This is my first review on this blog. So a little background. I started collecting knives in 2007 after being on the Hoods Woods Forum and had the opportunity to talk with Ron. I blame him for getting me into knives. Ill be the first to admit that it became a problem for me at one stage, but I was determined to learn for myself after reading forum after forum post on different steels, shapes sizes etc. I started off with two limited edition blades from Busse a battle mistress and a badger attack and my addiction grew from there. This was the days before Youtube and you couldnt just watch others experimenting. Ive gradually had to sell many of those to raise funds for various reasons and Im down to something under 80 blades. I buy the occasional one if my curiosity spikes. I mainly keep my favorites and ones I use the most.

The Gransfors Outdoor Axe was one of these curiosities. It reminded me of an American Tomahawk and there arent too many shops in Australia where you can actually view and handle blades or axes, its mostly internet sales here. I purchased the outdoor axe and I think I had it in my hands for less than 5 minutes and absolutely hated it. It felt very anemic to me. How was I meant to cut down a tree with this is all I could think.I swapped it to a mate for a Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet that I had sold him years before. It took me over six months before seeing a youtube clip by Joe Robinet using the outdoor axe for me to buy another.

He was using the axe like a large knife. Im a knife guy, preferring a large chopping knife over an axe for more control. Knives have that sweet spot and you control the power by shifting where on the blade you strike with. I realized the outdoor Axe was the European version of a large chopping knife in a country where you cant walk around with a large knife hanging off your belt but you can an axe. With the outdoor axe you use it the same as a large chopping knife but the power is controlled by where you place your hands on the handle. Chocking for finer work, halfway for more control and at the back for the greatest power stroke.

I had another Outdoor Axe within a week and am now preferring it to carrying a large knife for the timbers in the area in which I was living. At the time I was axe predigest. All I saw in them was either splitting sawn timber or cutting the front notch to down a tree. My kukris or goloks were just easier for me to use building/constructing items. I now have three Gransfors at the time of this writing, a wildlife hatchet that I use for removing stock for carving, a hunters Axe for splitting and limbing, of course the Outdoors which has become one of my favorite bushcraft tools.

I dont write the sort of review where I state the size, material and film what I use it on in a way that I would never use it in reality. I mainly say why I brought an item , how I use it, if its junk and why I either have sold it or decided to keep it. This just happens to be one of those tools where it grew on me over time and now is a part of my permanent kit.

Joe Robinet

The two shops where I purchase my axes from;

Dawn Mowers

https://dawnmowers.com.au/brands/gransfors-bruk-axes

Philip and Lea

https://www.phillipandlea.com.au/