They are the Wildlife
Hatchet and the Mini-Small Hatchet, both hand forged at Gränsfors Bruk.
When it comes to axes
and hatchets, Gränsfors Bruk makes the best that can be bought.
They are definitely not inexpensive, but worth every penny! Each axe
and hatchet is forged by hand, by one blacksmith, finished by hand, hafted by
hand, using vintage tools, techniques, and equipment, and finished to
old world standards. In short, each axe and hatchet is a timeless
work of art that can trace its roots back to the age of the Vikings.
Before we go further,
I'd like to post a couple of links to the Gränsfors Bruk website, where you can
read about the forging process, and about their history. They are
dedicated to making traditional handmade axes, of the highest quality,
using only the best Swedish steel, and wood, using the old school, traditional
methods and equipment. How often do you see that these days!
Here
is a link to an amazing video documentary about the forge and the blacksmiths
that work there. It's about eight minutes long and definitely worth
watching!
By
now I think you've figured out that I am completely sold and hooked on these
beautiful Swedish hatchets. They are traditional, the best quality that I
have ever encountered, and have a very real connection to actual craftsmen and
history. In fact, each axe and hatchet head is hand stamped by the
blacksmith who forged it, with his initials.
My
Wildlife Hatchet was forged by Mattias Blixt-Pettersson, and my Mini-Small Hatchet
was forged by Kjell-Åke Sjölund, stamped MB and KS, respectively.
The
balance on these hatchets is perfect, and they arrive honed razor sharp and
perfectly ground. They chop and split wood like a dream! The wood
hafts are oil finished and each axe or hatchet comes with an oiled leather head
cover.
They are absolutely top notch. There is nothing that you need to do to fine tune
or finish on these tools......... they are grab-and-go, out of the box!
The
Wildlife Hatchet is my go-to, utility chopper, that is perfect for camp use.
My Mini-Small Hatchet is my favorite though. This little hatchet is
amazing. It is small enough to fit in a small day pack and still packs a wicked
edge and ability to process small wood for camp. The Mini-Small Hatchets that are
forged by Gränsfors Bruk are some of the smallest hand forged hatchets ever
produced. There are only a few blacksmiths in the world with the skill to forge a bit
this small, and two of them work at Gränsfors Bruk!
Even though these little hatchets are "modern", they have an interesting link back to the military side of things. Many of the military axes, hatchets and forged tools of the Swedish military were made by Gränsfors Bruk. In a previous post I reviewed a WW2 vintage Swedish Army pick-axe that was forged by Gränsfors Bruk. You can check out that blog posting here:
http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2015/11/swedish-army-pick-mattock-ww2-vintage.html
Even though these little hatchets are "modern", they have an interesting link back to the military side of things. Many of the military axes, hatchets and forged tools of the Swedish military were made by Gränsfors Bruk. In a previous post I reviewed a WW2 vintage Swedish Army pick-axe that was forged by Gränsfors Bruk. You can check out that blog posting here:
http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2015/11/swedish-army-pick-mattock-ww2-vintage.html
And
now, without further delay, here is the album of these two wonderful little
hatchets:
No comments:
Post a Comment