Comparison Fiskars SAFE-T X39 900 mm

3.9 kg

vs Cold Steel Viking Hand Axe 762 mm

0.5 kg

Classic types of axes include universal tools, as well as cleavers. In addition, more specific varieties are also produced: tourist and tactical models, tomahawks (essentially copies of battle axes), as well as cutting tools. Here is a more detailed description of each of these varieties:

- Universal. Traditional household axes. Quite varied in length and weight - from small hatchets, approaching tourist models, to long and heavy tools, which are only a little short of cleavers. However, all products of this type have two common features. Firstly, they are designed for standard tasks like cutting branches and trees. Secondly, even the most compact models are not designed to be carried with you all the time; A universal ax can be carried in a car, but for hiking it is better to choose a specialized hiking tool.

- Cleaver. Axes specially designed for chopping wood. They are distinguished by their large length and weight, as well as a fairly thick wedge-shaped blade. This design allows you to effectively cope even with thick logs, stumps, etc.; but for work that requires precision and accuracy, axes are not suitable.

- Tourist. Compact hatchets designed to be convenient to carry with you all the time, especially during hiking and cycling trips; Some models even have the abilit...y to attach to a belt. Due to their small size, travel tools are inferior to universal ones in terms of impact force and overall capabilities. Nevertheless, such an ax can easily cope with most tasks relevant to a tourist: preparing firewood for a fire, sharpening and hammering tent pegs, clearing a parking lot from bushes and small trees, etc. And compactness and portability for this application are key factors.

- Tactical. Axes (usually quite small) designed based on tools used in military and police special forces (and sometimes originally created for such use and only then released to the civilian market). We emphasize that despite their origin and “aggressive” appearance, such products are primarily household tools and do not belong to edged weapons. In addition to appearance, one of the characteristic features of tactical axes is their one-piece design: the ax and handle are made of one piece of metal, and the handle is complemented with polymer/rubber pads or wrapped with paracord for ease of holding. Tools of this type are often equipped with cases for ease of carrying (including, in some models, on the belt); Also quite a popular function is the pike (pecker).

- Tomahawk. Axes copied from Indian tomahawks. The specific degree of reliability may vary: some models are almost indistinguishable from historical prototypes, others are closer to tourist or even tactical products. However, modern tomahawks are generally considered to be replicas of battle axes; They are intended primarily for connoisseurs of historical instruments in a characteristic style. At the same time, the specific dimensions, purpose and capabilities of the “tomahawk” may be different: some of them are quite suitable for “household use”, others will be useful when going out into nature or on a hike, etc. There are also more specific options - for example, axes, specially created for throwing competitions.

- Cutting. A rather rare variety is axes for chopping large pieces of meat, including whole carcasses. They differ from kitchen cleavers in both their larger size and shape: a chopping ax has a rounded blade of quite long length and weight. It is convenient to use such a tool to deliver powerful blows during the initial cutting of meat, but it is easier to disassemble the resulting pieces into smaller portions with a cleaver or other relatively small device.

The grade of steel used in the blade of the ax (in models with metal handles, also in the handle, see above).

Knowing the grade of steel, you can easily find detailed data on it and determine the overall quality of the tool, as well as its suitability for certain tasks. And vice versa: knowing the main characteristics of the most popular grades of steel, you can evaluate the overall quality of the tool already by what brand it uses.

Length is one of the main parameters that determine the specialization of the tool. A large length is typical for models designed for rough work in large volumes, where significant effort is required — for example, in cleavers (see "Type"), this indicator can reach a metre. Small tools, in turn, are intended either for precision carpentry or for tourist use, where the tool has to be carried around and its compactness is no less important than functionality.

The smallest modern hatchets have a length of about 200 mm, often they are multifunctional tools with wrenches, sling cutters and other special devices made in the form of curly slots. The length of a tourist tool is usually about 300 mm, universal carpentry axes are about 500 – 600 mm, and most cleavers have a length of 600 mm or more.

It is worth considering that in this paragraph the length of the handle itself may also come across, when the manufacturer himself does not give clear explanations of exactly what length is indicated in the specifications. However, this value often differs by only a few cm.

The length of the ax blade, more precisely, the length of the cutting edge.

Knowing the length of the handle or the entire tool (see above), as well as the length of the blade, one can estimate the general proportions of the ax without even having a picture in front of one's eyes. However, the shape and dimensions of the blade are selected by the manufacturer, taking into account the type (see above) and the specialization of the tool. If we talk about practical significance, then the length of the blade directly determines the contact area upon impact and the corresponding features of the tool. So, a relatively small blade easily enters even hard wood, this moment is used in cleavers. In turn, a large blade that captures a large area can be useful when felling trees or some carpentry.

The total weight of the ax, for models with wooden handles — with a complete handle.

The optimal weight depends on the type (see above) and specialization of the tool. So, general purpose axes (carpentry) weigh about 0.8 – 1.5 kg; such products are able to provide sufficient inertia for impact and at the same time do not require significant effort. At the same time, lighter tools are intended for precise work, heavier ones for rough work. Cleavers and similar "generalists" are by definition massive, most often from 2 kg or more, and in the most "large-caliber" models, the weight can be about 4.5 – 5 kg. Here it is worth proceeding from the thickness and hardness of the wood that is planned to be chopped: a heavy cleaver can easily cope even with large logs, however, it will take a lot of effort for such work. In tourist axes and tomahawks, in turn, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of transportation: for constant carrying with you, it is better to take a lighter tool, and if the tool is bought for trips to nature by car, you can choose a heavier model.

The weight of the ax blade, excluding the handle.

It is believed that such an ax balance is optimal when its centre of gravity is maximally shifted to the blade. Accordingly, the more massive the blade relative to the handle, the closer the centre of gravity will be to it and the closer the balance will be to the perfect. At the same time, it is impossible to infinitely make the blade heavier and lighten the handle — there are limitations associated primarily with the strength of the structure. As a result, in axes weighing up to 1.5 kg, the weight of the handle is usually 200 – 250 g; in other words, the blade accounts for about 80 – 85% of the total weight of the tool. In more massive products, the handles turn out to be heavier — for example, with a weight of 3 kg, the weight of the handle can be about a kilogram, that is, the blade already accounts for only about 60% of the weight of the tool. However, such axes usually have a considerable length, which compensates for this moment.

The main material used for an ax handle.

— Tree. "Classics of the genre", material that has been used for a long time and has not lost its relevance nowadays. Wood comes in a variety of grades and qualities, but ax makers typically use hard, durable varieties for their products. Due to this, such handles are quite reliable and durable, they can be used even in long and heavy cleavers — despite the fact that wood is relatively inexpensive. It is also worth noting that the tree dampens vibrations well. In addition, the blade in such axes is always removable — thus, if desired, you can replace the complete handle with a more suitable one. The main disadvantage of this material is that the tree tends to shrink over time; because of this, the blade begins to dangle on the handle and can generally fly off from a sudden movement. To correct the situation, you have to change the handle or “treat” it by soaking and driving in a wedge. However, manufacturers can apply constructive solutions that more or less compensate for this shortcoming.

— Fibreglass. In this case, we are usually not talking about pure fibreglass, but about fibreglass — a composite material that combines glass fibre and plastic filler. This combination is characterized by high strength and relatively low weight. And its key advantage over wood is its resistance to adverse conditions, including absolute insensitivity to moisture....Thanks to the latter, the fibreglass handle does not lose its working properties with use, and its service life is comparable to the “lifetime” of the blade itself. Moreover, in some fibreglass models, only overlays can be made on the metal base of the handle, which further increases strength and durability. On the other hand, such handles are noticeably more expensive than wooden ones, and the possibility of replacement in the design is usually not provided.

— Plastic. Plastic is presented on the market in many varieties — from inexpensive and not very reliable to high-strength, not inferior in performance to the fibreglass described above. However, rather high-quality and durable plastic is usually used in axes, similar in characteristics and properties to the same fibreglass or not much inferior to it. The specific characteristics of such handles directly depend on the price category of the tool.

— Metal. The main undoubted advantage of metal handles is extremely high strength: this material can easily withstand loads that are inaccessible to wood or metal-plastic. In addition, the blade and handle in such axes are often made from a single piece of metal, which further contributes to strength. At the same time, metal is well suited only for relatively compact axes — it is quite heavy, and a cleaver, or even a large universal ax with such a handle, would be too heavy for normal work. Note that most often the metal is supplemented with overlays that make the tool more comfortable in the hand.

The presence of additional rubber lining(s) in the design of the ax handle.

Such pads are used for additional convenience and safety during work. Firstly, the rubber does not tend to slip in the hand, which reduces the risk of releasing the tool. Secondly, this material is soft and pleasant to the touch, and also does not “cool” your hands in cool weather. Thirdly, rubber dampens vibrations of the handle, increasing the accuracy of work and reducing fatigue (this is perhaps the main advantage of such pads).

Handles made of almost any material can be rubberized(see above), however, for a number of reasons, rubber is rarely combined with wood.

— Hammer. Allows you to use utility or camping axes for hammering nails, pegs when pitching a tent, chipping bricks, and so on. Cleavers — for hitting with a mallet, hammer or other log on the butt in case of jamming of the ax in the log. It is worth considering that the above actions are highly not recommended for classic butts, as this is fraught with loosening of the wedge in the ax handle, which can be traumatic in the future. On axes with plastic and fibreglass handles, manufacturers even leave a reminder that when hitting the butt during operation, the ax loses its warranty.

— Pika (slander). The pick, which is a sharp tip, is a multifunctional device that allows you to use the tool not only for cutting, but also for more precise work, for example, punching holes, crushing wood, etc. Additionally, axes with a pick can be used when climbing snow-covered, icy peaks . Among similar axes there are many collectible replicas that copy ancient weapons.