I've fixed so many axes on my lifetime I'm not going to fix another one again. I have used Fiskars axes for well over ten years and not once I've had to fix any of them. I prefer Fiskars any day, it's quite cheap, extremely durable and does the job.
I was Splitting wood with the X27. I went full beast mode on a chunk that was full of knots. I over-swung and Hit the handle ridiculously Hard. I honestly thought I cracked the handle. upon close inspection, I just marred the surface with no visible cracks. that was 3 years ago. its still working fine. good job Fiskars.
@faultroy Your personal opinion does not matter, and it has no value what so ever. Because it is a fact, that traditional wooden shaft axes are useful for survival. If not, they would not have been used for thousands of years, and would not have been used today. Most people, even I, would take a Gränsfors axe any day of the year before any other in a "survival" situation. You honestly believe the skinny hard working starving old men of the past in the tough times of 19th century Sweden didn't fight for survival? Stop with your nonsense, Otzi the Iceman used a coppar axe and a flint knife. People today are so spoiled.
@faultroy You overthink when it comes to tools, as many do. People believe traditional tools can't take the abuse for some weird reason. I've absolutely abused my swedish axes. So has my father and grandfather. Even in the military in Sweden we use traditional axes, because they work. I have lots and lots of field experience, if I didn't I wouldn't argue about axes. David Canterbury, is he not a professional? Wranglerstar? Ray Mears? Thousands of people before us? They all use and used traditional axes. I never said you can't use your axes of preference. Use it! Just that traditional axes indeed, also are good for survival. You have too much emotion in your answer, trying to be insulting. It's weak.
@faultroy I think its obvious that Fiskars is the way better tool in terms of practical use due to its modern technology. However, practical use is not everything. There is the case of buying the 'feeling' not just the product. Why do people buy oldtimers which are obviously inferior to a modern car? Especially nowadays in this global world where everything is replaceable, mass produced and identical. It doesn't even matter where you go, you will find the same modern architecture, food and stores in every corner of the world. Gränsfors managed it somehow so spark fascination for honest traditional handcraft among many people. I think thats a great achievemet already.
Fiskars was founded in 1646 so it has a lot longer history than some Gransfors..Finland is full of woods and people been building up wooden houses for hundreds of years so of course we need to have great tools for it.. those so called anti fiskars people should get their facts right before making their judgements!!!
I'd personally have the Fiskars with a composite handle with me in the woods. As you pointed out, it's tough and reliable. You don't have to worry about one "overstrike" cracking your wooden handle and making the axe unusable in the middle of nowhere. Even though Fiskars axes are mass produced, they are still way above some dirt cheap chinese tools. Fiskars has always made quality tools and have a great warranty for their products as well.
Spot on video. Its nice to have tools you dont care about destroying. To sum it up, The fiskars X7 is the one I'd lend to my drunken friend when out camping, my Gransfurs SFA I would not. Both great axes , you always raise sound points. Respect
Not to brag, I got the X27 and the X7 in a package deal from Amazon for Christmas. Now for my birthday comes the Fiskar Hookeroon. Haven't been able to use the axes yet and can't wait to swing them. It doesn't matter what you prefer as long as YOU are happy is all that matters.
When your wooden-handled axe head gets stuck in the log you are splitting, do not lift the whole thing by the end of the handle. Hold the axe just behind the head and lift it, so that you do not stress the handle.
"Functionality is the priority here, and even those traditionalist with a fondness for hickory handles and worn blade protectors of wizened leather will usually concede these 'high-tech' Fiskars axes are annoyingly good" extract from 'Norwegian Wood' by Lars Mytting.
I'm a big Gransfors fan and I agree with you in the main, particularly about the price being for aesthetics and craftsmanship rather than for performance and durability. The only thing I'd say is that the GB axe you're using is supposed to be an ultra light 'jack of all trades' developed for survival situations. Really a fair comparison, without fully looking into weights, would be to compare the Fiskars you used with a GB Wildlife Hatchet as it seems to be a similar size. Loved the points you made in the video about using what you can afford and reasons for buying each.
I own a Fiskars hatchet like the one you have with the exception it is all black. I also own a Condor hatchet and small hunters axe almost identical in quality to a Gransfors. I had to cut and de-limb many trees in my yard over the past 20 years. And every time I took to it I ended up using the Fiskars more than the classic wooden handle Condor. The texture and shape of the handle makes it a long term use champion. And the price makes it an unbeatable contender over the overpriced and jacked up Gransfors. A bit disappointed by the unreasonable and unrealistic car comparison. Having the Fiskars and 2 ZDP-189 Spydercos (Endura and Dragonfly) for the price of a Gransfors gives me so much pleasure!
Replaced a more "traditional" wood handled hatchet with a Fiskars X7 and haven't looked back since. Bought a custom leather sheath for when it's in my pack and rigged the plastic sheath with a TMMS adaptor like all my other gear for when I want to carry it on hip or externally on my pack. For the money....I couldn't see doing anything else. And when it comes time to replace one of my larger axes I'll definitely take a look at the larger Fiskars as well
I have both a Fiskars and a Gransfors. Both work well. The Gransfors feels much nicer to use. The Gransfors undoubtedly holds an edge longer. The Fiskars is definitely serviceable but not really comparable.
The Gransfors Bruk head is almost a "bearded" ax design. It allows you to choke up further on the handle to position your hand further behind the cutting edge. This gives you a lot more control when you're using your hatchet, or ax, to do carving, shaping, food prep, field dressing, and other finer or more detailed work that you might normally do with a knife. If you can only take one tool with you, and you pick a hatchet over a knife, the Gransfors Bruk is a better choice. For all the the stuff you were doing - chopping, splitting, roughing - you can't really tell the difference, but for things like feathering, whittling, carving, food prep, cutting, you will notice a difference in the handing with even a very small "bearded" head geometry where you can push straight into the back of the cutting edge.
why on earth would you do that?! If you can only take one tool with you?! Really?! You wont get out in the woods with just 1 tool man. You pick an axe for chopping and splitting. You pick a knife for the carving work. Its simple as that...
Very good review and perspective. I have an X7 and a traditional camp hatchet. As you said, I tend to be much more careful with the wooden handled hatchet than with the X7 and honestly it slows me down when I am working. Also happy to see you working on some hard wood, I am in the northern hardwood portion of the U.S. and when I watch all these guys chop, split or make feather sticks with soft woods I wonder how they would do with maple and the such. Again, thanks for sharing this video.
man that little gransfors is sweet. I have a bias coming to watch the video, since I really love the traditional style of the gransfors/ wooden handled axe. For someone without a cultural bias, price considered, the fiskars probably blows it out of the water for value, im thinking?
The fuel to run to forage for a single axe head.. ect. the fiskars probably used less resources. But the GB will last forever and its romantic to chop with a hand forged axe. sturdy plastic is not that bad for the environment, its the disposable stuff that is the problem. lots of arguments for both axes.
Thanks for the comparison, I have found that the steel used in the Gransfors axes is sooo much better, I find my fiskars x7 edge chips and rolls, so it needs more edge maintainence. My GB Axe has no damage whatsoever and remains sharp. Performance wise I must also concede the x7 chops really really well and Im more inclined to use it hard and beat the crap out of our Aussie timbers
Bruh, add this to the steel retention test. These are mystery steels but it might be fun to have an axe section. I know chopping tools don't need the kind of wear resistance that knives do; and axes are typically hardened to a lower Rockwell than knife blades, but it might be cool to have an axe section.
I'm a retired Carpenter and still have my old small fiskars. I googled Fiskars Chopping Axe 28-in and it was on sale at my local main hardware store with shipping. Then I checked Amazon. Identical price, but free shipping. I noticed this price drop before when a major chain has something on sale Amazons price drops. I got a Agawa Canyon 24'' bow saw today and wanted a lightweight, cheap priced, long axe to go with.
I had both. Go for the GB SFA for long term (hickory handle can always be replaced) better cutting edge, metal. Go for the fiskars x7 when on a budget as it is the best quality/price ratio.
Hatchets and axes have been a source of MISERY for MILLENNIA over handle issues. Fiskars seems to have made good use of modern tech to finally solve the problem AND saves you about 80% the purchase price of good axes using traditional materials. You'd have to be a true masochist to pass on the Fiskars.
I own a gransfors outdoor axe it's a brilliant little axe it's only down fall is it's weight it's really light it's almost half the weight of the fiskars axe I think it's designed for carrying in a pack.
The X7 looks like a really good tool from the gardening isle at Walmart, Bauhaus, Hornbach or whatever. I wouldn’t strap it to my backpack when hiking out in the forest for a weekend of camping, then I would choose (and have chosen) the Gränsfors Outdoor Axe. If I would work on my yard, tree felling and that kind of stuff, I would choose the X7 before the Gränsfors If I had to choose between the two of them. In my campervan I have Chinese made hatchet that I can swing away with at anything without any hesitation. I think neither fan base has any reason to feel threatened by other people’s truths or opinions here. The two companies makes their respective decision on what they’re going to make, how they’re going to make it and how they want their respective customer bases to feel about their products. Fiskars could make axes just like Gränsfors, but I believe they never will, the two companies are so vastly different, one is a big corp listed on the stock exchange with loads and loads of greedy shareholders demanding profit (1,2 billion euro income ish) and the other is a really small family owned company (5 million euro income). I buy eggs, milk, cheese and meat from local small producers when I can. 95 % of the time I buy it from the supermarkets because it is good, convenient and helps med live a well functioning life. When I go outdoors, hiking or camping I’ll say that efficiency and value for money is not important. It’s about a feeling that I want and I myself lean toward feeling more satisfied and grateful when I use natural and handcrafted tools and gear made by someone that resonates with my feeling about it. I’ve come to realise that tactical (or gardening) looking tools and gear don’t give me that satisfaction as feeling of gratefulness when I’m in the wilderness, camping or fishing. I don’t know what it is, but I guess that is the charm of it, we can all feel differently about these things in life. No need to argue, just be grateful and enjoy your own choices in life. Love from Magnus
The metal collar on the GB is for protection against over strikes.For me it's a plus to be able to rehaft an axe with a wooden handle then having to throw away a fiskars if the handle breaks. But if your not in the woods all the time or de limb trees all the time or split cords of wood every year the fiskars would be the practical choice due to cost alone. Great video chief!
Ultimately, the GBA isn't just a debate between wood and plastic. It goes deeper, it's truly about craftsmanship: the weight, grind, ergonomics, and more make GBA what it is.
When I'm buying a tool I'm buying it to use it to it's maximum potential, without having to worry about what might happen to it. I'm not buying it to look at it and admire the craftsmanship, but to make my life easier by using it.
For me it's a Fiskars. Cheap, can do everything GBA can do, sometimes better, you don't have to worry about the handle breaking, or the wood drying. Not to mention most of the 'outdoors' type of ppl on youtube wouldn't be able to change a wooden handle on their GBA if theirs broke while in the woods. I'm not saying all, but a vast majority wouldn't. It's like should I buy a Bentley? Nope, the VW / Volvo / mercedes will do just fine.
i liked the vid. yet i have to point out, that the thicker axe head and heavier axe will be the better splitter. when comparing, the x7 is a tad lighter, but still better splitting than the gb small forest axe, cause of the axe head geometry. the gb head stucks in the wood too often and hard, its more cutting in rather than splitting, also cause the steel is harder and the edge sharper. but yeah, the smell and feel of gb is just too good, need to love it. for serious use id suggest a kydex/plastic/etc sheath, leather will get moldy and unuseable so fast when wet.
I’m watching this and it’s almost 2020. From my experience, the X7 is a good, reliable little hatchet that if it were to ever fail on me, can be replaced for very little money. I don’t know much about hatchets but I tend to think that a harder steel may be a bit too brittle. I would rather the edge to bend a little that I can quickly stone in the field than a blade that may chip and require a lot of reshaping.
All great woodsmen know this. A bit of a nick is annoying as heck. Fiskars uses soft steel for a purpose. It's easy to sharpen and takes super-keen edges that roll instead of chipping in the field. I don't mind giving my axe a bit of a swipe with a stone now and then.
Depends of the personal feel in your hand, for garden project the fiskars work absolutely fine but can be used for so much more. But gransfors is quality as well its down to personal preference.
Bravo for the honest and accurate review I also own both and quite frankly once I get over myself I would much rather use the X7 for the very reason you mentioned
Modern, affordable, practical and extremely durable. When you put the nostalgia and aesthetics aside (which I do get), it’s an extremely good tool, just what I’m looking for.
I think the fiskars axe is far superior to the gransfors axe. The fuskars axe has a very strong plastic handle that will last for a long time, and its much cheaper.
This particular Gransfors model seems to be one of the least well suited to hardwood forest use some of the other hatchets in their line have heavier heads and would be more suited to working the woods you have in Australia. IMO.
hi mate, i heard somewhere that "hatchets" were a friction fit setup and an "axe" had the head slipping down onto the handle head, and had the wedge to secure it...? cant remember where i heard/read it but seems like a reasonable thing to me. there was also something about "every hatchet is an axe, but not every axe is a hatchet." at the end of the day its just personal i guess, if it makes you happy its all good
Try the Fiskars 8 pound maul axe- A reasonably heavy tool.....it makes the Fiskars x27 and the Gransfor Bruks look like campfire hatchets.....(kidding aside, they are also good and have purpose).. I have cut and chopped wood for over 50 years, and have used lots of axes, maul axes, wedges, splitters including Bruks and the x27 (I own both).... bar a splitting machine, this 8 pound maul axe, is , the better choice, for those hardwood chunks, that would be impossible otherwise.....And gives you a decent work out to boot....The heavier the splitter, the better- Cannot get it heavy enough!.... As soon as they put out a 15 pounder, I am all in!!!
I have the outdoor axe, its rubbish for splitting but amazing for everything else, I cant see the fiskars being half as good when you are choked up on the head doing fine stuff. What amazes me is that high tech materials still have not overtaken materials that have been around since before science!
great i own a 16 yr old toyota corolla d4d so the fiskars is right for me and i deadlift 200kg. so a heavy fiskars is right for me, rough and ready and powerful, gets the job done at low cost and wont break. thank you, i can spend the other 100 dollars on better things than an axe.
Have a $20 pocket knife (and a strop). Have a $17 Fiskar's 14 inch hatchet (X7 basically). Can buy 10 Fiskar's hatchets for 1 GFB. Not that I have anything against the GFB. I really don't mind carrying the X15 which is my primary axe (right now), or the X7, both are very light, and with my poor axe technique, I know I will still have a functioning axe at the end of my task. Even with the fat handles GFB uses, I'm such a wonky axeman, I'm sure I could break em with out much effort at all - I cannot stand that sound, tic, that's it, and your axe is out of commission. But that's not getting to what I really wanna say (erase price as a factor, GFB is still prone to breaking, relative to the Xx, but is made with a better steel, therefore likely holding an edge longer, choose where you wanna be in that scenario), I wanna say that I kind of like the feel of the Fiskars axes/hatchets. I haven't tried their full sized felling axe, or their mauls, but X15/7 I like the grip, I like the feel, and I like working with them. I'm natively a big knife over an axe kind of guy, but am giving axing a shot... and I just don't mind the Fiskars. What ya gonna do?
loki1066 I have never ever gotten a Fiskars axe sharp from the factory, they have all been super dull. Guess it’s a cost issue. Really like the Fiskars axes but the steel is way worse than any GB axe
Just came back from camping and extensive testing and comparisons. The fiskars wins in every category. Gransfors is overpriced and over hyped. And it's machine pressed not even hand forged as people think. Save your money.
The current Gransfors actually has very little history except for the name, they were a dead company until the Bushcraft craze started on the British Islands. The hype is rediculous around them and almost 100% unwarranted, no matter how cool some pseudo survival guru (not a comment aimed at you) claims they are.
Fashioning a new axe handle from branches in the woods is not fun! My take is that if you chose the wood handle for that purpose, it is a mistake, unless you to be dropped on a deserted island. Even then, I am not sure that the Fiskars would be a bad choice. They literally last forever. The forged steel and tempering of the Gransfors is immensely superior. There is no comparison on that front. But the Fiskars is easy -really easy to sharpen in the field. If you do hot a rock, the Gransfors is likely to chip badly. The softer steel of the Friskars is way more forgiving. Another big difference is that the Fiskars' geometry is not good for f8ne tasks. But the reality is that no one uses an axe for such purposes other than for show. I realize that there is a rationale for carrying tools that can perform many tasks interchangeably. But that is a survivalist approach that leads to many compromises. The X7 is a much better splitter - which is the main function of a hatchet. To chose the Gransfors is to compromise on that function for functionality normally reserved to a knife. That being said, the Gransfors is the Rolex of axes. You feel like a God owning and using one, and a bit protective of it too. I have the X7 for my needs, and wait for some9ne to gift me a Gransfors. Rest assured I will accept it with much gratitude. :-)
Should take a look at the Fiskars Norden Axes, it's like the Fiskars durability in the head and overstrike area but with a nice hickory handle down below
I understand what you are saying about the type of wood some of the people out there are chopping on. I am in the region of the U.S. with northern hardwoods, not the soft woods like so many of the other people work with. When you are chopping or splitting that soft stuff it is easy enough but when you start with things like maple, you really see what the tool and yourself can do.
What about in a survival/shtf situation? Which would you rather have? I'm thinking the fiskars because it's less likely to break if you hit the handle, however if it did break you'd be fucked while with the gransfors you'd still be fucked but less so because you can go through the horrible process of making and fastening a new handle for it.
Aaron Rowe I dunno! The same quandry. If the world was reset to the stone age for good I'd probably want the gransfors head for ultra longterm security. But then theres less liklihood of the Fiskars from breaking to begin with
It'll be brilliant if you can do videos on: Gransfors Bruk Wildlife Hatchet vs Gransfors Bruk Outdoor Axe Gransfors Bruk Wildlife Hatchet vs Fiskars x7
Nicely done 👍 Thank you 😎 I'm thinking that you just saved me from spending many hundreds of dollars unnecessarilly. I expect that I will be getting one or two of Gränsfors products, instead of the entire line! $$$ 💵
Reader beware, purity post below Your car analogy is okay insofar as it deals with performance, reliability, and status. Imo (in my opinion) though there is more to it than that. The Gransfors is more like an Elizabethan house, objectively beautiful and steeped in history. The Fiskars is like a shipping container house, soulless and mashed together from modern materials in order to replicate the functionality of the former without any aspirations towards tradition or even aesthetics. When you buy a Gransfors axe, you're buying into the rich history of the Nordic peoples and the eternal struggle to harmonise function and beauty. When you buy the Fiskars, you're buying into modernity, synthetic polymers, and the idea the that you can weigh 600 pounds and still be beautiful because beauty is just a social construct that we can redefine as we see fit.
I didn't think philosophers watched this channel. Regarding your analogy, the same people who buy a GB axe for tradional reasons, usually have other high tech toys made with high tech materials as well. Funny how you can be selectively purist.
Walter Kurtz Learn something about both companies before you try to make a point. Fiskars has been around since 1649 and gränsfors has been around since 1902. Fiskars is a much better bang for you buck. I have both and I can verify that the fiskars is better in every way.
I would compare it to a traditional bow made entirely of traditional materials vs a modern bow made of cutting-edge materials: The modern bow will usually outperform the traditional bow for the same cost, but the traditional bow embodies history and nostalgia while still effectively getting the job done by most standards. Both have their enthusiasts with their own preferences, but there's no denying that traditional bows are no longer the epitome of Olympic performance because materials science is always progressing forwards, and always will be. (I'm a semi-purist: I deeply respect history and the antiques that represent it, but I would never scoff or berate modern methods like that. Your Gransfors would've been bashed as a soulless, mass-produced monstrosity by folks who preferred the deep tradition of even more laboriously produced hand-ground stone celts at one point. What makes this arbitrary point in history any different than the beginning of the Iron Age? :p)
That's what the lifetime warranty is for. ;) It's no different than if you broke a handle on a wooden axe, except wooden axe handles break far more frequently, and replacements are almost never complimentary.
You can’t (realistically) break a Fiskars handle. Try it sometime. Seriously. They’re basically indestructible. I love Gränsfors for the heritage/aesthetic/craftsmanship... but Fiskars axes are an unbelievably priced and reliable tool. I like both. Fiskars all the way for my heavy duty maul/wood splitting for my wood stove, and Gränsfors for my outdoor, bushcraft stuff. As much as I love the quality and beauty of GB axes, there’s no comparison for Fiskars’ pure imperviousness to overstrikes. I split a lot of wood with my Fiskars Super Splitting Axe (X27) and as careful as I am, I overstrike occasionally. It does zero damage, whereas I would have easily splintered and wore out a comparable hickory handle by now.
I noticed you're using the axes wrong. You should use a reverse grip pear shaped chopping strike. My grandfather taught me the correct chooping method, and I can easily fel a full grown tree in under 13 parsecs.
Love my Gransfors but I also love my Fiskars in kind of two ways, G for use and esthetic and the Fiskars for use and in it's own ugly beautiful way. Actually my Fiskars laying in my Toyota (the irony) and my Gransfors is inside my home. Can't see any conflict between them.
Fiskars for the value, Gransfors for the cool factor. personally I'll take the lighter Fiskars for any lengthy hiking. Functionally similar, the Fiskars will chop and be better at finer blade work, the gransfors will split better with the wider angle head. And I can buy 4 of the fiskars ffor the proce of the gransfors. Like any tool, each has its place.
Actually, the Fiskars has a wider angle edge, and the Gransfors is better at pretty much everything because it is actually extremely sharp. You can buy 8 Fiskars for the price of the Gransfors.
@@satansonion2104 Sharpness from factory is irrelevant since both should be sharpened to optimal (usually factory) angle before first use. Blade width and steel composition will determine optimal for each. And I don't know what you mean by "Gransfors is better at pretty much everything"... really? Spreading peanut butter?... Cutting an onion? a Satan's onion? or how about rounding out a bowl? Carving? For splitting wood... Gransfors all the way. They both will do it, but the Gransfors has the advantage of weight and angle/bevel leverage. The fiskars however, not to mention price, will always have some advantages over the Grans. Weight, I would rarely if ever choose to take a gransfors backpacking, its not a weight to value advantage when the Fiskars will be able to process wood, cut an onion, and carve a fish without mauling it. A shallow bevel edge for emulating knife capabilities, and an almost weightless handle for manipulating the edge angles as well. The Gransfors can be argued to save energy when swinging a chop, yet to carry it negates the energy savings. At home... a Gransfors everyday. The fiskars in the woods on a trek... everyday and then some . I can carry a Gransfors, or I can carry a Fiskars, a pocket boy saw, a very capable bush knife and a peanut butter and onion sandwich and still save some weight over the Gransfors. And lets not forget to mention... a fiskars head will never have to be reset and wedged back into its indestructable handle. The point... NO tool is perfect for doing "everything"... thinking so will be a bad option when it is to be relied upon for survival to do "everything."
@@satansonion2104 LOL, did you not watch the video? Love it when "brand fanboys" get butthurt and tell other people on the internet they're wrong while in the same sentence spewing bullshit. (Some call it trolling) *"The X7 does NOT have a shallow beveled edge"* -Dude, I'm looking right at both of them. The Fiskars has a factory sabre ground edge with a bevel of 1/4 inch (shallow) 15/30 bevel. The Gransfors is a convex grind with a 25/50 degree edge which is the reason it might be slightly better splitter, while a chopper, fiskars will cut deeper given similar applied force physics. *"It (Fiskars) also has a wide blade behind the edge, so it is conceivably better shaped for splitting"* -As I stated, and you can check which your local physics professor... wedge "width" is not the factor for splitting... lateral force is. It is also not only the angle of the inclined plane. The "splitting efficiency" is also dependent on (again... given similar force physics) not only the incline angle, but increased incline lateral force refraction. Hence, convex grind is a better splitter than a wedge with a linear angle. *"but they're so wide and so dull that really splitting wood into kindling is sort of all they do well"* -"Wide" I just explained. "Dull," I did as well. Seriously, do you not sharpen your tools? "Dull" is not even a point of argument nor comparison here. *"The Gransfors OUTDOOR AXE... IS better everywhere"* -Again... try to get out of your "brand fanboy" mode. I just gave you examples and there are MANY more where EITHER can show superiority to the other depending the task. The easy one I already gave you. The sabre edge will cut an onion better than a convex grind. The straight wedge will split less effectively than the other grinds, while the straight wedge may cut deeper than the splitters. Its simple physics man. neither of these tools are better than the other "Everywhere." *"at that price and finishing detail you'd be a fool or a rich man to use it as a beater. "* - i don't buy down to a price... I don't need to. I select by need, function and efficiency. If a tool is properly made, the market (which includes brand perception) will decide its cost/value ratio not its efficiency comparison. And if you are afraid to use it as a beater... then why the fuck did you buy it? If it is a valid tool for use, there should be no concern.. other than as stated in the video, its design, as all wood handled friction-fit axes are, not dependable any more than the fiskars is indestructable. Personally I would rather have a cracked handle, as unlikely as that is than a axehead projectile. I'm gonna beat it as hard as I need to and as hard as should be expected. And if it fails.... I will not by another. Easy as that. I have 2 Gransfors Bruks, a Hultafors forest axe several construction axes and now 2 fiskars. I ifind the fiskars every bit as efficient as the others. Given sharpening and maintenance, they are every bit as good as other brands. Your hatchet/axe should be as capable and sharp for splitting wood as it is for whittling the end of a hotdog stick. its not about the brand, its about the expectation of use. No Axe/hatchet/maul is capbale of "Everything better than any other." Same as there is no perfect knife. Now what was that about "real comparison"? Try not to limit your evaluations to brand or cost, it will dissapoint you in the end. Proper tool for the job... THAT is the most valuable purchasing criteria.
J'ai eu les deux, et j'ai revendu la x7 pour la Gransfors Bruks SFA. Meilleure qualité, tranchant, et manche remplaçable. La fiskars est top si ton budget est serré cela dit.
Granfors axe cost about 200 euros and fiskars axe cost like 50 euros. Lets start from this. Get 2 fiskars x7 which still are cheaper than single one Granfors and save the other one, to use it after 10-20 years. for 200 euros. Its not worth it. I could understand the difference if it had far superior chopping and splitting power but its has NOT. If it was 100 euros, I would probably pick the granfors for the aesthetic look and only. Its not a better axe and thats a fact. You pick an axe for chopping and splitting. You dont pick an axe for carving. You get a knife for the carving work. Its simple as that...
But you are placing all ‘value’ purely on cost. I place value on experiences. If I only get to go on a few adventures in my life, and using a gransfors will make those adventures and experiences more enjoyable, then I think it’s better value. Time is valuable, you only have so much time for so many adventures and each adventure is special and valuable. Get whatever will make those experiences the best they can be (for you).
I've fixed so many axes on my lifetime I'm not going to fix another one again. I have used Fiskars axes for well over ten years and not once I've had to fix any of them. I prefer Fiskars any day, it's quite cheap, extremely durable and does the job.
I was Splitting wood with the X27. I went full beast mode on a chunk that was full of knots. I over-swung and Hit the handle ridiculously Hard. I honestly thought I cracked the handle. upon close inspection, I just marred the surface with no visible cracks. that was 3 years ago. its still working fine. good job Fiskars.
i justgot my fiskars yesterday cant wait to go out bushcrafting tonight and see how she chops !
@faultroy Your personal opinion does not matter, and it has no value what so ever. Because it is a fact, that traditional wooden shaft axes are useful for survival. If not, they would not have been used for thousands of years, and would not have been used today. Most people, even I, would take a Gränsfors axe any day of the year before any other in a "survival" situation. You honestly believe the skinny hard working starving old men of the past in the tough times of 19th century Sweden didn't fight for survival?
Stop with your nonsense, Otzi the Iceman used a coppar axe and a flint knife. People today are so spoiled.
@faultroy You overthink when it comes to tools, as many do. People believe traditional tools can't take the abuse for some weird reason. I've absolutely abused my swedish axes. So has my father and grandfather.
Even in the military in Sweden we use traditional axes, because they work.
I have lots and lots of field experience, if I didn't I wouldn't argue about axes.
David Canterbury, is he not a professional? Wranglerstar? Ray Mears? Thousands of people before us? They all use and used traditional axes.
I never said you can't use your axes of preference. Use it! Just that traditional axes indeed, also are good for survival.
You have too much emotion in your answer, trying to be insulting. It's weak.
@faultroy I think its obvious that Fiskars is the way better tool in terms of practical use due to its modern technology. However, practical use is not everything. There is the case of buying the 'feeling' not just the product. Why do people buy oldtimers which are obviously inferior to a modern car? Especially nowadays in this global world where everything is replaceable, mass produced and identical. It doesn't even matter where you go, you will find the same modern architecture, food and stores in every corner of the world.
Gränsfors managed it somehow so spark fascination for honest traditional handcraft among many people. I think thats a great achievemet already.
Fiskars X7 is the "Mora Bushcraft Black" of Axes
Fiskars was founded in 1646 so it has a lot longer history than some Gransfors..Finland is full of woods and people been building up wooden houses for hundreds of years so of course we need to have great tools for it.. those so called anti fiskars people should get their facts right before making their judgements!!!
Agreed, I still use my ancient Billnäs Bruk axe.
I'd personally have the Fiskars with a composite handle with me in the woods. As you pointed out, it's tough and reliable. You don't have to worry about one "overstrike" cracking your wooden handle and making the axe unusable in the middle of nowhere.
Even though Fiskars axes are mass produced, they are still way above some dirt cheap chinese tools. Fiskars has always made quality tools and have a great warranty for their products as well.
Spot on video. Its nice to have tools you dont care about destroying. To sum it up, The fiskars X7 is the one I'd lend to my drunken friend when out camping, my Gransfurs SFA I would not. Both great axes , you always raise sound points. Respect
Northern Territory Bushcraft , you shouldn't hand a drunk person an axe at all hahaha
The problem with that car comparison is that a corolla doesnt have the same performance as the -insert fancy car-, the fiskars does.
Not to brag, I got the X27 and the X7 in a package deal from Amazon for Christmas. Now for my birthday comes the Fiskar Hookeroon. Haven't been able to use the axes yet and can't wait to swing them. It doesn't matter what you prefer as long as YOU are happy is all that matters.
When your wooden-handled axe head gets stuck in the log you are splitting, do not lift the whole thing by the end of the handle. Hold the axe just behind the head and lift it, so that you do not stress the handle.
This is really good advice
I just picked up the fiskars and I'm super impressed by the quality of it. I can't wait to get out and use it this weekend.
"Functionality is the priority here, and even those traditionalist with a fondness for hickory handles and worn blade protectors of wizened leather will usually concede these 'high-tech' Fiskars axes are annoyingly good" extract from 'Norwegian Wood' by Lars Mytting.
EvilLabrador1 exactly!
Yeah until you break the composite handle of the fiskars...
@@ninjesus4079 that’s just the thing, you don’t.
I'm a big Gransfors fan and I agree with you in the main, particularly about the price being for aesthetics and craftsmanship rather than for performance and durability. The only thing I'd say is that the GB axe you're using is supposed to be an ultra light 'jack of all trades' developed for survival situations. Really a fair comparison, without fully looking into weights, would be to compare the Fiskars you used with a GB Wildlife Hatchet as it seems to be a similar size.
Loved the points you made in the video about using what you can afford and reasons for buying each.
Form follows function. I went with the Fiskars, because I'm a cheap bastard. Thanks for the objective approach. Cheers from Montreal QC
you can attach the fiskars sheath to a belt
well the new ones anyway
I own a Fiskars hatchet like the one you have with the exception it is all black. I also own a Condor hatchet and small hunters axe almost identical in quality to a Gransfors. I had to cut and de-limb many trees in my yard over the past 20 years. And every time I took to it I ended up using the Fiskars more than the classic wooden handle Condor. The texture and shape of the handle makes it a long term use champion. And the price makes it an unbeatable contender over the overpriced and jacked up Gransfors. A bit disappointed by the unreasonable and unrealistic car comparison. Having the Fiskars and 2 ZDP-189 Spydercos (Endura and Dragonfly) for the price of a Gransfors gives me so much pleasure!
Replaced a more "traditional" wood handled hatchet with a Fiskars X7 and haven't looked back since. Bought a custom leather sheath for when it's in my pack and rigged the plastic sheath with a TMMS adaptor like all my other gear for when I want to carry it on hip or externally on my pack. For the money....I couldn't see doing anything else. And when it comes time to replace one of my larger axes I'll definitely take a look at the larger Fiskars as well
Daniel Reyes TMMS adapter? What’s that?
You can also fasten the fiskars sheath to a belt
I have both a Fiskars and a Gransfors. Both work well. The Gransfors feels much nicer to use. The Gransfors undoubtedly holds an edge longer. The Fiskars is definitely serviceable but not really comparable.
I have them both. Love them both for different reasons.
The Gransfors Bruk head is almost a "bearded" ax design. It allows you to choke up further on the handle to position your hand further behind the cutting edge. This gives you a lot more control when you're using your hatchet, or ax, to do carving, shaping, food prep, field dressing, and other finer or more detailed work that you might normally do with a knife. If you can only take one tool with you, and you pick a hatchet over a knife, the Gransfors Bruk is a better choice. For all the the stuff you were doing - chopping, splitting, roughing - you can't really tell the difference, but for things like feathering, whittling, carving, food prep, cutting, you will notice a difference in the handing with even a very small "bearded" head geometry where you can push straight into the back of the cutting edge.
why on earth would you do that?! If you can only take one tool with you?! Really?! You wont get out in the woods with just 1 tool man. You pick an axe for chopping and splitting. You pick a knife for the carving work. Its simple as that...
Very good review and perspective. I have an X7 and a traditional camp hatchet. As you said, I tend to be much more careful with the wooden handled hatchet than with the X7 and honestly it slows me down when I am working. Also happy to see you working on some hard wood, I am in the northern hardwood portion of the U.S. and when I watch all these guys chop, split or make feather sticks with soft woods I wonder how they would do with maple and the such. Again, thanks for sharing this video.
man that little gransfors is sweet. I have a bias coming to watch the video, since I really love the traditional style of the gransfors/ wooden handled axe. For someone without a cultural bias, price considered, the fiskars probably blows it out of the water for value, im thinking?
Weiderfan I have an aversion to use of plastic given its horrible for the environment so I pick the Wooden handle any day.
And then burn how many gallons of gas and diesel getting the wooden handle to you, whats your net net?
Kyle Noseworthy - Weiderfan you do really know nothing...
The fuel to run to forage for a single axe head.. ect. the fiskars probably used less resources. But the GB will last forever and its romantic to chop with a hand forged axe. sturdy plastic is not that bad for the environment, its the disposable stuff that is the problem. lots of arguments for both axes.
Thanks for the comparison, I have found that the steel used in the Gransfors axes is sooo much better, I find my fiskars x7 edge chips and rolls, so it needs more edge maintainence. My GB Axe has no damage whatsoever and remains sharp. Performance wise I must also concede the x7 chops really really well and Im more inclined to use it hard and beat the crap out of our Aussie timbers
Northern Territory Bushcraft there is no thing as chips and rolls. it's either or
Bruh, add this to the steel retention test. These are mystery steels but it might be fun to have an axe section. I know chopping tools don't need the kind of wear resistance that knives do; and axes are typically hardened to a lower Rockwell than knife blades, but it might be cool to have an axe section.
Chong Jones , I second this!
To soften overstrikes wrap paracord under the head of the axe
I'm a retired Carpenter and still have my old small fiskars. I googled Fiskars Chopping Axe 28-in and it was on sale at my local main hardware store with shipping. Then I checked Amazon. Identical price, but free shipping. I noticed this price drop before when a major chain has something on sale Amazons price drops. I got a Agawa Canyon 24'' bow saw today and wanted a lightweight, cheap priced, long axe to go with.
I had both.
Go for the GB SFA for long term (hickory handle can always be replaced) better cutting edge, metal.
Go for the fiskars x7 when on a budget as it is the best quality/price ratio.
Hatchets and axes have been a source of MISERY for MILLENNIA over handle issues. Fiskars seems to have made good use of modern tech to finally solve the problem AND saves you about 80% the purchase price of good axes using traditional materials. You'd have to be a true masochist to pass on the Fiskars.
Is the wooden handle Fiskar ok too?
I own a gransfors outdoor axe it's a brilliant little axe it's only down fall is it's weight it's really light it's almost half the weight of the fiskars axe I think it's designed for carrying in a pack.
What? The Gransfors OA is 1.2 pounds and the Fiskars X7 is 1.38 pounds
I got a fiskars norden n10. That looks great and got the fiskars benefits
The X7 looks like a really good tool from the gardening isle at Walmart, Bauhaus, Hornbach or whatever. I wouldn’t strap it to my backpack when hiking out in the forest for a weekend of camping, then I would choose (and have chosen) the Gränsfors Outdoor Axe. If I would work on my yard, tree felling and that kind of stuff, I would choose the X7 before the Gränsfors If I had to choose between the two of them. In my campervan I have Chinese made hatchet that I can swing away with at anything without any hesitation.
I think neither fan base has any reason to feel threatened by other people’s truths or opinions here. The two companies makes their respective decision on what they’re going to make, how they’re going to make it and how they want their respective customer bases to feel about their products. Fiskars could make axes just like Gränsfors, but I believe they never will, the two companies are so vastly different, one is a big corp listed on the stock exchange with loads and loads of greedy shareholders demanding profit (1,2 billion euro income ish) and the other is a really small family owned company (5 million euro income).
I buy eggs, milk, cheese and meat from local small producers when I can. 95 % of the time I buy it from the supermarkets because it is good, convenient and helps med live a well functioning life.
When I go outdoors, hiking or camping I’ll say that efficiency and value for money is not important. It’s about a feeling that I want and I myself lean toward feeling more satisfied and grateful when I use natural and handcrafted tools and gear made by someone that resonates with my feeling about it. I’ve come to realise that tactical (or gardening) looking tools and gear don’t give me that satisfaction as feeling of gratefulness when I’m in the wilderness, camping or fishing. I don’t know what it is, but I guess that is the charm of it, we can all feel differently about these things in life.
No need to argue, just be grateful and enjoy your own choices in life.
Love from Magnus
Very nicely expressed. Thank you.
Yout talking points were spot on! I love my GB SFA but I would definitely steer a new bushcrafter to a Fiskars or Husqvarna
The metal collar on the GB is for protection against over strikes.For me it's a plus to be able to rehaft an axe with a wooden handle then having to throw away a fiskars if the handle breaks. But if your not in the woods all the time or de limb trees all the time or split cords of wood every year the fiskars would be the practical choice due to cost alone. Great video chief!
You ain’t breaking the Fiskars handles. It’s basically impossible.
Yeah, I agree hatchet = 1 hand and axe =2 hands
Ultimately, the GBA isn't just a debate between wood and plastic. It goes deeper, it's truly about craftsmanship: the weight, grind, ergonomics, and more make GBA what it is.
When I'm buying a tool I'm buying it to use it to it's maximum potential, without having to worry about what might happen to it. I'm not buying it to look at it and admire the craftsmanship, but to make my life easier by using it.
edydark1 Yup, and that will be the GBA
For me it's a Fiskars. Cheap, can do everything GBA can do, sometimes better, you don't have to worry about the handle breaking, or the wood drying. Not to mention most of the 'outdoors' type of ppl on youtube wouldn't be able to change a wooden handle on their GBA if theirs broke while in the woods. I'm not saying all, but a vast majority wouldn't.
It's like should I buy a Bentley? Nope, the VW / Volvo / mercedes will do just fine.
why even bother with a fiskars then, just buy a 10$ axe, it will also do the job
Cosmo Wood because the fiskars will do the job much better... easy as that.
i liked the vid.
yet i have to point out, that the thicker axe head and heavier axe will be the better splitter. when comparing, the x7 is a tad lighter, but still better splitting than the gb small forest axe, cause of the axe head geometry. the gb head stucks in the wood too often and hard, its more cutting in rather than splitting, also cause the steel is harder and the edge sharper.
but yeah, the smell and feel of gb is just too good, need to love it. for serious use id suggest a kydex/plastic/etc sheath, leather will get moldy and unuseable so fast when wet.
My problem is the same as yours. I use a winter size of axe all year round because of how dry and knotty the wood is.
I’m watching this and it’s almost 2020. From my experience, the X7 is a good, reliable little hatchet that if it were to ever fail on me, can be replaced for very little money. I don’t know much about hatchets but I tend to think that a harder steel may be a bit too brittle. I would rather the edge to bend a little that I can quickly stone in the field than a blade that may chip and require a lot of reshaping.
All great woodsmen know this. A bit of a nick is annoying as heck. Fiskars uses soft steel for a purpose. It's easy to sharpen and takes super-keen edges that roll instead of chipping in the field. I don't mind giving my axe a bit of a swipe with a stone now and then.
Well, actually I'm wrong. All people who get SERIOUS work done in the woods know this.
Depends of the personal feel in your hand, for garden project the fiskars work absolutely fine but can be used for so much more.
But gransfors is quality as well its down to personal preference.
Thanks. I was about to get the gransfors, but after seeing this I am going for the Fiskars👌
Bravo for the honest and accurate review I also own both and quite frankly once I get over myself I would much rather use the X7 for the very reason you mentioned
Modern, affordable, practical and extremely durable. When you put the nostalgia and aesthetics aside (which I do get), it’s an extremely good tool, just what I’m looking for.
I use the x15 here often
I think the fiskars axe is far superior to the gransfors axe.
The fuskars axe has a very strong plastic handle that will last for a long time, and its much cheaper.
This particular Gransfors model seems to be one of the least well suited to hardwood forest use some of the other hatchets in their line have heavier heads and would be more suited to working the woods you have in Australia. IMO.
James Middleton yeah I've got and prefer the small forest axe for hard work. The heads about twice the size
hi mate, i heard somewhere that "hatchets" were a friction fit setup and an "axe" had the head slipping down onto the handle head, and had the wedge to secure it...? cant remember where i heard/read it but seems like a reasonable thing to me. there was also something about "every hatchet is an axe, but not every axe is a hatchet." at the end of the day its just personal i guess, if it makes you happy its all good
Try the Fiskars 8 pound maul axe- A reasonably heavy tool.....it makes the Fiskars x27 and the Gransfor Bruks look like campfire hatchets.....(kidding aside, they are also good and have purpose)..
I have cut and chopped wood for over 50 years, and have used lots of axes, maul axes, wedges, splitters including Bruks and the x27 (I own both).... bar a splitting machine, this 8 pound maul axe, is , the better choice, for those hardwood chunks, that would be impossible otherwise.....And gives you a decent work out to boot....The heavier the splitter, the better- Cannot get it heavy enough!.... As soon as they put out a 15 pounder, I am all in!!!
I have the outdoor axe, its rubbish for splitting but amazing for everything else, I cant see the fiskars being half as good when you are choked up on the head doing fine stuff. What amazes me is that high tech materials still have not overtaken materials that have been around since before science!
great i own a 16 yr old toyota corolla d4d so the fiskars is right for me and i deadlift 200kg. so a heavy fiskars is right for me, rough and ready and powerful, gets the job done at low cost and wont break. thank you, i can spend the other 100 dollars on better things than an axe.
I have several expensive axes, (Wetterlings and Hult Brucks) and the axes i use a lot more are my Fiskars X7 and X10
Have a $20 pocket knife (and a strop). Have a $17 Fiskar's 14 inch hatchet (X7 basically). Can buy 10 Fiskar's hatchets for 1 GFB. Not that I have anything against the GFB. I really don't mind carrying the X15 which is my primary axe (right now), or the X7, both are very light, and with my poor axe technique, I know I will still have a functioning axe at the end of my task. Even with the fat handles GFB uses, I'm such a wonky axeman, I'm sure I could break em with out much effort at all - I cannot stand that sound, tic, that's it, and your axe is out of commission.
But that's not getting to what I really wanna say (erase price as a factor, GFB is still prone to breaking, relative to the Xx, but is made with a better steel, therefore likely holding an edge longer, choose where you wanna be in that scenario), I wanna say that I kind of like the feel of the Fiskars axes/hatchets. I haven't tried their full sized felling axe, or their mauls, but X15/7 I like the grip, I like the feel, and I like working with them. I'm natively a big knife over an axe kind of guy, but am giving axing a shot... and I just don't mind the Fiskars. What ya gonna do?
Exactly the review I needed. Thanks!
Fiskars is a bargain, it comes sharp , blunts quicker than GF, but sharpens quicker.
I don't have to worry about them drying out and getting loose.
loki1066 I have never ever gotten a Fiskars axe sharp from the factory, they have all been super dull. Guess it’s a cost issue.
Really like the Fiskars axes but the steel is way worse than any GB axe
I love my FX7. GREAT REVIEW. 👍
Gransfors are amazing axes. But I use my Fiskars more. It’s light and easy and I don’t worry about it, I don’t care if it gets beaten up a bit
Fiskars for the win!
Just came back from camping and extensive testing and comparisons. The fiskars wins in every category. Gransfors is overpriced and over hyped. And it's machine pressed not even hand forged as people think. Save your money.
The current Gransfors actually has very little history except for the name, they were a dead company until the Bushcraft craze started on the British Islands. The hype is rediculous around them and almost 100% unwarranted, no matter how cool some pseudo survival guru (not a comment aimed at you) claims they are.
TurtleWolf Pack hults bruk 1697
convex : totally agree hults bruk 100%
we all know you're talking to wranglestar hahahah so true though
Fashioning a new axe handle from branches in the woods is not fun! My take is that if you chose the wood handle for that purpose, it is a mistake, unless you to be dropped on a deserted island. Even then, I am not sure that the Fiskars would be a bad choice. They literally last forever. The forged steel and tempering of the Gransfors is immensely superior. There is no comparison on that front. But the Fiskars is easy -really easy to sharpen in the field. If you do hot a rock, the Gransfors is likely to chip badly. The softer steel of the Friskars is way more forgiving. Another big difference is that the Fiskars' geometry is not good for f8ne tasks. But the reality is that no one uses an axe for such purposes other than for show. I realize that there is a rationale for carrying tools that can perform many tasks interchangeably. But that is a survivalist approach that leads to many compromises. The X7 is a much better splitter - which is the main function of a hatchet. To chose the Gransfors is to compromise on that function for functionality normally reserved to a knife. That being said, the Gransfors is the Rolex of axes. You feel like a God owning and using one, and a bit protective of it too. I have the X7 for my needs, and wait for some9ne to gift me a Gransfors. Rest assured I will accept it with much gratitude. :-)
Should take a look at the Fiskars Norden Axes, it's like the Fiskars durability in the head and overstrike area but with a nice hickory handle down below
Good to see someone working with solid Aussie Woods. Get sick of watching the ease of northern hemisphere softwood splitting :)
I understand what you are saying about the type of wood some of the people out there are chopping on. I am in the region of the U.S. with northern hardwoods, not the soft woods like so many of the other people work with. When you are chopping or splitting that soft stuff it is easy enough but when you start with things like maple, you really see what the tool and yourself can do.
The gränforsbruk is 80 american dollars in Sweden
Swedish Enduro, what? Let me know where to send the money!
An honest review.
People keep saying you can't replace the handle on a fiskars as if split hafts aren't easy af to manufacture...
Like, easier than properly hanging a traditional handle.
What about in a survival/shtf situation? Which would you rather have? I'm thinking the fiskars because it's less likely to break if you hit the handle, however if it did break you'd be fucked while with the gransfors you'd still be fucked but less so because you can go through the horrible process of making and fastening a new handle for it.
Aaron Rowe I dunno! The same quandry. If the world was reset to the stone age for good I'd probably want the gransfors head for ultra longterm security. But then theres less liklihood of the Fiskars from breaking to begin with
Aaron Rowe
Get Home bag: Fiskars.
I'm Never Coming Home bag: GB
It'll be brilliant if you can do videos on:
Gransfors Bruk Wildlife Hatchet vs Gransfors Bruk Outdoor Axe
Gransfors Bruk Wildlife Hatchet vs Fiskars x7
Outdoor Axe? What, is there an Indoor Axe?
Hehe. Good point!
I love the car analogy. Great vid. Cheers.
Fiskars x 11 Number One 👍
You can replace the handle in a pinch. I mean people have attached rocks to sticks for axes. Surely you could use the same method here?
Nothing wrong with owning both of them. I own a Gränsfors axe and love it but I also own a Chinese made axe. Both have their uses and places.
Yeah shtf situation ild choose the gransfors outdoor axe because you ca. Replace the handle which you cannot with the fiskars
Mann the weather hits again!
BassRaptor where will you find a new handle is a shtf. it's doubtful you know how to make one yourself.
Gerber Gator combo is the best
I cut weedeater string and open packages with my almost 200 dollar folding knife... lol
Nicely done 👍 Thank you 😎
I'm thinking that you just saved me from spending many hundreds of dollars unnecessarilly.
I expect that I will be getting one or two of Gränsfors products, instead of the entire line! $$$ 💵
Why no love for hults Bruk. Like 180 more years making axes!1697 or something like that
Do they use that proprietary plastic for knives?
Reader beware, purity post below
Your car analogy is okay insofar as it deals with performance,
reliability, and status. Imo (in my opinion) though there is more to it
than that. The Gransfors is more like an Elizabethan house, objectively
beautiful and steeped in history. The Fiskars is like a shipping
container house, soulless and mashed together from modern materials in
order to replicate the functionality of the former without any
aspirations towards tradition or even aesthetics. When you buy a
Gransfors axe, you're buying into the rich history of the Nordic peoples
and the eternal struggle to harmonise function and beauty. When you buy
the Fiskars, you're buying into modernity, synthetic polymers, and the
idea the that you can weigh 600 pounds and still be beautiful because
beauty is just a social construct that we can redefine as we see fit.
Axes (plural), I have a respectable harem of GB waifus
I didn't think philosophers watched this channel. Regarding your analogy, the same people who buy a GB axe for tradional reasons, usually have other high tech toys made with high tech materials as well. Funny how you can be selectively purist.
Gransfors Bruk est. 1902
Fiskars Bruk est. 1649
So one can have heritage and be modern!
Walter Kurtz Learn something about both companies before you try to make a point. Fiskars has been around since 1649 and gränsfors has been around since 1902. Fiskars is a much better bang for you buck. I have both and I can verify that the fiskars is better in every way.
I would compare it to a traditional bow made entirely of traditional materials vs a modern bow made of cutting-edge materials: The modern bow will usually outperform the traditional bow for the same cost, but the traditional bow embodies history and nostalgia while still effectively getting the job done by most standards. Both have their enthusiasts with their own preferences, but there's no denying that traditional bows are no longer the epitome of Olympic performance because materials science is always progressing forwards, and always will be.
(I'm a semi-purist: I deeply respect history and the antiques that represent it, but I would never scoff or berate modern methods like that. Your Gransfors would've been bashed as a soulless, mass-produced monstrosity by folks who preferred the deep tradition of even more laboriously produced hand-ground stone celts at one point. What makes this arbitrary point in history any different than the beginning of the Iron Age? :p)
Break the handle??!!
Please try, it even has the steel protection when you miss!
Gransfors fir me, by far. No comparison. Fiskars does make good scissors tho!
Fiskars have new models now I assume that it's just cosmetic but I don't know for sure
I'm thinking about making a leather sheath for my X7. The plastic one takes up too much space.
Try a Fiskars splitting axe. You will be amazed.
Dude that firewood has knots like it does here in Arizona
It's twisted grain
Love those dogs!
Can't change the handle on a fiskars! ! If you have broken the handle on a fiskars you would be better suited to a stone axe maybe
That's what the lifetime warranty is for. ;)
It's no different than if you broke a handle on a wooden axe, except wooden axe handles break far more frequently, and replacements are almost never complimentary.
You can’t (realistically) break a Fiskars handle. Try it sometime. Seriously. They’re basically indestructible. I love Gränsfors for the heritage/aesthetic/craftsmanship... but Fiskars axes are an unbelievably priced and reliable tool.
I like both. Fiskars all the way for my heavy duty maul/wood splitting for my wood stove, and Gränsfors for my outdoor, bushcraft stuff.
As much as I love the quality and beauty of GB axes, there’s no comparison for Fiskars’ pure imperviousness to overstrikes. I split a lot of wood with my Fiskars Super Splitting Axe (X27) and as careful as I am, I overstrike occasionally. It does zero damage, whereas I would have easily splintered and wore out a comparable hickory handle by now.
I noticed you're using the axes wrong. You should use a reverse grip pear shaped chopping strike. My grandfather taught me the correct chooping method, and I can easily fel a full grown tree in under 13 parsecs.
Fiskars axe = embodiment of finnish mentality of get shit done in harsh conditions
Fiskars are outstanding
True Words
thank you
Love my Gransfors but I also love my Fiskars in kind of two ways, G for use and esthetic and the Fiskars for use and in it's own ugly beautiful way. Actually my Fiskars laying in my Toyota (the irony) and my Gransfors is inside my home. Can't see any conflict between them.
Fiskars for the value, Gransfors for the cool factor.
personally I'll take the lighter Fiskars for any lengthy hiking.
Functionally similar, the Fiskars will chop and be better at finer blade work, the gransfors will split better with the wider angle head.
And I can buy 4 of the fiskars ffor the proce of the gransfors.
Like any tool, each has its place.
Actually, the Fiskars has a wider angle edge, and the Gransfors is better at pretty much everything because it is actually extremely sharp. You can buy 8 Fiskars for the price of the Gransfors.
@@satansonion2104
Sharpness from factory is irrelevant since both should be sharpened to optimal (usually factory) angle before first use.
Blade width and steel composition will determine optimal for each.
And I don't know what you mean by "Gransfors is better at pretty much everything"... really?
Spreading peanut butter?... Cutting an onion? a Satan's onion? or how about rounding out a bowl? Carving?
For splitting wood... Gransfors all the way. They both will do it, but the Gransfors has the advantage of weight and angle/bevel leverage. The fiskars however, not to mention price, will always have some advantages over the Grans.
Weight, I would rarely if ever choose to take a gransfors backpacking, its not a weight to value advantage when the Fiskars will be able to process wood, cut an onion, and carve a fish without mauling it. A shallow bevel edge for emulating knife capabilities, and an almost weightless handle for manipulating the edge angles as well.
The Gransfors can be argued to save energy when swinging a chop, yet to carry it negates the energy savings.
At home... a Gransfors everyday.
The fiskars in the woods on a trek... everyday and then some .
I can carry a Gransfors, or I can carry a Fiskars, a pocket boy saw, a very capable bush knife and a peanut butter and onion sandwich and still save some weight over the Gransfors. And lets not forget to mention... a fiskars head will never have to be reset and wedged back into its indestructable handle.
The point... NO tool is perfect for doing "everything"... thinking so will be a bad option when it is to be relied upon for survival to do "everything."
@@satansonion2104
LOL, did you not watch the video?
Love it when "brand fanboys" get butthurt and tell other people on the internet they're wrong while in the same sentence spewing bullshit. (Some call it trolling)
*"The X7 does NOT have a shallow beveled edge"*
-Dude, I'm looking right at both of them. The Fiskars has a factory sabre ground edge with a bevel of 1/4 inch (shallow) 15/30 bevel. The Gransfors is a convex grind with a 25/50 degree edge which is the reason it might be slightly better splitter, while a chopper, fiskars will cut deeper given similar applied force physics.
*"It (Fiskars) also has a wide blade behind the edge, so it is conceivably better shaped for splitting"*
-As I stated, and you can check which your local physics professor... wedge "width" is not the factor for splitting... lateral force is. It is also not only the angle of the inclined plane. The "splitting efficiency" is also dependent on (again... given similar force physics) not only the incline angle, but increased incline lateral force refraction. Hence, convex grind is a better splitter than a wedge with a linear angle.
*"but they're so wide and so dull that really splitting wood into kindling is sort of all they do well"*
-"Wide" I just explained. "Dull," I did as well. Seriously, do you not sharpen your tools? "Dull" is not even a point of argument nor comparison here.
*"The Gransfors OUTDOOR AXE... IS better everywhere"*
-Again... try to get out of your "brand fanboy" mode. I just gave you examples and there are MANY more where EITHER can show superiority to the other depending the task.
The easy one I already gave you. The sabre edge will cut an onion better than a convex grind.
The straight wedge will split less effectively than the other grinds, while the straight wedge may cut deeper than the splitters.
Its simple physics man. neither of these tools are better than the other "Everywhere."
*"at that price and finishing detail you'd be a fool or a rich man to use it as a beater. "*
- i don't buy down to a price... I don't need to. I select by need, function and efficiency. If a tool is properly made, the market (which includes brand perception) will decide its cost/value ratio not its efficiency comparison.
And if you are afraid to use it as a beater... then why the fuck did you buy it? If it is a valid tool for use, there should be no concern.. other than as stated in the video, its design, as all wood handled friction-fit axes are, not dependable any more than the fiskars is indestructable. Personally I would rather have a cracked handle, as unlikely as that is than a axehead projectile.
I'm gonna beat it as hard as I need to and as hard as should be expected. And if it fails.... I will not by another. Easy as that.
I have 2 Gransfors Bruks, a Hultafors forest axe several construction axes and now 2 fiskars. I ifind the fiskars every bit as efficient as the others. Given sharpening and maintenance, they are every bit as good as other brands.
Your hatchet/axe should be as capable and sharp for splitting wood as it is for whittling the end of a hotdog stick. its not about the brand, its about the expectation of use.
No Axe/hatchet/maul is capbale of "Everything better than any other."
Same as there is no perfect knife. Now what was that about "real comparison"?
Try not to limit your evaluations to brand or cost, it will dissapoint you in the end.
Proper tool for the job... THAT is the most valuable purchasing criteria.
@@nolobede Buddy, I own them both and I'm neither butthurt or a brand fanboy. Try not to get so emotional on the internet. These are objects.
@@satansonion2104
LOL, Dude, you are projecting.
Good review, but mate, you nothing about cars. Ha ha ha. (Carolla vs a Bentley? C'mon).
Bonjour So which one is the best ?
Obviously fiskars. Btw I have both.
Ok Merci
J'ai eu les deux, et j'ai revendu la x7 pour la Gransfors Bruks SFA. Meilleure qualité, tranchant, et manche remplaçable.
La fiskars est top si ton budget est serré cela dit.
Ok Merci
Granfors axe cost about 200 euros and fiskars axe cost like 50 euros. Lets start from this. Get 2 fiskars x7 which still are cheaper than single one Granfors and save the other one, to use it after 10-20 years. for 200 euros. Its not worth it. I could understand the difference if it had far superior chopping and splitting power but its has NOT. If it was 100 euros, I would probably pick the granfors for the aesthetic look and only. Its not a better axe and thats a fact. You pick an axe for chopping and splitting. You dont pick an axe for carving. You get a knife for the carving work. Its simple as that...
But you are placing all ‘value’ purely on cost. I place value on experiences. If I only get to go on a few adventures in my life, and using a gransfors will make those adventures and experiences more enjoyable, then I think it’s better value. Time is valuable, you only have so much time for so many adventures and each adventure is special and valuable. Get whatever will make those experiences the best they can be (for you).
FISKARS FREE REPLACEMENT
If I didn't know how to replace a handle id be careful too
also you claim the performance was the same yet you held back with the gransfors? hows it that an even comparison? flawed study bro
I look back at most of my videos and feel this
Check out the x10/11
Just a bit too heavy for one hand.
RIP to headphone users..