HULTAFORS AGDOR YANKEE FELLING AXE HY 10-0.9 SV Axe Ships From USA New

  
Hultafors Agdor - yankee felling axe-- new! An axe suitable for small-scale felling, made from blasted and clear-lacquered ironwork. The shaft is curved and made from hickory. The axe is hand-forged and made from Swedish axe steel using traditional methods in use since 1697. The steel is struck several times, increasing its density and thereby the durability of the axe. Has a clear tempered zone within which the axe can be sharpened whilst not detracting from the strength of the edge. The shaft is made from hickory and treated with linseed oil. Shaft length: 650 mm (26). First, a bit of background. Even though now technically part of Hultafors, Hults Bruk still controls the production of the axes. That is why you will see both the Hults Bruk and Hultafors stamps on each axe head. Hultafors now produces two lines of axes. One of them is the Agdor line, of which this axe is representative. They also have a newer line, which they call their "classic" line. The classic line closely resembles the Gransfors Bruks axes to which we have become accustomed.

In this review I will compare the Hultafors/Hults Bruk Agdor axe to the Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe. The handle of the Hultafors Agdor axe is just a little bit longer than that of the Scandinavian Forest Axe. In all other respects they are virtually identical. The grain orientation is very good.

The Hultafors handle is not as well finished as that on the Gransfors Bruks, but the differences are minor. For example, the area around the lanyard hole is not as well sanded as it is on the Gransfors Bruks. The grind of the Hultafors Agdor head is as close to perfect as I have seen on an axe. The bit is nice and thin, although it is just marginally thicker than that of the Gransfors Bruks. The cheeks are smooth and continuous, and unlike on the Gransfors Bruks, there is no abrupt transition when they near the eye. I have seen pictures of some other Hultafors Agdor axes, which had cheeks that were not as smooth, so some examples might need some sanding. The metal appears to be very hard judging by how hard it was to file. The hardness seems to be similar to the Gransfors Bruks axe. I prefer axes that are a bit softer, but the edge did not get damaged during use. So, is this the perfect axe head? Well, it's close, but not exactly. The only problem I was able to find was that the balance is not perfect. The poll is a bit too light. As you can see from the picture, the bit hangs a little low when the axe is balanced. The average user will not be able to tell a difference during use, but ideally the poll should be a little heavier. In terms of performance, I was not able to detect any difference between the Hultafors/Hults Bruk Agdor axe and the Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe. I think the slightly thicker bit balanced out the slightly higher weight of the Hultafors axe.

Theoretically, the Hultafors axe should have an advantage when it comes to splitting because of the head geometry, but with axes this size, it is hard to detect that difference unless you are splitting wood that is larger than anything you are likely to use in the woods. The axe does not have a sheath of any sort. Overall, this axe is a bargain. Some minor sanding and a touching up of the edge with a sharpening stone gives you an amazingly well performing tool.

During testing, it did not lag behind the Grasfors Bruks axe in any way. I personally think that the head of the Hultafors Agdor axe has much better proportions than that of the Gransfros Bruks one.

Had the balance been a little bit better, this would have been as close to my ideal axe as I have been able to find so far.