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+-- Thread: Axe Recomendation (/showthread.php?tid=7336514)
Axe Recomendation - Scoony - 01-17-2018
I am going on a Elk hunt this fall in a wilderness area in Colorado. We will be getting packed in on horses and living in a wall tent for a week. Outfitter's recommended gear list included an axe and splitting maul. I already have a splitting maul, but I do not have any full size axes. I do have and use small hatchets around the house, but a full size axe will really only get used maybe once a year on these hunting trips.
Without going over $100, what would you guys recommend? I would like a nice axe, but I don't need a top of the line axe. If anything, I would spend the $ on a hatchet and go a little cheaper on a full size axe. I have been looking online at the Huskavarna forest axe, but it gets mixed reviews.
Just don't want to get a piece of junk that will bounce off wood while I am out there.
RE: Axe Recomendation - Timberwolf - 01-17-2018
(01-17-2018, 12:42 PM)Scoony Wrote: I am going on a Elk hunt this fall in a wilderness area in Colorado. We will be getting packed in on horses and living in a wall tent for a week. Outfitter's recommended gear list included an axe and splitting maul. I already have a splitting maul, but I do not have any full size axes. I do have and use small hatchets around the house, but a full size axe will really only get used maybe once a year on these hunting trips.,,,,,,,,,
Without going over $100, what would you guys recommend? I would like a nice axe, but I don't need a top of the line axe. If anything, I would spend the $ on a hatchet and go a little cheaper on a full size axe. I have been looking online at the Huskavarna forest axe, but it gets mixed reviews.
Just don't want to get a piece of junk that will bounce off wood while I am out there.
I can definitely recommend any vintage Collins axe....Plenty of them available on Ebay selling for way less than 100 bucks, and they are always worth what you paid for them...The Collins Hudson's Bay axe is listed now in tools and collectables.
RE: Axe Recomendation - AHill - 01-17-2018
Are you chopping wood or felling trees or both? Axes come in many sizes and varieties. I'm assuming if you have a splitting maul, you're doing both. So, you want a 2-handed axe (around 28 inches handle). Look into Council Tool and Stihl for decent universal or forestry axes. Your budget precludes really nice ones like Gransfor Bruks. Iltis is another brand sold by Lee Valley. They don't sell junk.
RE: Axe Recomendation - Peter Tremblay - 01-17-2018
I highly recommend Council Tool axes I have one of their premium small axes but most of their axes are well below $100 and they are all made in the USA!
RE: Axe Recomendation - bandit571 - 01-17-2018
Around here, it is either the Yard Sale axes.....or Fiskars....
RE: Axe Recomendation - DCM - 01-17-2018
(01-17-2018, 12:42 PM)Scoony Wrote: I am going on a Elk hunt this fall in a wilderness area in Colorado. We will be getting packed in on horses and living in a wall tent for a week. Outfitter's recommended gear list included an axe and splitting maul. I already have a splitting maul, but I do not have any full size axes. I do have and use small hatchets around the house, but a full size axe will really only get used maybe once a year on these hunting trips.
Without going over $100, what would you guys recommend? I would like a nice axe, but I don't need a top of the line axe. If anything, I would spend the $ on a hatchet and go a little cheaper on a full size axe. I have been looking online at the Huskavarna forest axe, but it gets mixed reviews.
Just don't want to get a piece of junk that will bounce off wood while I am out there.
I highly recommend a Husqvarna axe @ CPO outlet - it's made by one of the higher end axe co's & I understand these are cosmetic 2nd - the finish does not meet their standards. I have 2 - one is a 26" axe for $67 & the other is a 19" carpenters axe for $52 - both are excellent tools - The carpenters axe is heaver than the longer 26" axe - I spent a little time with a file easing the corners, etc only because i'm a stickler about fit and finish, but as delivered, they perform very well. Takes and holds an edge just like the more expensive axe.
RE: Axe Recomendation - Admiral - 01-17-2018
(01-17-2018, 12:42 PM)Scoony Wrote: Just don't want to get a piece of junk that will bounce off wood while I am out there.
My take is that your concern is more of an issue of properly sharpening the axe and re-establishing the proper edge on used axes, not necessarily the brand or cost. While I'd pay money for a high quality hatchet, axes that I own are old Craftsman and True Temper, and they've served me well on fly-in fishing trips to the middle of absolutely nowhere in northern Quebec, so I get it that bringing proper gear is important. For occasional use like you suggest, don't confuse yourself, a Husqvarna 26" axe would do you just fine for what you "might" have to do, and you can get one on amazon for around $60 and you don't have to "rehab" a used poorly maintained axe head, nor replace a handle (both of which I have done to mine) that a used axe may require. Here's a link to something representative:
https://www.amazon.com/Husqvarna-26-Wooden-Multi-Purpose-Axe/dp/B004WJGXAQ/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1516226876&sr=8-10&keywords=felling+axe
Oh, get yourself an axe sharpening puck too, just in case.
RE: Axe Recomendation - Bibliophile 13 - 01-17-2018
I've got an old Plumb axe that takes a wicked edge and balances nicely. The handle has sustained a little damage, so I'll replace it eventually. Axe handles are easy to replace, so if you find a good axe head, it doesn't really matter what shape the handle is in. You'll probably get it for less if the handle needs to be replaced.
RE: Axe Recomendation - Scoony - 01-18-2018
Thanks for all the recommendations. Some names there I would have never known about. I did take the dive and fessed up some $$ for a Gransfor Bruks Forrest Axe.
Now I am going to have to look around for a good deal on a smaller hatchet version. Man, these slopes sure are expensive.
RE: Axe Recomendation - Scott W - 01-18-2018
(01-17-2018, 01:55 PM)bandit571 Wrote: Around here, it is either the Yard Sale axes.....or Fiskars....
Yep