Gränsfors Bruk is a name that is synonymous with quality Swedish craftsmanship. For over 100 years, they have been doing one thing and one thing only: making awesome axes and mauls.
Every single axe head that comes from their forge is a work of art and love. Each head actually bears the name of the specific smith that manufactured it.
Its blade is forged into a concave face that that quickly widens from thin and sharp to a broad butt making it near effortless to split wood. Its long, heavy and sturdy head features beveled corners. Great for solo use or striking wedges
This hatchet’s precision and beauty are true proof that it was designed and forged by professional blacksmiths who took great time and effort in their craft.
The Gränsfors Splitting Hatchet is designed for splitting smaller firewood. It has a total length of approximately 19 inches (48 cm to be exact) when measuring the head together with its handle. It's small enough for one-handed use but sufficient for two-hand use if need be.
Review
It’s blade is hand-forged and ground to a concave face that thins out for easier penetration into the soon to be firewood. The form allows the thicker section of the axe head to exert an enormous push easily separating the wood, hence faster and more effective splitting.
This hatchet features a beautiful Gransfors Bruks hickory handle that modestly flares with circular grooves on both ends for a firmer grip. It’s protected from being damaged by impact with the axe head from each swing by a protective steel collar placed snugly below the axe head.
However, it should never be used as a wedge or to strike a wedge as it is only meant to split smaller wood. Only the Gransfors Splitting Maul is designed for striking wedges.
The Gransfors Bruks splitting hatchet weighs 3.3 pounds, which is a little lighter than the Gransfors Small Splitting Axe. It also comes with a vegetable-tanned leather sheath for protection of its blade and the Gransfors ceramic grinding stone for sharpening it.
If you’re looking to split some wood or kindling for the stove or a camp fire, this is an excellent choice.
This definitely is the best splitting axe for small to medium firewood splitting in the Gransfors lineup.
The Gränsfors Small Splitting Axe is specifically designed for splitting medium-sized firewood. This small axe measures At approximately 23 inches in total length (59 cm to be exact) it’s plenty long to be a two-hander, but you can still get a nice swing with only one hand as well.
Review
Its hickory handle has a moderate flare at the groove and base to ensure that your hand doesn’t slip during splitting by providing an improved grip. It also features a 20-inch collar guard that protects its handle from being damaged by the axe head in case of an over-strike.
At a total weight of 3.5 pounds, the head alone weighs in at 2 pounds. That makes Granfors Bruks Small Splitting Axe light enough to make it mobile, yet has plenty of weight to effectively split wood.
This axe’s blade is forged and ground to a sharp, thin point of contact allowing the blade to easily penetrate its target, and it flares into a broad concave wedge meant for pushing the wood apart as you complete your strike.
Also included with the Gransfors Small Splitting Axe is a vegetable-tanned leather sheath that protects the head, keeping it sharp when not in use. It also comes with the Gransfors ceramic grinding stone for sharpening the blade.
This axe is only designed to split wood and should never be used as a wedge or for striking a wedge. For that you’ll want to look at the Gränsfors Splitting Maul below.
The Gränsfors Splitting Maul is larger and heavier than both the Gränsfors Small Splitting Axe and Gränsfors Splitting Hatchet. That means it has more power and strength.
Being the longest, heaviest, and sturdiest of the Gränsfors Bruks axes reviewed, it is definitely meant for heavier and more demanding splitting chores. It’s a natural two-hand maul given its really long handle.
Review
Being the largest and heaviest of the lineup, it is actually designed for the splitting very thick, knotty, and dense wood.
Its blade is forged into a concave face that that quickly widens from thin and sharp to a broad butt making it near effortless to split wood.
This maul measures almost exactly 31.5 inches (or 80 cm) in total length. The head and handles together weight 7 pounds.
Its long, heavy and sturdy head features beveled corners that make this maul perfect for solo use or for striking wedges. Its similarly long Gransfors Bruk’s Swedish hickory handle on the other hand, features moderately flared ends with circular grooves for an added firm grip, which is extremely essential when taking on tougher woods.
Just like the other Gransfors splitting axes, the Gransfors Bruks Maul comes equipped with a steel collar guard placed below its head to protect the handle from damage.
Included with this maul is the vegetable-tanned grain leather sheath as well as the Gransfors ceramic grinding stone. This maul is perfect for anyone seeking a very handy heavy-duty splitting tool.
Gransfors doesn’t only make one jack-of-all-trades splitting axe. They have a nice thorough lineup to choose from.
So, choosing the right axe often comes down to knowing how it will be used. Click one of the links below to jump to a specific Gransfors Bruks splitting axe review, or read all of them.
From small wood splitting tasks, the Swedish-made Granfors axes have you covered. And, for more serious tasks, the larger Gransfors Bruks splitting maul is a great option. With a century of experience and the accountability of having each smith’s name attached to each axe they forge, the one thing you know you’re getting is quality.
Gransfors sweetens the deal by including leather sheaths and grinding stones too. If you take care of any of these choices you will have a reliable tool for many years to come.
Leave a Reply