Camp Axe Recommendations?

[Longleaf]

Council Tool made in North Carolina since 1800s I believe, makes a lot of stuff for forestry and firefighters.

Axes – Council Tool

counciltool.com

 

[Arcticmanak]

Well, the Cold Steel Trail Boss arrived the other day. I promptly scraped the varnish off the handle then sanded it and applied a couple coats of boiled linseed oil. I also sanded the head and applied gun blue. For $25 I think this will work just fine. It's no premium axe, but it will do the job for my applications. I'll make a leather mask for it, sharpen, and it will be ready for action.

 

[Yellowknife]

I've had a GB Forest Ax for 20 yrs now. Put the 4th handle on it last year and it should be good for a long time. It's my favored utility camp tool. Bought a stack of them for employee gifts last year and they are identical to my old one. It won't do anything great, but it does everything around camp well enough. I'd size up though if splitting was a serious consideration.

Fiskars are my favorite wood pile tools. For processing firewood wood, they are great. I have the full set of 4 lb splitting axe, 8 lb maul, and the hookaroon and have heated my home with those for a lot of years now. For chopping and limbing tasks though I think all of the Fiskars / Gerbers are a little thick through the cheeks and the plastic handles aren't as nice as wood. Still, a solid economy axe. For camp chores, I wouldn't complain and the plastic will survive any reasonable abuse, including splitting wood well below 0F.

The Estwings are the worst of the lot for actually cutting wood (I have a couple). Steel is ok, but the heads are ground extremely thin, so they can't split campfire wood well at all and they tend to get stuck in wood chopping larger trees. The balance and handle vibration is also worst than wood or fiskars plastic. If you are abusive to tools though, they are the one to have. I have one under the seat of my snowmachine most of the time. Great for trapping, busting ice, leaving out in the rain and other chores I wouldn't want to subject the GB too.

Like most things in life, it's more about how sharp you keep the edge than the tool itself.

 

[WVelkhunter]

The Perfect Axe | Warwood Tool

The Warwood Tool Perfect Axe is available in limited quantities and can be handled with choice of 19" or 28" waxed hickory handles to create the Perfect House Axe or Boys Axe. Hand-forged from premium, 5160 high-carbon U.S. steel and 100% made in the USA, Warwood tools represent a tradition of...

warwoodtool.com

I don't have one....but really want one! Made in WV and "perfect" is right in the name.

 

[Wildhorse]

I have well over 60 axes hand carve handles for all of them and restore vintage axes as an excessive hobby I own everything from tuitahi race axes from when I still competed to granfors bruks hults bruks some wonderful Kelly true tempers council tool SAW plumb sage and many others. Hults bruks is the oldest manufacturer in the world and also makes the husqvarna axes any and all of those brands have made amazing axes and can be found at exceptional prices if your willing to put a little time and labor into them. My personal go to pack axe is a 3.5lb gransfors on a custom 32" handle if I'm wanting a full size axe I have a 4.5lb hults bruks and a 5lb kelly champion on 36" handles that gets grabbed or one of my tuitahi axes if I want a double bit I have a soft spot kelly vulkan axes on 36" handles personally I find for a packing axe the 2.5lb on 28" or 3.5 on 32" to be my preferred axes if you go the restoration route you can get very high quality handles from house handles company and please whatever you do do not take a grinder or flap wheel to the bit use a high quality mill bastard file to fix the edge then a quality axe stone no oil just water wipe the whole thing down with some linseed oil when your done each time and the axe will last you forever.

 

[doc holiday13]

My wife bought me a GB Hunters Axe for christmas.. Its sharp.. Like sharp enough to cut to the salame for the charcuterie board we made yesterday.

 

[pirogue]

My wife bought me a GB Hunters Axe for christmas.. Its sharp.. Like sharp enough to cut to the salame for the charcuterie board we made yesterday.

Nice axe…and nice wife. I’ve often thought of getting that axe for the purpose of the poll on it, but then think as sharp as my GBs are, all I need is that edge to skin, plus I’d probably have an accident, swinging with the poll down and edge on top.

 

[Gaspowered]

I agree with with the Husqvarna/Hults Bruk recommendations above. I've had mine for about 4 years now and absolutely love it.
For $70-$80 it's hard to beat.

Cheers

 

[Thinkingman]

Gransfors Bruk small forest axe

Does this have a hardened poll?
I just stumbled on this thread the day after I ordered one for my son as a camp axe.
Can you use it to drive tent stakes?

 

[Dented]

I've used my SFA to hammer all kinds of crap. It'll certainly deal with tent stakes.

 

[pirogue]

Does this have a hardened poll?
I just stumbled on this thread the day after I ordered one for my son as a camp axe.
Can you use it to drive tent stakes?

The only GB polls specifically designed for hammering and striking are the Splitting Maul and Carpenters axe. You don’t pay for a quality axe to use like a cheap Walmart hammer.

 

[mcseal2]

I've hammered plenty of stuff with my GB small forest axe with no issues. When weight matters and you only have so many tools, you use what you have.

I have a Council Tool axe too with the hardened poll now. It works well, but I prefer the handle on the GB. I carry the Council Tool when trapping since I know I'll be hammering stakes if I don't have my trapping hammer.

Council Tool, Wetterlings, GB, Husquevarna, all are good quality. I'd trust any of them.