Gransfors Wildlife Hatchet vs. Outdoor Axe.

[G-Dizzle]

As I’m sure you can tell from my last post, I am searching for a compact axe to accompany my Sven saw. Main use will be wood processing for fire and maybe just a little shelter building. The two axes in the title are very similar in size, but the head shape and handle profile are quite different. Does anyone have input on either of the two models? Thanks in advance!!!

[AimlessWanderer]

My Wildlife Hatchet saw A LOT of use when I had the boat, as it had two woodburning stoves on board. I think it's an absolutely fantastic tool, and it did all the smaller wood processing chores with ease. I wouldn't want to rely on it alone, but coupled with a saw (Bahco Laplander in my case), it did everything I needed. In fact the two of them helped me take down a roughly 6m high laurel bush in my neighbour's garden that was pushing a wall over. That all got processed for firewood, and those two tools did the bulk of the work.

Not familiar with the other one you mention, but do check out the Roselli axes too. I sold mine, as I don't have use for it anymore, but that thing is a real brute when it comes to log bothering, but still a nice carry weight. I got the longer handled version (roughly the same length as the GB Small Forest Axe, but the heads are the same on both. For the sake of a few extra inches of handle, you get a much better wallop to weight ratio.

[G-Dizzle]

My Wildlife Hatchet saw A LOT of use when I had the boat, as it had two woodburning stoves on board. I think it's an absolutely fantastic tool, and it did all the smaller wood processing chores with ease. I wouldn't want to rely on it alone, but coupled with a saw (Bahco Laplander in my case), it did everything I needed. In fact the two of them helped me take down a roughly 6m high laurel bush in my neighbour's garden that was pushing a wall over. That all got processed for firewood, and those two tools did the bulk of the work.

Not familiar with the other one you mention, but do check out the Roselli axes too. I sold mine, as I don't have use for it anymore, but that thing is a real brute when it comes to log bothering, but still a nice carry weight. I got the longer handled version (roughly the same length as the GB Small Forest Axe, but the heads are the same on both. For the sake of a few extra inches of handle, you get a much better wallop to weight ratio.

Thanks for the input. I have thought about the small forest axe as well. I will check out the Roselli Axes. One of my main concerns with the wildlife hatchet is that the head would be too narrow to split wood as effectively as similar sized/weight hatchets with different geometry. Did you find this to be the case?

[AimlessWanderer]

It depends what you're splitting. If it's long sticks, and you do the strike then twist trick, it works well. It's great for kindling too. On larger rounds, it will bite deep, but can jam up quite easily. It's better at cutting and chopping, than splitting thicker wood.

If splitting is likely to be your primary chore, the Roselli is the tool for the job. It's like a wedge on a stick. The first time I used it, I whacked a branch three or four times, and was really disappointed, as nothing was happening. It didn't bite deep, and I thought I was going to be there all day. On the next few strikes, huge chips started flying off. Big chunks. By the time I'd got through that branch, I realised it needed a different mentality.

Splitting wood with it is great. I don't think I ever got it stuck. It didn't do so well on real knotty spruce, but then I used the wood grenade for that. Straighter grained woods just fell apart at the sight of it

Wildlife Hatchet for clean deep cuts
Roselli for splitting and brutally hacking stuff to bits.

You can choke up on the Roselli though, as it's bearded. So if you need to sharpen a stake, or strip some bark, it'll handle that well too. It can do more than just grunt work.

[Sparky415]

Big G,
Just thinking outside the box have you looked at second hand Carpenters axes on fleabay?
(look at older and cheap not the collectable ones)
They might be of more use around the camp and don't forget you can always batton an axe when splitting 

[G-Dizzle]

It depends what you're splitting. If it's long sticks, and you do the strike then twist trick, it works well. It's great for kindling too. On larger rounds, it will bite deep, but can jam up quite easily. It's better at cutting and chopping, than splitting thicker wood.

If splitting is likely to be your primary chore, the Roselli is the tool for the job. It's like a wedge on a stick. The first time I used it, I whacked a branch three or four times, and was really disappointed, as nothing was happening. It didn't bite deep, and I thought I was going to be there all day. On the next few strikes, huge chips started flying off. Big chunks. By the time I'd got through that branch, I realised it needed a different mentality.

Splitting wood with it is great. I don't think I ever got it stuck. It didn't do so well on real knotty spruce, but then I used the wood grenade for that. Straighter grained woods just fell apart at the sight of it

Wildlife Hatchet for clean deep cuts
Roselli for splitting and brutally hacking stuff to bits.

You can choke up on the Roselli though, as it's bearded. So if you need to sharpen a stake, or strip some bark, it'll handle that well too. It can do more than just grunt work.

Thanks! I will think about all of that.

[G-Dizzle]

Big G,
Just thinking outside the box have you looked at second hand Carpenters axes on fleabay?
(look at older and cheap not the collectable ones)
They might be of more use around the camp and don't forget you can always batton an axe when splitting 

I have not looked at those, but I am about to now. Thanks for the tip!

[Aloha]

I have no experience with axes per se.  I do have some with hatchets.  I have 3 little guys https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,58501.msg1063816.html#_

They are pretty decent for splitting within reason logs I get for camp fires.  I use them like wedges rather than swing to split.  The hammer end of the carpenter ones works good when using a baton to whack them.  They are also good if you want to use them choked up on to carve.  I've used them to take the limbs off branches as well with great results.  I have swung them at smaller logs with ok results.