Axes?

[N80]

I need a good axe but I have no idea what to look for or who makes good ones. I do know that most of what I see in the home stores look cheap, both the heads and wooden handles.

I have two of the Fiskars/Gerber camp axes and they are the best made, best balanced, sharpest most effectives axes I have ever used but they only come in the small size.

The handle is only about 28" long. I wish they made a full sized axe!

I want the axe for general useses like felling, limbing, some splitting etc. Single bit I think.

So who makes the good ones? What type of handle, fiberglass or wood? Any recommendations welcome.

For reference I've been using the same axe for years and it is an old fire axe that my dad used during his career as a revenuer to bust up moonshine stills. It is a very handy tool but not really ideal for basic tree work as the pike end makes it quite heavy. It is worn severely on both ends and it is time for it to retire.

 

[milkman]

I've got the Fiskars 7854 splitting axe and it too has the 28" handle. It's a quality piece although I think it would be better if the handle was about 3" longer. I thought of getting the axe, but needed the splitter. Let us know if you get the Fiskars, the other ones you see are nothing like the axes were when I was growing up.

 

[jdbower]

I'm a believer in multiple axes for specialized purposes. Pretty universally I like the fiberglass handles - they're pretty much indestructible and they absorb a lot of the impact from a normal blow and, more importantly, from a miss.

I have a cheap hatchet (Coleman?) for small stuff. It's useful for camping (obviously) but also for hacking away at roots where there isn't much clearance. or small limbs. It does suffer from a lack of weight and momentum.

I have a sharp ax with a comfy contoured handle from Lowes/Home Despot which is good for larger limbs and small trees (larger trees are best left for a chainsaw!).

For splitting I have a splitting maul (I don't have the one pictured, but it would probably be my choice now) - essentially what you get when you leave a sledge hammer and an ax in a secluded spot and play romantic music. I like the maul because it's also an 8lb sledge and it adds a little more exercise to splitting. They also have lighter splitting axes which look a bit odd, kind of like an ax with a built in wedge. Since I've got some nice iron splitting wedges (some dating back to my grandfather) having the maul is a much nicer option for me since I'd need to lug out a sledge anyway.

 

[N80]

Thanks guys. JD, that sharp ax is a funky looking thing but I may look into one.

 

[jdbower]

Hypothetically if one were not paying attention and accidentally ran over my sharp ax in a tractor about the size and weight of, I don't know, a JD 2520 with loader and backhoe while digging out stumps I believe the handle would survive. Hypothetically, of course.

 

[Bird]

I recently bought a Ludell single bit axe at Home Depot. It has a 31" fiberglass handle (distance to the head; overall length of about 34"). I do believe it's the purtiest axe, best shaped most comfortable handle I've ever seen. And I would not have bought it if I handn't had a bench grinder and an angle die grinder! It had almost no edge at all, you couldn't even cut soft wood with it, so it took me awhile to put an edge on it, and even then it just does not do a decent job of cutting. But it looks and feels good.

 

[jimmyj]

I have a bit of an axe fetish.

In addition to having multiple Fiskars, which are AMAZING, these 2 are top drawer quality.

Iltis Ox Head

FORESTRY MALL - Forestry Cruising - Mining Field Equipment and Supplies

Gransfors

Gränsfors Bruks AB

Note, the double bit gransfors is amazing as a throwing axe. It's a weapon!

These can both be ordered mail order.

 

[N80]

JD, I have hypothetically run over my Fiskars ax too and it has survived without a scratch, but I'm not sure I know what 'hypothetically' means. Does it mean when you're tired and not paying attention? If so, that's exactly how I ran over my ax too.

Bird, that is something I noticed on all the axes at the home centers. Sharp as a bowling ball.

Jimmyj, I have heard about the Gransfors. Seems like I saw something about them on Modern Marvels or some such. They were making a big deal about the angle of the cutting edge vs typical hardware store axes. I look into them. Probably pretty pricey huh?

 

[Wayne County Hose]

I have a bit of an axe fetish.

In addition to having multiple Fiskars, which are AMAZING, these 2 are top drawer quality.

Iltis Ox Head

FORESTRY MALL - Forestry Cruising - Mining Field Equipment and Supplies

Gransfors

Gr舅sfors Bruks AB

Note, the double bit gransfors is amazing as a throwing axe. It's a weapon!

These can both be ordered mail order.

Hmmm. Thanks Jimmy, I will have to get a gransfors. I throw axes, hatchets, and knives. It's hard to find a good thrower. It's actually an art that took a long time to figure out. It definately is not done like you see in the movies.

 

[jimmyj]

Yeah, the Gransfors are not cheap.

Andy, they have both hatchets and the big double bit for throwing. I have not thrown the hatchets yet but my pal got some and we're going to have some fun on the boys fishing trip soon! The double bit is shaped such that it's really forgiving, almost all angles will stick. You can throw it one handed or do the big viking double handed over the head he man throw. Lots of fun.