Many people are unsure of what size axe to buy or carry. So I wanted to do a quick comparison of common axe sizes. I used Granfors Bruks axes as the standard since that’s what everyone knows. Starting from a small Granfors Bruks hatchet and going all the way to a massive full size Sater collared axe.
Bigger is not always better but as you can see it is more powerful. So it depends heavily on what it will be used for as well. With the Granfors Forest axe ending up as the best overall winner in my opinion. Not necessarily the brand but the size. With many options in that range.
The two most important factors are that affect performance are weight and length. A heavier and longer axe will always out perform a smaller and shorter axe.
There is also the thickness of the bit to consider. A thinner bit will bite deeper but is not as good at splitting & general use.
After that, the profile effects how deep an axe will penetrate as well. A round bit will work better than a flat bit. However, if a bit is too round it tends to glance more. It also reduces the surface contact for more specific tasks like carving & timber framing.
Next is edge geometry. I like to keep my edge as thin as possible simply because a thin edge will perform better for everything except splitting. If it starts to roll you can either steepen the bevel or put a small micro bevel on. Whereas if your edge is too obtuse it will bounce & glance frustrating you to no end.
This isn’t a complete list. Steel hardness and quality could be considered too, but that is easily a whole article in its self.
Axe Used:
Gransfors Bruks Hatchet
Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe
Gransfors Bruks Forest Axe
Hults Bruk Agdor Vintage Axe
Sater/ Wetterlings Collared Axe
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