Grasfors Bruks Outdoor Axe Review

R

rg598

Joined
Oct 18, 2008
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You guys have seen me mention Omaha Knife before, primarily because they carry good quality handles, along with the full line of Gransfors Bruks replacement handles. Well, they also carry the whole line of Grasfors Bruks axes. When I was dealing with them with respect to handles, the owner told me that if I was interested in reviewing any of the harder to come by Gransfors Bruks models, he would be happy to lend me some of them from his collection. Of course I jumped at this incredibly generous offer, and a week later ended up with this axe in the mail. Please go check out the store. The guy who runs it is a great person, and genuinely cares about the community. So, without further delay, here is the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe:

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Specifications:
Manufacturer: Gransfors Bruks AB
Axe Head Weight: Total axe weight is 1lb 2oz. Head weight is about 3/4 lb.
Axe Length: 14.5 inches
Axe Head Material: Unknown carbon steel
Handle Material: Hickory
Cost: $174.00

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The hatchet is clearly an expensive one. It is designed to be a specialty tool, and under other circumstances, I would not have been able to spend this type of money on it. Its closest relative is the Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet, so I’ve taken some pictures of them side by side.

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The handle of the Outdoor Axe is a bit longer, and a little thinner than that of the Wildlife Hatchet. It is also made of hickory, and had adequate grain orientation. The one distinctive feature of the Outdoor Axe handle is that it has a metal collar hear the head. This is typically put on axes designed for splitting wood, to prevent damage to the handle. It appears that his small hatchet was designed with the splitting of wood in mind.

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The head of the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe is also designed with the splitting of wood in mind. While smaller than that of the Wildlife Hatchet, it looks very much like a splitting maul. The bit is shorter, and the extra metal is used to expand the head fairly rapidly. Near the eye, the head is about as wide as that of the Wildlife Hatchet, even though it is a quarter of a pound lighter.

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The axe came sharp, and even though the head was primarily designed for splitting, it does a fairly good job at chopping. Because the head is smaller, the angle of the bit is not that much wider than that of the Wildlife hatchet, even thought he angle of the head overall is significantly wider.

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Overall, it is hard to evaluate this axe because it is designed so differently from all the other axes. All that aside however, it performs very well for what it is. It will function very well as a belt axe of hawk, and I’m sure any trapper of explorer of the 17th century would have been very happy to have it with him. It is great for making kindling and will also do an adequate job at chopping for the weight. If you already ow a Wildlife Hatchet, I don’t see sufficient value in buying the Outdoor Axe as well, but if you have been looking for a very lightweight belt axe, and have the money, this may be a good way to go.

Ross
http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/
 
Thanks for the great, detailed review - great photos.
What a couple of great looking little axes.
I'm waiting for my first GB (SFA) to get here, going to take it camping next week.
I can hardly wait.

pete
 
nice review. thanks!
i've always liked the looks of that one except i wish it had a longer handle.
it reminds me of the small splitting axe except with a much higher price tag. i know that the heads are different, but for the price i don't know.
if it had a 20" handle i might consider it.
 
Good review. Really like the looks of the axe but the cost seems out of line for what you get. I tend to buy Wetterlings' axes instead.
 
Did you do any work with it or just take pictures and explain looks and design? Don't want to scuff someone's pretty. If the edge was sharp you could chop through some smaller stuff and the thicker blade would split better and not stick like thinner axes. the head kinda looks like an old Norlund hatchet.
 
I own a small forest axe and have recently purchased an outdoor axe. To say it's a splitter is correct, but it is not just a splitter. This was a great review and I was sure my next purchase would be a mini (wanting a smaller tool) after reading it, until I got my hands on the 425. It has a longer handle and slightly heavier head than the mini due to its length and wedge pattern, but not so much that it can't be carried comfortably on your belt. Don't let the splitter shape scare you, its small size makes that shape unnoticeable in it cutting performance. In my opinion this design in this size will make the mini obsolete. That's a bold statement, but this is a great axe.
 
Actually it is available for less from Ray Mears shop, if you can live with the awful "exclusive embossed Ray Mears logo" (yeah you should think twice about it).

I've had it for like a year.
Chops quite well except the blade is tiny so for large log, you'd have to hit several times. Slow but capable none the less.
Regarding splitting, I'm not so sure it is better than Wildlife and others. Grind is flat but quite steep, which means it doesn't stick that well in wood. If you have stiff wood it is a bit "all or nothing".
Considering how light it is it is no surprise that it has significantly less punch than heavier axe. Also handle is a bit thin.

Mine has had head loosening a bit maybe because of the steel tubing, which is very nicely made and very useful with such a small cutting edge.

IMO GB tried to make a very light axe and considering that scope it is probably as good as it gets, yet after playing a while with this I reverted back to heavier axes which were more comfortable to use. That said it might be a good choice for certain people.
For what it is, it's great, but not sure how such a concept fits in outdoor activities, at least mine.

Also would be interesting to see how it stacks against the full head very short handle axe like Gerber pack axe and similars from GB or Wetterling (another approach to light axe I'm quite skeptical about but who knows).
 
i would like to see a review of it against the 'mini'. hint, hint rg:)
i'm on the fence with this one. i really do like it, but i really want the 'mini' as well. i'm considering getting the 'mini' with the christmas $ i'll get this year. i'm wanting to get it and use it alone with out a knife for camp chores; cleaning fish, skinning/butchering game, and just general camp chores.. i think the 'mini' could actually pull it off, not sure about the outdoor axe.
and yes, i know that they are both a bit over priced, but you do get what you pay for with GB, IMO...
 
bearhunter said:
i would like to see a review of it against the 'mini'. hint, hint rg:)
i'm on the fence with this one. i really do like it, but i really want the 'mini' as well. i'm considering getting the 'mini' with the christmas $ i'll get this year. i'm wanting to get it and use it alone with out a knife for camp chores; cleaning fish, skinning/butchering game, and just general camp chores.. i think the 'mini' could actually pull it off, not sure about the outdoor axe.
Click to expand...

Both are in the same vicinity.
The mini is much lighter, smaller and has thinner profile so it would be pretty good at "small knife tasks" and could do some moderate "heavy work" like chopping splitting, but in those would be quite far behind the outdoor.
The outdoor is definitely more powerful but also probably more awkward at small tasks, mostly because of thicker profile (almost thicker than wildlife)
 
It is extremely hard to find any info on this axe. I decided after a long time to pull the trigger on this one. What i would like to say about it is that it performs like a much bigger axe. It is perfect for splitting chopping or carving. It is also perfect for someone who wants to ultralite bacpack. It feels like a tomahawk but performs like a small forest axe. The head of the axe to me performs like a big knife but splits like a beast. To me this axe is the holy grail of hatchets it is what the wildlife hatchet should be. If you are hesitating on buying one dont because it is worth the money. Those that have the wildlife hatchet id say to sell it and buy this.
 
I ordered one from grandforest and it arrived today. I expected to find it on the doorstep, and looked thoughout my house while asking the kids if they had seen a package. They said "No." So I started rechecking the delivery tracking and headed back out to get the mail. Low and behold there was a delivery in my mailbox! I was quite surprised to find it fit there. After unpacking, first impressions were that its lightweight, compact, very sharp, with smooth wood. My only ergonomic complaint was that it had an overly thin grip 3 inches from the bottom of the handle. Everywhere else fit my hand perfectly. I wrapped the handle with tennis racket grip tape, which improved the grip size, and headed to my backyard to find some wood to chop on. Note, most hand positons felt great without the tape. The wrap gave extra traction and helped instill confidence. Smaller chunks of dried wood split with one hit...off to a good start. In theory, I bought this outdoor axe to save the edge and wear and tear of my higher end bushcraft and survival knives, especially on camping trips. Will report back when I have more exprerience using it.
 
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I had to recoil when I saw the price of one of these. You can buy an entry level Stihl chainsaw, or a half dozen vintage axes, with that kind of scratch.
 
Thank you sir! Great Review. Will be picking one of these up in the future just for round the house wood processing!. Have my hawks for the woods!
 
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