Review: Gränsfors Bruk Scandinavian Forest Axe - Quality tool made in Sweden
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- Опубліковано 19 січ 2015
- ** Specifications **
Material: Unknown high carbon steel
Handle: Hickory
Overall length: 64 cm (25.2 in)
Edge length: 8.5 cm (3.35 in)
Weight: 1.2 kg (2.64 lbs)
** Pros / Cons **
+ Versatile design, applicable to a wide range of tasks
+ Comes with a shaving sharp edge and excellent edge geometry
+ Sturdy, tight fit
- The unpolished forged surface might not appeal to everyone?
(sorry, couldn't find any more significant negatives)
** Verdict **
This has shown me how a good axe is supposed to perform, after some underwhelming experiences with cheap "tactical" axes / tomahawks. It makes wood chopping, splitting, carving etc. both easy and fun. It's well made, easy to maintain, and hits hard. Well worth the money in my opinion.
Price: $100-140
** Where to find it **
In the USA:
omahaknife.com/gransfors.htm
In Canada:
www.canadianoutdoorequipment.c...
In the UK:
www.greenmanbushcraft.co.uk/cu...
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My favorite online store for buying swords (worldwide shipping):
ww4.aitsafe.com/go.htm?go=kult...
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Why is Skall chopping wood one of the most fun things to watch on UA-cam?
Alexandros Brightraven For some mysterious reason watching someone chop wood is always entertaining, no matter who does it. :)
***** idk i think its just you that makes it entertaining
Dylan Rankins I think that the fact it's not me doing the work makes it entertaining :)1
I would say that it is relaxing more then entertaining :) Used to chop wood every winter when I lived with my mom and dad, so relaxing is my personal opinion ^^
Foxer604 "...it's not me doing the work..."
You hit the proverbial nail on the head.
I am always very pleased with your reviews. You are very careful to be self aware when your opinion may be shaped by outside sources that not all consumers would have but are also not afraid to state them. In addition your academic approach to testing is much appreciated and welcome. When I am looking to by items of this nature or just want to browse what's out there, I watch your reviews. Keep up the awesome work!
Erin Tuncan Thanks for the positive feedback!
***** This is a little off topic but, in the past you have talked about exercise and physical fitness being something that you wanted to focus more heavily on. Well, it looks like you may have just found you workout routine. You were balls out with that ax, and I bet it was a pretty serious workout. Screw a gym, I want to get down with the Skallagim wood chopping exercise program to get in shape this year.
I actually worked in gränsfors bruk when i was a teen. Really awesome people there and its just quality everywhere. Nothing is spared. And the metal as you said is kinda "secret" at the place. All i know or heard over there is the metal they use is re-used metal from other stuff. But mostly from things that is long lasting and hard.
PrimyFritzellz Hey, Idk if you'd respond to a comment 3 years later but I was wondering about the tour of the place in Sweden. I found online that Gränsforse Bruk will teach you how to make one of their axes and also a log-house depending on what you pay, though much of this I can't really verify. Is this true and if so, where can I sign up for this?
"Long lasting and hard." ;)
Probably train rail steel
I have some one . Finnish ax - Fiskars. dug out of the ground. Lost in the war in 1939.Legend of Scandinavian axes I can give you as a gift!
Skall, your community demands a 10hr wood chopping video of you!
Calluth livestream.
i like how the axes from my country always get excellent reviews
we still got an military axe at home from when my dad was enscripted, no sharpening done in the last 30 years and it can still go through 15-30 cm (against the fibers, it goes to far to measure otherwise.) of the hardest wood we got nearby.
it got a new shaft of course
angrydragonslayer Your country and old culture is beautiful. I've always wanted to vacation there. I'm 29, and only just now making the kind of money that would, *maybe*, allow me to save up enough to go. My fear is the whole of Europe will so drastically change in the next 10 years that, by the time I have enough disposable income to do it, it will have been transformed into something else entirely. Very sad, but looking at birthrate data of natives vs immigrants, it looks like a real possibility. I'd only want to visit the rural areas, so hopefully they will stay relatively the same! haha
David McKee i'd expect it to be safe for another 5-8 at least, just avoid ghettos, alleys and beggars and you should be safe
well, that's the scenario today anyway
@@strat5520 Hi David, did you get to do that trip to Sweden you wanted to do?
@@unwnme Im 33 now. Time flies haha. No, my predecessor left our company and I had to fill his shoes (somehow, by a miracle lol) and I got married and had a daughter and a son is on the way. So, it will be another few years before we can really get out and see the world. But whem the kids are a bit older..it is still on my list!
@@strat5520 Good to hear, I can recommend the archipelago and coastline of Gothenburg or more up north Höga Kusten (The High Coast Road). Stockholm is okey but the rest of Sweden is better in my and many others' opinion.
I live in Sweden and got a axe from Gränsfors Bruk. It is over 10 years old by now, still in good shape. I use it for splitting wood for the most part, have to split wood every once in a while all year. I have only sharpened it once every year. ONly thing i have changed is the handle, which broke once.
Just a tip: if you are going to use the axe on a cold winter day, make sure to warm up the edge (hugging it, breathing on it) in order to prevent it from chipping and/or cracking.
Define cold. What is cold for you might not be cold for someone else and vice versa.
ADHR26 i would assume he ment subzero/freezing
ADHR26 'winter's day' covers that in my book. Use you head, though: he advises breathing on it, so clearly below 15 degrees Celsius.
ADHR26 I'd say you need to warm up the edge when it is around freezing point or below
Devils Advocate It does in your book, but maybe not in other people's book. It's right that he should be more specific. A winter's day where I live can be anywhere from -5 to 5 Celsius.
I think this was the most fun I've ever had watching you chop wood. It's really nice to see a proper axe in action!
To me, Gransfors Bruks axes are basically the axe equivalent of Albion swords.
+Sir Trollsalot Swedes for the win aye!
+DemonWeasel1990 Made by vikings after all ;)
+Sir Trollsalot isn't Albion in Wisconsin, USA?
I've seen quite a few in stores next to normal, crap axes. They are above and beyond any other axe I've seen.
Liam Hoffman is what i would say maybe beyond granfors.
That is the sharpest (out of the box) axe I have ever seen. Chopping wood is so much fun, I wish I had trees to chop like you do.
I own one of these and after roughly 8 years, it is still an absolute joy
I'm so jealous, I've wanted a Gransfors for ages. Such a gorgeous axe!
I want one! Looks great and Wood chopping is one of the best stress relievers there is.
"Tactical" is marketing speech for "We have no idea what we did or how to use this. You figure it out."
+SmegSlebChef No carbon? You mean like the carbon in this axe?
Ashton Conley
I'm fairly certain he means carbon fibre. =)
A few friends and I recently went on a 3 day winter camping trip. We went out to chop wood and my buddy brought out his Gränsfors Bruk for the first time. Its only cut a couple of logs in the driveway to test out up until this point. After only 3 strike to a upright dead tree, the handle split in half right along the grain.
He took photos and sent them to Gränsfors Bruk, with an explanation letter. Without hesitation, They sent him a brand new Axe, and he was able to keep the old head, and he just replaced the handle. Now hes got 2!.
Customer service is another thing to look for when purchasing a tool such as this, and Gränsfors Bruk has excellent customer service just in case anybody is wondering/interested.
That axe head is beautifully made and is indeed razor sharp when you receive it.
At the end of this month, were going camping again with the new Gränsfors Bruk (and old) and we hope to make some damage with it this time!
Great review again ***** !! keep it up! I really enjoy your videos!
Hi Skall, nice vid, I have the small forest axe and i agree the quality is outstanding! Btw your chopping technique is fine don't worry!
Thanks Skall for including a UK supplier..Living in Ireland makes it hard to get these kinds of things without paying stupidly high shipping! Much appreciated!
I have exactly the same one! Loving it! Thank you for the review !
Greetings from Portugal, keep up the awesome work! :D
I was trying to find a good axe to buy the other day, then I remembered this one that you reviewed. Seems to be the consensus among opinions I've heard that Gränsfors Bruk axes are the way to go, so mine's on the way. :) I always prefer hand-forged work. Thanks for introducing us to this company, otherwise I might've ended up settling for something generally worse.
Ohhh very finely made!
Great review and great axe!
Great work on video mate
Nice one Skall!
So far I have been using a pretty ordinary run of the mill DIY-market-axe for most of the stuff around the garden and bit of wood working (whittling big 3m wooden staves to a point to build a [fairly] species-appropriate rabbit enclosure) and in my experience it grows dull fairly quickly and hold a fresh edge only for a couple of uses.. so maybe it's time for a "mystery high-carbon steel" Swedish axe;).
Thanks for the review!
Best regards
Raoul G. Kunz
Thank you sir. I have been considering a few different mid axes to keep in my emergency stash in the truck.
Such a good axe. I don't think I can resist buying one. Just one of the many Skallagrim inspired purchases :) . Spyderco Byrd Robin 2 next. Good review as always!
Woodcutting level has increased!
Totally awesome to watch. I love my Graensfors SFAxe also MB forged. I paid $169 USD. 11.2019
I have this very axe, it is amazing. I am not one to fanboy with companies or products in general, but Granfors Bruks (excuse the pronunciation/spelling) is sooooooo good! Anything of theirs ----> 10/10! Easily the best axe I have ever used/owned and for around $100 amazing value too!
i have been chopping wood for my wood stove for about five years, and i'm no were near professional, but from what i know and can tell, skalla's way of chopping wood is pretty good for someone who dose not chop wood on a daily basis.
Got to let your inner lumberjack out, I see. Definitely loved the review!
Nice looking axe bro. Chops like a beast.
The place where they make these (town of Gränsfors) is just a few kilometers from where I live =D They offer small guided tours in the summer, which I went to once. Really interesting stuff and I was definitely impressed by how much of a non-mass production environment it was. They have around 20 employees and have actively held back on "growing" the business too much, to be able to keep making them on this top quality level. Highly recommended if you ever find yourself in northern (or even mid) Sweden. My dad bought one of their axes back in the early 80s and has never done any maintenance or sharpening whatsoever, and it still chops like an absolute dream (and the handle is battered but still in excellent shape). It has seen A LOT of use, too. Like as much use as someone not using it professionally/in daily life can accumulate
EDIT: I checked the edge on it and it's still very managable
Good review mate. I can attest to the quality of Gransfors Bruks axes. I own their Small Forrest Axe and Wildlife Hatchet, both are excellent. From what I can tell all GB axes come shaving sharp from the factory (both mine did and all my friends that have invested in a GB axe report it as well) if you want to invest in old world quality buy a GB axe.
In BushCraft circles GB axes are all the rage. The axe fills one of the "Three or Four" essential bushcrafting tools slots.
I have been nothing but pleased with my Gränsfors axe. If you have the chance, it would be great to see a comparison video with a Wetterlings axe. Some people say they're on par, others clearly prefer Gränsfors. I would be interested to hear your opinion :)
Just to keep in mind, a lot of axes have a low HRC so don't worry too much about that. Any high carbon spring steels are fine, which is probably exactly what it is. They probably don't want to list the actual steel because then some other company will say they use some other "high-tech" steel and people will buy it regardless of its quality. It's like how 52100 ball bearing steel and 5160 spring steel are superior to almost every expensive steel out there but nobody likes saying they use steel that is cheap and readily available. The tempering on axes is mostly about the edge and having a really soft core and base to absorb the shock, anything hard like a knife blade will just break, imagine smashing your folding knife into a tree - it won't end well. I think most axes have a HC of like 45-55. It's probably closer to 55 at the tip and softer at the core.
o.o=b thx good info
AburridoDeTodo No problem, I might be wrong on a couple of things but that's what I've heard. :D
On a fixed blade having a high hardness of like 60+ is awesome because you're never smashing it into stuff, even when batoning the edge is resting on the wood you're splitting so it doesn't matter, so it really doesn't matter if an axe has a low hardness. That doesn't mean the temper isn't important, but honestly the worst thing that can happen is for the axe to be overhardened.
It's an old company and considered by many to be the apex axe maker in the world. I doubt the secrecy is to keep others from claiming their steel is inferior. More likely an attempt to prevent others from apeing their products.
I understand what you mean but stuff like 52100 can not cut as much as for example, M4 or vg-10, not enough carbides
Wear resistance is not free
Toughness is not free either
Pick one
45 is very, very low, i don't think any axe would have such hardness. However i've heard of axes performing at 60 Rockwell and they seem to be all-right.
You can get very high hardness and a relative flexibility, however then comes the price.
Nice axe! Ill have to consider it for my future axe purchase, as im in need of one.
Hi Skall, u can buy an old used one for around $10-20 in Sweden.
Great vid.
The leather sheath is a nice touch
I do plan on adding one of their axes to my collection in the future.
fuck it, im buying it
Yeah! Go for it
Me too.
Good Axe! Here in Brazil I use a produced by a local cutler, wrought as ordered, with a cable made of "Anadenanthera macrocarpa" or "angico preto" common name in Portuguese.
Thanks for the video!
I have a Collins double bit axe that my father dug up in my grandfather's backyard as a child I've used it to fell many trees and do some small splitting work a beautiful well-crafted axe
damn. that's a beauty of an axe.
You have a pretty decent aim when chopping wood :-)
Awesome, good to see it in action with someone with not a lot of experience chopping, I have pretty well none and was wondering how it'd be too.
Gränsfors is as best as a axe can be in my opinion, i own the "throwing axe" and its just pure fun.
Axes are by far my favorite tool/weapon.
Could you do reviews on crossbows are are you not into ranges weapons as much as melee?
Gonna buy one of these soon.
I've got a fairly odd selection of bushcrafting gear. I have two tools by the Japanese company, Silky -- a Silky Pocket Boy folding saw with medium teeth, and a Silky Nata Japanese-style hatchet, double-ground rather than the more common single-grind or chisel grind. If it's too big to chop with the Nata, I would saw it with the Pocket Boy.
For the "small knife" you mention, I have a dedicated bushcraft knife in my go-bag, a Footprint brand "hacking knife". It's around a 5" blade, full-tang between leather scales as a grip. The hacking knife is designed primarily as a glazier's trim knife, intended for the back of the blade to be pounded on with a hammer to cut straight down through window trim or molding. Because of this, and the thick wedge-shaped blade, it makes a fantastic batoning blade. You don't have to worry about breaking the blade or breaking the handle or other issues that plague knives used to baton wood because it's actually made for even harder treatment. If it can take being beat on with a steel hammer, it can take being whacked with a piece of wood.
I tested the saw and the hacking knife last winter by taking them and my Solo stove out into the back yard. I found a piece fo deadfall branch about six feet long by 3 inches in diameter and hauled it back to my patio table, where I used the saw to slice it into lengths that would fit easily into the Solo stove. Then I used the hacking knife and a longer section of the same branch to split the branch segments into smaller billets. They burned quite enthusiastically in the Solo stove when ignited with a petroleum-jelly soaked cotton ball and a spark from a ferro rod.
This may not sound like a big challenge, but I'm disabled from a severe neck injury. I can't swing a big felling axe or splitting maul, and I need to be very economical with my exertions or I suffer excruciating pain for hours afterward. I ached a little after this experiment, but not severely, so I consider it a good test. I have yet to take the Nata out for a test, but Silky makes quality gear and I have little doubt it will serve excellently for removing branches and chopping deadfall in place of a hatchet or axe.
Have you had any experience with the Silky products?
Great review! Thanks Skall :D
Handmade axe, probably had one of the best qualities on our earth.
Gets very sharp, sustainable edge, handmade.
Also dont shop it into the snow if possible... if you hit stones you can ruin the blade.
I own this axe and you cant get any better though.
This is the kind of things that makes me happy living in this cold land!
Just pick a axe that work for you needs and buy one, you wont regret it :)
Cool Vid! Thanks!
Could you do a video on how to take care of your weapons for others like me who are trying to follow in yogurt footsteps of weapon collecting?
I really like the handle shape in this one.
Woho, Swedish stuff. I live in sweden :D Btw good videos! All of them!
This is a classical axe. I've used some old axeheads from my family farm that are about 100 years old now, and they are basically identical to this one. The main benefit from this one is the form of the eye of the axehead, the handle just fits so much better, and the treated handle. This is what is at work out behind woodsheds all over Scandinavia. Note: If you ever break the handle, remember to properly dry, then treat with linseed oil, the new handle before fitting it to the axehead. Otherwise you will have to keep the handle moist in order to avoid shrinkage between uses. A lot of old axes with cheap local wood handles are keept with the handle in a bucket of water just to make sure the handle don't shrink so the head flies off when used. Also remember to use a wet shapeningstone if you ever have to do any major resharpening of the edge, because getting the metal to hot while sharpening it may damage the tempering. Still, this is an axehead that you can abuse a lot and still have functioning ok. You might try re-forming the edge on some of your "crappy" camping-axes with this one as a model and see how much better they perform.
Bloody hell, I love axes.
It's cool that the head is capable of fine work and basic carving, cause in addition to cutting shavings for fire starting, if you break the handle in a survival-type situation you can rig up a new one using the head fairly easily.
or you buy their Outdoor Axe which has a metal collar to evade this kind of situation.
I like the icy beard look you got going on at the end heh. Must have been pretty darn cold.
Excellent vid . Gonna buy one of those axes. FWIW I usually put my chainsaw to those branches. YMMV
I’ve got three Gränsfors axes one of them is the Hunters axe (basically the same) and they’re great, I would never recommend over than these!
I hope I get one of these one day.
Wow this is a good axe
Interesting, just yesterday I was contemplating buying either one of these or a wetterlings. Which one should I buy?
I have a wood stove. I use a chainsaw for cutting wood, and a splitting axe for, obviously, splitting wood. The splitting axe is a lot fatter and a lot heavier (2 kg).
I'm surprised how well this Gransfors handles splitting wood. I would have thought it would get stuck a lot more.
Do you have a guide on sharpening? Techniques, types, materials to use etc? If not, it might make a useful 10 min video
I'd love to see a video about sharpening, and also just axe techniques and safety as well (not for combat, but more general use). In the First Impression video, Skal was chopping on his knees for safety reasons... I never would have considered that, it made me realize that I know very little about even basic axe techniques.
Yes, I'm far more interested in techniques to help survival generally (which you may not be able to provide) but I'm sure a "how to keep your sword/axe edge and blade in good condition" would be helpful to many.
Winter is coming at your place!
Could you explained what a carving axe is? Why and how would one use an axe for carving?
Also you said that this one is not a carving axe since it does not have a straight edge, but when I googled "carving axe" I only got images of axes with round edges (?).
Anyway thanks for the video and for always taking the time to reply to so many comments, it's nice to see a youtuber putting so much effort into their channel.
It's the go to company for axes for Ray Mears. They collaborated to design an axe; The Gransfors Bruks Ray Mears Wilderness Axe.
We were using these to do finishing work on logs used for making cabins. In the coarse of building 9 cabins we broke 3 of these. The handles all cracked just under the head on the handle side. One head went flying. We had some issues with the metal chipping where it is sharpened on one of them. We had 5 of these and this wasn't an issue on the other 4. Found that if you sunk this into wood in a splitting motion it got stuck ALOT and we spent more time digging it out of the wood than we did cutting. If you did a lot of cutting you had to keep re sharpening it constantly. Would I buy another one. Yes but I would buy an extra handle and another sharpening stone as well. Oh and your chopping technique looked just fine by me and way better than most that think they have a clue. So don't sweat it. lol
Not sure why I was reminded of this but ***** Should definitely do a fantasy rant about the Abraham Lincoln axe from A.L. vampire hunter movie.
Hey Skallagrim! If you like knifes as well, I would propose a Fällkniven A1 or F1 depending on what size you want :) Good quality Swedish steel there as well!
@skallagrim why would you use glue?
That does not seem like a very long term solution to me..
I own the american felling axe, the forest axe and the maul, all are very good
I believe Gransfors to be one of the best axes on the planet being produced today. If you can find some of the old or antique axe heads manufactured in the late 1800's to mid 1900's you will find that that steel is also very high quality. And the various types of axes just from coast to coast are amazing in the differences in design for various jobs.
Interesting review. Have you done any bushcraft? Reviewed any knives or saws? Interested in adding making more vids like this?
one of my brothers has the exact same model,very handy,but a lot of power,good for cutting little trees with 10 to 30 cm in diameter,or just use it like a hatched but if the wood is difficult to cut,it´s better than any hatched,sharp and stable
its a great axe got one myself :-)
I've got axes that my Great grandad bought and used from 1915 and was passed down along with other forestry tools. Any tool that is taken care of will last several lifetimes. I have a felling axe that I dug up in the floor of a Virginia barn that burned down during the Civil War and after getting the rust brushed off with a wire wheel, sanded, and filing the edge, etc. I rehafted it and it's a work monster that really holds an edge even after chopping and splitting all day it only needs an occasional touch up with a whet stone. Just always follow the basic rules for the tool you are using and it will outlast you easily..
Skall, as someone who owns a wood stove and thus spends a lot of time with an axe, I can say that your axe skills are pretty damn good for someone who only chops for fun. Of course, with the amount of wood I go through I don't hardly even use an axe anymore now that I have a gas powered splitter. Do you have any thoughts on reviewing a maul by chance?
I was just wondering, do you have a use for all this wood? Like do you have an open fire at home?
Sweden represent!
Would love a review of a japanese saw and Skallagrims opinion on it
Hi Skall, what are the chances of you doing a video sharpening this beauty of an axe? Id love to see the technique you'd use. great review video of it as well! Thanks
I got a bit of an experience with splitting for my grandmother when I was younger. Basicly when you are splitting blocks for logs, you generaly use 1 hand unless it is a tough one...You have your blocks on left ( Assuming you are right handed ) and then chop everything to the right into a nice pile of logs. Well you know assuming that you have a pile to chop in a first place. :D Trying not to chop of your left hand in the mean time. :D
A thing I've always wondered... Do you still have trees in your backyard? and what about your neighboors?
You pronounce it better than I do, and I'm norwegian=D. And yes, I have the axe. It doesn't seem powerfull, since it's very light, but holy shit it cuts. I barely put power into it, and I can fell whatever I want without too much work. Limbing is just as simple as moving the axe along the trunk. Comes shaving sharp. Mine is from TT. I haven't found anything to complain about in regards to the axe, but the sheath could be better.
I wonder what camping, with shelter building, fire starting, etc. would be with JUST a ZT Reaver Cleaver? Just for fun of course. I would love to see that just for kicks.I love the ZTRC. 😁
I think I need to start looking for reasons and opportunity to chop my own wood...
my brother has the hachet from them its so good
I watch another channel by the name of Wranglerstar, he swears by his Gransfors Bruk axe and seeing this video just confirms my desire to purchase one, albeit for decor purposes.
I thought this was a re-upload but then I looked it up and saw the other video was a first impression.
Necrotix Dawn I don't know why people sometimes gets so obsessed with re-uploads... It's extremely rare that I do a re-upload and when I do it's for a reason. :)
***** I always check the description to check if there is a stated reason for a re-upload. And I think people gets mad when some youtubers are trying to earn money twice from the same video.
And by the way I'm really happy that I got a reply from you! I love your videos and I hope you don't quit making them in the future.
***** I think it's more about people second guessing themselves and their memory, wondering whether what they're watching is something they've seen before, or just déjà vu.
I ordered one of these axes. Looks like a great size for all around use/camping/limbing. I don't like the crack in the wedge on that one.
Hey Skall can you make a video about the best products and technique to sharpen large blades like a sword or axe?
Hey Skallagrim, I am looking for a felling axe. Is this a company that makes consistent quality or some products that are good and some that are bad (Or of lower quality)?
Thank you (Also you should check out some butterfly knifes!)
I can tell you that Gransfors Bruks is regarded in the axe world as the best modern brand of axes. The only producers that I know of that could beat it would be a hand forged one from some professional blacksmith, or one of the old brands of axes like Collins (NOT the new Collins axes, they are bad) or Sager Chemical (Pretty much the best axes ever made are Sager Chemical Axes.) So unless you want to pay a lot of money for a forged axe from a small unknown blacksmith or re-handle an old axe (not as hard as you think actually, I would recommend buying a handle and a head on eBay) then Gransfors Bruks is the way to go.
I have a question what's the differance between a dagger and a knife
The Ovako mill in Smedjebacken is basically what's keeping the little town alive.
Hurrah for a UK link!