Gransfors Bruks, Large Swedish Carving Axe

The only way I can describe this axe is otherworldly. I’m an ok carver. I’ve converted box box store hatchets into razor sharp carvers. But in this circumstance you will get what you pay for. Shave sharp out of the box, perfect grain orientation on the haft, it exudes control, power, skill and shows the craftsmanship that is synonymous with the Gränsfors Bruk company. The price is steep. Not for the “gee I’ll try carving” crowd. There’s lots of less expensive axes out there if your just testing the waters. However, if you are like me, and you tried it, fell in love, became addicted, and now have to carve at least once a day because you see it for the beautifully simple and elegant skill and craft that it is.... then I beg you, get your money together and purchase this axe. The warranty is exceptional, it comes with a book to teach everything you need to know about these god-like tools. Normally I struggle a touch with my axe work, chopped out a serving spoon blank in 20 minutes, and people familiar with my work thought I had already taken my mora 106 to it. The cuts and control are so fine and precise, and the weight of the axe is a non issue for me. Many people think it’s too heavy, I have had no issue with it. In the words of the Vikings of the 13th Warrior, grow stronger if you cannot swing it. Long and short, just buy the axe. You will not be disappointed.

I've used it quite a lot in the past several months since I bought it, and once one gets a feel for using it, it is a quite awesome tool. I've used it mostly for preparing spoon blanks, and staves, but also for making post stakes for fencing in trees I plant, in fitting pieces for free-form construction projects of garden structures mostly, and also as one of the primary tools I used in shaping the components for a "shave-horse" I made with entirely hand tools, and the only power tools being a drill driver. I've also contemplated If it would be useful for shaping the outside of a dugout canoe, but haven't tried that yet. So It has a diverse range of applications it is not explicitly for one thing (lest carving on a broad scale), but it is by no means an "all in one" tool, its to big to be used for many more finite applications, but along with another smaller hatchet and/or large knife, I think it's better to have than an "all in one" axe. It really is a powerhouse at slicing through wood and reducing material.

I received the carving hatchet well before the date cited for delivery and I am very pleased with it. The edge came very sharp and ready to use and the handle orientation is spot on the only thing I did was sand with 120 paper for less than two minutes to take the fuzzies off. It takes a little getting used to compared to other hatchets but I love the way it feels in my hand and does a superb job getting blanks ready be it spoon, bowl or anything else I am working on. This is a jewel in my tool box, I wished all my tools looked and worked this well!

The handle of this axe had large chunks of wood out of it. I can’t believe at $215 that they thought anyone would accept this tool in the shape that it was in. Shame on Gransfors Bruk and the vendor for attempting to sell this poor quality tool at a premium price. The worst part, there is no option to communicate with the vendor other than just return it. So, I guess this is going back. I purchased it as a gift for someone. I’m glad I shipped it to myself and opened it rather than ship it directly to my uncle. Just an all-around waste of time and money and he still doesn’t have his gift. Buyers beware!

So far I haven't had much chance to use this for carving, which is what I bought it for, but I have done some random chopping to try it out. It's well balanced, came razor sharp and cuts beautifully. I'm hoping to get back to carving once I've done with my current boat project, and will probably need it soon to hew out some spruce-root knees for the boat. I look forward to it

This truly is one amazing tool. The first thing I used it for was to rough shape a spoon, and it was excellent. The only complaint I would have is the edge geometry; it is a little rounded and difficult to hand sharpen. I spent some time with a file and stone to get it flatter, but it took a while since I didn't want to ruin such an expensive axe. The best feature is gap in the head where it meets the handle; it provides an excellent place to grip the axe for extremely accurate cutting.

I see people's reviews complaining about the quality of the handle. How many of these people read the book that comes with the axe? It explains why the axe is shipped with a coarse handle. It is meant to be a work axe not a show peice for display. You can replace the handle for cheap if you want smooth hickory or oak. Or you can get on a 1 year waiting list and pay $300 plus for a smoother handle from a forge that makes carving axes. Your call.

Love it. I've been carving wooden spoons for two years, this tool makes it so much easier to quickly carve out the rough shape. I wish I had bought it when I first started. It arrived sharp enough to shave hair off my arm.