Gransfors Bruks vs Gerber Gator Axe , testing, Axe Care

[maxpullara1]

Hey, Nice review. I completely agree that Gransfor axes are the best. Anyone who disagrees is a bit foolish... How can anyone say a factory mass produced piece of plastic beats a hand made, forged carbon steel axe? ANyone who thinks that obviously hasnt used one.

I have used both and even have a Estwing axe. It is stainless and doesnt hold an edge.

If you want a proper axe that will last a lifetime get a GB. You wont regret it!!

[alzathoth]

+1 on the GfB. i own one myself. best ive ever used. the handle is the best ive ever seen. just polished it up with a bit of linseed oil to protect it a bit. :D

[gforce118118]

just a tip... when splitting on top of a cutting block, put the piece being split on the far side, across from you. if you were to miss with the axe, it would hit the block instead of your leg. I like gerber / fiskars products

[Redshift21]

How the hell do you replace the handle on the Gator if it breaks?

[squat224]

@Redshift21 i think they have a lifetime warranty so you just send it in, and they send you a new one. like a zippo or a hipoint

[hariklis1]

what an ashhole!!

[Phaenome]

two words... Gerber SUCKS!!!

[theshinsbrady]

trees

[kibbles306]

cute dog :D

[x240voltsx]

hello....u chop wood like a retard....

[flyemirates4000]

id still get a machete

if i was allowed

[norse27]

Hey beast12101, what do you think of the Condor Woodworker? Would it stand up to the GB?

[beast12101]

@norse27 dont have any experience with it

[norse27]

He meant circumference, not diameter. Not the hugest mistake ever guys, try to ease off the roids there fellas! I liked the video.

[namgihwa]

good test

[chapiit08]

Both are awesome tools, each one in it's own right. The GB is just the old fashioned type in a scandinavian pattern and the Gerber/Fiskars is of the hi-tech school, although the principle is that of the very early axes used by our primitive ancestors. Helko from Germany revived that concept many years ago and Fiskars from Finland came up with their own idea based on the embedded axe-head concept.

[chapiit08]

Neither one are meant to be used as splitting axes, they are strictly cutting/chopping tools that can eventually be used to split small pieces of wood at camp.

[danthman114]

you should have made a bow from that juniper

[St0phatred]

I just got my Ganfors Brucks and I literally shaved the hairs off of my legs. Razor sharp!

[highcountrytimber]

I like the old skool axes with wood handles.

[stonenstrop]

Axe brands I own include Garant, Collins, Vaughn, Nordland, Plumb - CooperTools and Craftsman. All have US forged heads and have hickory handles. I avoid Asian heads and fiberglass handles. Unfortunately, many US companies offer both types. These companies make hatchets too.

Check your hardware store and the internet. (I especially like Garant axes made in Canada.) stonenstrop

[stonenstrop]

Get the instructions for the chain saw on the internet or at a hardware store. Save energy.

Also your forest axe is over priced. There are many others for a fraction of the cost. I have others that have lasted for years. stonenstrop

[elira67]

@stonenstrop what are some other brands? im very new to axes so any info would be helpful.

[lamebubblesflysohigh]

I have my grandfathers cheap 40 years old hatchet. It has been sharpened zilion times but it is still fully functional with original wooden handle :) They don't make tools like theese anymore.

[ThatKidFromVancouver]

what about Gimly's axe?

[Doggorunning]

dam tablet spell check......

[Doggorunning]

Gerber has allot of fan boys out there, Gerber used to make some of the finest knoves

[woodlandds]

Nothing like watching someone chop wood for 10 mins to waist your life somehow still a good video.

[loki1066]

Aren't those logs with lots of branches a pain to split.

[loki1066]

We love max!

[wiking3r]

excelent video!, how do u sharp the gerber axe? i cant give main a razor sharp, thanks!

[tecknorapid]

thank you very good job

[s37d]

juniper makes great fence posts or any exterior application - the heartwood is highly decay resistant

[alexpoz09]

in a survival situation id rather have the small forest axe not just becuse its better all around but you can actualy replace the handle if it broke you could make a handle just using the head itd be crude but it d work

[Thebackwoodscrafter]

First off the gerber gator is a hatchet not an axe, secondly it is meant for cutting not splitting. Also the GB has more mechanical advantage than the gerber so it is not a fair comparison. I have a fiskars hatchet (which gerber is made by but half the cost) and it stays sharp for a very long time. The reason the gerber doesn't split very well is because the bevel is not above 25 degrees and the head doesn't flare out. Fiskars came out with a splitting axe that does great at splitting wood.

[switchest26]

Oh by the way..may I strongly recommend buying a Cold Steel Speznaz special forces shovel...that is one serious bit of kit for what it looks like!!..check out the reviews between Gerber shovel and The CS speznaz...best but of kit I got as it cuts and digs, is robust and easy to carry!

[switchest26]

Nice video..I got a Wetterlings Swedish forest Axe..slightly longer than your GB, and uses the same shape and same Rockwell grade of toughness and sharpness..its awesome...

[nightdevil6666]

fucking hate gerbers. they suxxxxxx

[rjvanhecke]

no offense intended but ur using hatchets for an axes job

[ka5get]

Could not pay me to have a Gerber! Winner Granfors Burks!

[BornRandy62]

do a video search on here for long turks head knot. a guy who goes by the name paracordist has a 4 video how to on how to wrap the handle on your gerber/fiskars with decorative knots made out of paracord.

[BornRandy62]

I just bought a Husqvarna axe. The first axe I have ever paid more than 2 dollars for. It is made by Bruks and I was quite surprised at the difference from my selection of cruiser sized 50+ year old poll axes. Limbing pines with a cruiser will wear you out in a hurry. The boys axe that I was using had a decent edge on it but I ended up reprofiling the edge as soon as I was done with that project. A hatchet will never do the job that an Axe will. Hatchet is for small projects

[survivalkiing]

i can smell the tree from here

[alpovee]

don't fix what is not broken. if an axe works, don't go hi-fi and try to sharpen it. geez, i mean, if you know how to use something with a blade in it, it will propably stay in good condition quite a long time. all you need is and a small diamond file to straighten up the curves. works from knife to chainsaw.

[newfization]

Don't like the gerber shape, that wedge style tends to stick in the green stuff. Like I said earlier, had the same axe head for nigh on thirty years, how the hell do you replace the handle on the gerber? T'were I you I'd get a longer axe though, splitting with a hatchet is working hard, not to mention dangerous. Saw the comment on the Estwing, He don't cut wood. Foam grip gives you blisters and the steel shaft'll give you an ache betwixt the ears from the singing. I'm subscribing. Good work.

[beast12101]

@newfization good stuff, thanks

[newfization]

Well I'll be gawdamned. I'm from Newfoundland, been cutting wood all my life, knocked down trees in BC and Ontario for a while too. Never saw anyone use sandpaper, what an awesome idea! Always used a small rectangular washita stone myself. For bets I'd do someone's axe and shave with it. Always wanted a GB but I've had the same axe head for nigh on thirty years. Only ever replaced the handle when I loaned it out, learned to work a wire whippet on the neck. Good vid.

[47trea]

i can tell what axe will win already

[capmarvelous]

I'll stay with the American made Estwing, I have their little hatched and the big axe. They have a nice foam grip and the entire axe and head are one continuous piece of steel. Indestructible :)

[spiderpig85]

@capmarvelous The Swedish made axes are high carbon steel and until you use one, you don't know what you're missing.

[jason40kim]

Cant beat a good bit of axework

[AznAlacran]

bet this puts lots of muscle on a person

[magicdaveable]

Comparing a professional axe that cost over $100 with a $25 hatchet is a joke. Your descriptions of problems belies your inexperience with tools also. Compare a GB small forest axe with something comparable for half the cost such as the Estwing Campers Axe. Wong chain tension? If you don't know how to adjust the chain on a chainsaw don't even think about starting it up.

[newfization]

@magicdaveable You, my friend, have obviously never gone to someone's house and been asked to knock down a 150 foot maple with a 20 year old saw that hadn't been run in over five years. The tension is the last of yer worries when all you got is a leatherman and a lick of sense. As for the 100 dollar axe, I bought my first "real" axe head when I was 9 years old for 2 bucks (a right fortune at the time). I had it up until 3 years ago when I got sick and gave it to someone who'll use it.

[BornRandy62]

mostly wisconsin style axe heads which is understandable since it is only one state over. My double bit axe is a Michigan style. After descaling the rust, I use a 4 inch grinder to fix the edge angle and then a DA electric sander to remove the machine marks. After that it is files and stones. I use sand papers for knife and axe edges also. Rubbing the steel with candlewax will weatherseal against rust and provide some lubrication when felling splitting without gumming up the sheaths

[BornRandy62]

the best axes I have were found covered with rust scale at the bottom of junk boxes at farm sales. You buy the box for a quarter grab the axe head and leave the rest for the scavengers. I used to soak them in CLR while nylon brushing the crud off at regular intervals. Now I use electrolysis with better results. Fiberglass replacement handles held on with some epoxy and you have a time tested cutting instrument on a budget

[powmful]

@labrat7357

I'll take the Lada.

[labrat7357]

A Mercedes Benz and a Lada will both get you from point A to point B. I know which I would choose.

Cleaning the body of the axe and removing the forge finish will make the axe prone to rust oil or no oil.

Linseed oil, pure turpentine oil and a bit of bees wax will also clean residue from an axe and it is just as natural as orange oil and works a lot better. Orange oil products are a marketing success, little else.

Thanks

[archer12006]

funny thing I just bought one of these Gerber axes... it is stamped with Gerber on the handle and further up on the head it is stamped Fiskars... weird...

[uteplats]

@archer12006 Fiskars owns Gerber...

[CanItAlready]

@uteplats

But that's not a Fiskars-made Gerber axe. That one's made in Taiwan, IIRC. They've got one made in Taiwan and one made in China, in the Gator line, and that's one of them. The non-Gator Gerber axes are made by Fiskars.

[Hissatsu5]

i just got a fiskars its the best axe i own but im not ready to upgrade to a G B yet that is a lot of money

[mattnolen]

there is NO way that tree is 22 inches through

[occersay96]

I believe that the circular motion with the stone automatically creates a convex edge. Watch the Ray Mears video on sharpening an axe it's very informative.

[SuckMyCocks8llllllD]

Can I Barrow The Dog...

[gamingguru97]

awww what a cute puppy

[jfkdjfd]

Well, i had heard that the more you pay for an axe, the better it is. So i bought one, just clicked and bought. No review, no research. This video makes me feel better. And another reason why i bought it is or was because i have a thing for Swedish items right now. I got a Swedish Mauser M-38 and a Gransfor Burks comming in the mail.

[huntin4live]

I have both axes, but how can you judge a straight blade heavy head GB to a lighter wedge bade head like the Gerber? In my eyes not a good test. Plus the Berber axe your using there is just for small camp fires, should have use the larger Gerber axe. Anyhow nice vid.

[FurorVikingorum]

I love my new GB Swedish Carving Axe. It's one of the best tools I've ever bought.

[MrSmitten25]

Seems a tad unfair, simple physics says the heavier axe should perform/split better. Though i like the vid for what it is and gives a good visual per performance for both axes.

[Slic3R1]

seems like the splitting maul was made from a hammer?

[Patriotalliance]

Good Video, I'm not much of a Gerber fan myself. I much prefer the GB or my Wetterlings. Thanks for posting - Cheers !

[RandomArtistry]

The biggest difference(disregarding the fiberglass vs. wood handle) would be the GB's hand forged steel head, as opposed to Gerber's "mystery steel."

[ixislaterixi]

are you a lunberjack??

[beast12101]

@ixislaterixi nope :)

[ahz123]

@ixislaterixi and he's ok, he sleeps all night and he works all day...

[lifeisbeautifulbysix]

that is not how u take care of the lether man needs foot oil will make it so u can throw it in water for a week and it will be just fine

[jedirifleman]

use flitz on your axes then wipe clean with a dry clean cotton sheet and follow with johnsons floor wax. It will be just as nice and clean next year when you go to get it.

[Coyote1911]

That tree doesnt look like its 22 inches in diameter. I think you got "the fish was thiiiiis big" syndrome.

[Fuzzy3676]

@Coyote1911 Yup I defiantly do a lot of work with a 16" stihl and that log is under or right at 16". The juniper seems to split easy too, but I'd bet my bottom dollar it burns really fast.

[hulkbuster1026]

@Coyote1911 the tree looks exactly 22 inches in diameter. do u even kno what the diameter of a object is?

[Coyote1911]

@hulkbuster1026 pffffft I install gas pipe for gas mains for a living. Anywhere from 2 - 32 inch DIAMETER pipe. So yeah I know what the diameter of an object is. And that is not nearly the diameter that the guy in the video is saying. I guess your dumb fuck "looks exactly" guess-timation skills are a little off.

[spacestick1]

best axes in the world are Tuatahi axes.

won more world titles than any other axes in the world.

and i live near by :)

[UlfrIronwood]

Finally a video of someone splitting wood with the Fiskar / Gerber camp axe. Thanks

[Maat922]

I think the Gerber camp axe makes for the world's meanest rabbit stick, but it's not much of an axe. I always wanted one, caved and bought one, took it camping twice, gave up on it. Just don't trust it, I don't think the head it secure the way it connects to the head as the plastic has taken a huge beating beating in that area and I've hardly used it. Great idea, piss poor execution.

[cyclist01222]

Nice vid. Gerber axes are okay and of course, GB's are much better but this is like comparing a Chevy to a Lexus. Any axe can break or become dull. I make due with the inexpensive ones. My amazing Coleman camp axe is still going strong after 25 years! Thanks for sharing.

[higoten1993]

even before this vid i know if you need an ave... make sure you can repair the handle easyly

[Corkige]

You've got more patience than I do I can tell ya that. That axe woulda been fired into the bush after the first 2 minutes. lol

[danthman114]

all that heart wood could have made some good bows... if its juniper...

[CanItAlready]

Ah. Found broken Fiskars pic on BFC. The guy said he overshot the log and hit the handle on the wood and that's how he broke it.

[CanItAlready]

to be fair, hickory handles break also. And while I know they can be rehandled, from what I've read it doesn't seem like a quick thing to do. The issue some have of not trusting the synthetic handles because they might break seems to me to be, in a way, unfair.

BTW, the Gator line is made in China or Taiwan depending on which one it is, according to Gerber. Which is not to say the Fiskars version can't break. I've seen one posted to Bladeforums, IIRC.

[vivalabra]

16 hits vs 2 do you need any more explanations to trow the gerber away??

[si22mm]

would have been sweet to see that tree fall....

[AlpesHaches]

Your Video is Great !

Cogratulations !

I hope to see more of your work

[AlpesHaches]

Your Video is Great !

Cogratulations !

I hope to see more of your work

[wawhiker]

Thanks - had to visit this for a purchase...

[beast12101]

@wawhiker you know I picked my GB at hardwicks hardware in the U-district, not sure if its close to you?

[wawhiker]

@beast12101 Yes - I saw them as a GB dealer. Their site is under re-construction - ordered from another online site. Thanks for the tip!

[rjbarajas1]

@beast12101 i purchased mine there too!! great little store, i had no idea the amount of cool stuff in there!

[2Banarne2]

haha i must be going insane, just watched you chopping wood for 27 minutes :)

[cbdoobie]

I'm looking for a Gerber axe failure video this is the closest so far. How did you break your Gerber and what part failed?

[beast12101]

@cbdoobie the handle just below the head, just chopping up some punky log

[cbdoobie]

@beast12101

Damn, I just bought one. Oh well, at least it was only 30 dollars.

[djclarky1982]

@cbdoobie Just buy one and youve failed already! lol

[matsubear]

Well I learned over 30 yr. ago if you cut your own fire wood it will warm you twice. Once when you cut it once when you burn it.Red Oak was my least favorite wood to cut plenty of knots the grain was crooked and just all round tough. Good heat but man it is tough . If we are talking about the same Sweet Gum why would you want to cut and split it it wont burn in hell with a blower on it

[lowphoenix]

Thanks again for another informative video. I've been researching the GB small forest axe for a while now. I'm going to pick one up this weekend. I can't believe how well the wet sand paper works. Gonna have to throw some of that in my pack for sure.

[jeffbengtson]

the gb is fantastic, but at 2-3 times the price of a gerber/fiskars... i was wondering if you've had any problems with the plastic where it wraps around the handle, i mean from wear from splitting not from friends possible abuse.

[beast12101]

@jeffbengtson no real problems, sometimes wood will get stuck under the edge but it comes out, it was the handle that broke on me

[slowtaknow]

the forest axe is for felling and limbing only not for splitting,you'll need a maul for that although you could get away with it in a pinch

[1AbominAble1]

I've used the Gerber for a long time but have wanted the GB for even longer. Went with the supposedly indestructible handle, guess with a knife I could always make a new handle if the GB handle broke :D no different than putting a new handle on my hammer.

Thanks for the positive review of the GB!

[hamsteryte]

8:05 "Wanna take about a naughty piece of wood?" Thats what she said.

[1mrgasgas1]

Sir you should try and split sweet gum with an ax they have more twist and turns than a good novel ... God bless ...

[Waldhandwerk]

Great video, thank you, Greetings Sepp

[PackRat556]

Great Axe Video! I enjoy using several different axes from hatchet size to full size. I have no complaints with my Gerber Backpaxes (smallest model). Flawless performance for me after much use. I have enjoyed my Wetterlings very much as well. Haven't used the Granfors, but it looks very nice, similar to the Wetterlings. There is a warm quality about a wood handle no doubt. Excellent maintenance info as well!

[markshmily]

I think I almost prefer a folding saw and a machete over the axe.

Wouldn't a larger axe be better for splitting wood at home?

Interesting video..thanks.

[beast12101]

@markshmily sure, I was using a splitting maul at the begining

[enjoythewildUSA]

Fantastic video... it looks like an unholy nightmare to use the Gerber.. that Swedish axe is incredible.

[zoolanderfred]

Great vid. Just wondering if you didn't get the Wetterlings because you couldn't hold it in hand for fit and feel, so you went with the GB? If the only option was too buy both online would you of went for the Wetterlings? Thanks.

[beast12101]

@zoolanderfred possibly, I have been told they or very similar.

[scdefion]

@beast12101 Gransfor and Wetterling are actually owned by the same man and are just down the road from each other. There are very few differences between the two , except for the price.;

[slowtaknow]

@scdefion somebody told me no when i said that,i need to link your comment but don't know how

[markshmily]

@zoolanderfred 

[atpuck]

Gerber = pile

[medicjimr]

Real good vidio beast like your sharpening technique

[illyounotme]

Same sharpening technique I basically use for a convex katana blade. Very cool video I think one of the best comparisons of the two axes I have seen. For some reason people really like those Gerbers. I prefer the high quality traditional axes like GB or Wetterlings.

Man that juniper looked rough with all those knots. Good job on getting that tree down and chopped up.

[HawkLMT]

Ah HA HA !!! "Juniper is the Devil Wood...Really!" No kidding. I bet by the time you were done with that, you were ready to switch over to some of that nice straight grain lodge pole out of LaPine!

[Sccuba182]

Just use Gimli's war ax.

[gracejunkieca]

I've had problems with the gerber axe as well. i found the head slide forward out of the handle and caused some wicked vibrations. also I too have the issue of the saw falling out under heavy use.

[gwynn1975]

very cool.. thanks for sharing

[Rhinoch8]

Speaking bout devils woods HA! In my country we heat our houses with beech. It is the hell of a knotty wood, too :D

[MrCableguyken]

the husqvarna is a great axe as well...at about 1/4 the price of the GB...but the fiskars/gerber axe is meant for dual purpose work, and is a decent axe at best...yuo just cant compare the quality of a GB or any other swedish built axe. Great review.

[parlusk]

i broke a fiskars axe before.. i called and they sent me a new one. great customer service!!! A+

[TacticalCitySlicker]

I've got the fiscars version straped to my BOB fits like a glove and weighs near to nothing.

[flamedrag18]

personally, a 23.5" fiskars splitting axe(I know, fiskars makes axes for gerber) is a great camping axe and the 28" super splitter is the best splitting axe that I've ever used, splits anything in no more then two strikes(bad angle or missed the right spot).

using a gerber vs a GB is a little extreme, it's like pitting a normal axe against a splitting axe for splitting wood, unfair match up in my opinion, the GB is heavier and has a longer handle, no wonder it beat it, if you used a fiskars.....

[flamedrag18]

@flamedrag18 axe of the same length as the GB, then ou'd have a legit test, but here, it's unfair, not definitive.

[beast12101]

@flamedrag18 it would be better, but 3 inches and 6 ounces is still close

[adventurek9]

Good stuff! Well worth the 27minutes and 43 seconds. :-D

[kfinnguy]

Is juniper a really good wood for burning?

[beast12101]

@kfinnguy depends, it is high in resin like pine

[survivalweb]

I will take a wood handle axe and hatchet any day if im in the bush I can fashion a new handle if I had to.

[edwyrd]

Hey nice vid, i own a fiskers hatchet, hate it - can't afford a gb, looking a weiterlings, ever palyed with one?

thanks for the vids and thanks for your time.

[orangeampsforever]

great tips for sharpening

[ICWWEVERYDAY]

lol i see you were using your TONKA tractor in the back ground.

[beast12101]

@ICWWEVERYDAY it was key in falling the tree

[Tancrad]

weird you make a video of this. im in the market for a GB SFA/Hunters axe lately.

[Redfoxxbushcraft]

Great video! A comparison I've been wanting to see for a long time.

-RFB

[beast12101]

@Redfoxxbushcraft thanks

[kayak17]

Check out cold steel or easwing small axes; they are a lot better then gerber and still cheap.

[birdhunter67]

Man I'm tired that was a lot of work