Jeff

Hard to baby something,that's made for hacking/chopping.

I do baby my Stroax's though,in comparison,but only because there ain't no more.

As an aside,Collins is [bleep]..................

Hmmmm, Is that why there is rust spots on mine?? Even the Dozier gots some. I even like them shiney. But snow, rain and long way from oil happens.....Don

I swung an axe for 20yrs,at work. Collins is [bleep],due to materials,heat treat,profile,poll shape and the smell.

If you'd ever seen a Stroax,you'd know...less having to even touch it.

NO comparison...................

I've seen several guys who had GBs and wouldn't use them, maybe too expensive to actually use? Looked great hanging next to the LL Bean pack basket and Johnson Woolens plaid hunting jacket in the mud room though. I used the crap out of my GB Forest Axe before I realized that it was too good to actually use.

Jeff

I use the [bleep] outa my GB axes, hatchets and maul. They are worth every extra penny over the cost of comparably sized Wetterlings, to me. Very little difference, if any, in the quality of the steel, itself, but I've found the GB's to be at another level in most other respects, as a rule.

One area where both brands sometimes fall short, though, is in the quality of the wood. GB handles are better shaped, and better finished, and are attached more solidly, and usually are in better alignment with the head, IME, but that's not what I'm talking about. I've seen plenty of examples from both makers that have horizontal, or nearly horizontal grain, which ain't good. Some handles are partly or completely made from the dark brown heartwood (brittle [bleep]), and some handles have knots that are big enough to worry a reasonable man.

Gr�nsfors and Wetterlings axes are mentioned here. There is a clear differences in quality: Gr�nsfors has much better product control. Here in Sweden where both brands are made, Gr�nsfors has a clearly higher price but also a solid reputation.

As the Wetterlings are half the price, I once went to buy one. I picked one from the shelter, took a look at it and put it aside. Having examined an entire dozen in the shop, I left without buying. They were all squint-eyed and warped - none had the edge in line with the handle. That's remarkable bad, but maybe they have some export series which are better controlled - your positive judgements indicate that.

Another fine axe is Fiskars, which is sold by Gerber in America. It is an unkonventional construktion with a fiberglass handle, but it is a tough thing that can take brutal misuse. It is also well balanced ard free from warp. I've got one in the garage for chopping fire wood, and it is a superb tool.

http://www.gerbergear.com/product.php?model=5907

Pete

I've been following this post with interest. I never carry an axe hunting although I have used one in camp but find a bow saw more useful. Are you gentlemen discussing an axe for camp or are you carrying one while hunting?

+1

In fact, they seem to be optimized for use on softwoods. I even reprofile the edge to a slightly more obtuse angle for use on hardwoods.

I think the original poster is interested in using the axe to reduce a moose to smaller pieces, in the field, and for other utilitarian purposes, as well. Personally, I keep my hatchet/axe in camp, because I don't like toting that extra weight around with me.

Over the years, I've had dozens of axes and hatchets. The Fiskars version of the Gerber that Leverpete is showing is the one that I use the most around my yard and house. It's unbreakable and after the cutting edge is thinned back, it cuts like a demon. Here's a very good review of the Gerber/Fiskars by Cliff Stamp:

Fiskars Sport Hatchet Review


Gerber also has a smaller version called a Back Paxe that looks equally interesting; it's less than 9 inches long and weighs about 1lb. 3oz.




You can't go wrong buying a Gransfors Bruks axe or hatchet, those that buy them are generally quite satisfied. As several others have said though, cosmetics aside, the Wetterlings are the cutting equal of the GB's at about half the price.

Another very high quality line of axes rarely seen in stores is the Iltis Ox-Head brand. These are made in Germany of the finest tool steel and look more like traditional American axes. Ox-Head makes a small hatchet that is a real beauty for about $50.00:



My current preference is to find old axes made back in the heyday of American manufacturing. Axes and hatchets by Norlund, W.C. Kelly, Jamestown, and yes, even Collins, are some of my favorites. At one time, Collins made some of the finest axes available in this country. Back in the 1960's, they moved their tool production to Central and South America due to the popularity of what was at the time their mainstay, machetes. The Collins axes sold today are made in China, and are not worth a serious look.

This little Norlund double bit cruising axe is probably my favorite old axe:



It has a handle about 12" long and I keep one edge thin and razor sharp for chopping and the other edge is thicker for splitting. It's the perfect combination in one sweet little package.

A new hatchet that I've only read about may be a good all around tool and its shape may make it an excellent skinner.





It's made from 440C stainless and sold by Lee Valley Tool Co., for $136.00, a high price for the novelty if it's not utilitarian.

Finally, as for axes too pretty to use, there's a guy in Sweden that forges his own and one day, I'm going to have to buy one of these:

I have both of these axes and have been very pleased with them. They have held up well to some rather unfair abuse. That little Gerber Back Paxe is a super little hatchet for packing around.

WMacD,I like the looks of the Iltis,ox-head axe.Where did you buy it and do you have a link to that place?.Thanks.

hey stick,
you've probably got more time with an ax in your hand than the entire rest of the campfire assembled.....
still, if there aint no more stroax, (never heard of it till this thread) and the mini G.B. costs a bill+ now, is there any value to any of the American made tools??? specifically plumb, estwing, and vaughn???



i've seen what is marketed under the collins brand today and would not care to use one...
fwiw, i'd put an original collins up against anything ever made, size for size.... YMMV

i don't see ax making as rocket science, and i put no value on anything for the geographic placement of it's origins... fact is, though that anytime goods are imported that can be made as well here, their price goes up drastically... and often for no gain in aquired value..... john w

i can't see the value in a vanity ax.....

Oldjimbo's page has some good info.

Jaywalker

The Gransfors hunters hatchet has a polished and rounded poll which can assist with hide removal. This really works well..also the handle has ridges to keep it grippy when bloody. You really need to grind a courser micro-bevel on the edge as it will chip a bit on bone with the fine edge from the factory.

I have a bunch of GB's and they are all good. Will only buy a Wetterlings if I can sort through a bunch to buy the occasional properly set up one. The GB's are a great deal if you appreciate quality.

The key to carrying a hawk/hatchet is it must be small and light, otherwise it gets left in camp or the truck.
http://www.shrewbows.com/shrewhawk/

RWL
It would appear you have a vested interest in the success of this ax/company. It looks like you are selling them and yourself, yet you did not make it clear you had a fiduciary interest.
art

Sitka, I apologize if my post offended you. Since my web site is posted I didn't think anyone would think it was a vailed attempt to "hawk" my products. I was just stating what I like and what I use.

Wheather it be axes, knives or guns, everyone has an idea of what they like and what they use. I am no different than anyone else in that reguard. In the past on this forum I have given my opinion/indorsement on many products made by other companys/craftsmen as have most others that frequent here.

I think most of us are influenced by a product as it appears to us and not because of someone elses opinion of it, at least I'm that way.

Again I'm sorry you took offense to my post, I was going to remove it but the edit time has expired.

Have a Happy Holiday <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I'd be pizzed at being called fiduciary, mostly because I don't know what it means...............grin

+1 on the Finnish Fiskars/Gerbers. Art they are not but they do do utility well. Not sure I'd want to skin with one as they don't feel right to control and I'd probably rip even a moose hide to shreds - the steel is good and a knife edge easily possible (and longlasting.) My F/G is now costing me $1 and change per year to keep. I don't often use it while working an animal unless I get impatient @ -30 F and just want to get back to Dodge, but I do use it as an invaluable part of my hunting gear. It fits in a small pack and has saved my bacon numerous times in this roadless part of the world to make trails through stuff (alders), building bridges in portages, and platforms to get out of overflow. The handle, at first blush, seems to be a potential weakness, but no amount of chopping even at -30 F has shown that to be true. Art it isn't, but it is a tool of true worth in my book.

Well, it doesn't mean what was implied. A better choice of words would have been "financial" interest, and I accept R's explanation and don't see an ulterior profit motive.

Those little things are great, just don't hit your shin or your toes!

Regards, sse

Here's the Lee Valley "Beard axe" in action.
I have used it for several years. The holster is great, swivells with your body, and is well made.
it sits on my hunting belt, and whether splitting pelvis, sternum or cutting down brush, it is great.
I have skinned with it also.
Cat

hey 'hat?
that shootin' iron an MS?

YUP!
A departure nfrom my normal "single shots only" routine, but it is such a sweet handler with the 20" barrel that I can't resist sometimes! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
6.35 lbs., and super fast action, made in 1925.
8X56MS it is, and it wholloped that doe from 97 paces with a 175 grain Pro hunter that went out to .877+ in diameter after quartering through and busting the offside shoulder.
Sorry for the hijack, guys!
Cat

Here's a pic of me with a Vaughn riggin' axe form the mid 70's when I was still guiding.
I found them to be super tough, but also super hard to sharpen!
Used it for everything, including cribbing basements and framing in the off season, also....
Cat

cat, they aren't hard to sharpen. Just sit down and pedal.......

Kinda hard to pack to elk camp, tho. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I sharpen all my axes and hatchets on 'er and finish on a hand stone. A good tool is never obsolete. The electic jobbies are faster, tho. Don

Cool rig!

All my stuff was sharpened at home also, but when you are out for weeks, or like on the trapline (months) , unless a special trip was mmade to bring in a rig like that, it is hhand stones, for sure!
My brother has electricity at hhis new placee, but in the 70's we flew in....
Cat