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Woolpower - Ullfrotte Original

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Swazi

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Julius Pettersson

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Gransfors Bruks

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Chris Boyton - Traditional Bowmaker

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Gransfors Bruks

Gransfors Bruks is a family-owned company situated amongst the mountains and valleys of the beautiful Halsingland countryside in Sweden. A modest team of only twenty-five people, the axe forging is taken care of by just five highly-skilled smiths. The Swedes are often referred to as the world’s greatest axe enthusiasts, and Gransfors Bruks is one of their finest forges.

In the 1960s the chainsaw became the tool of choice in forestry work, and the humble axe was forced to take a back seat. Axe forges and factories were hit hard by the huge slump in demand, and careful steps had to be taken by manufacturers in order to keep afloat. At Gransfors, they chose to focus on the knowledge and function of their axes, while still paying close attention to the effect their production processes have on the environment.

A conscious decision was made to revert back to the traditional forging methods of years gone by, discarding the colourful branding and lengthy processes used to cover mistakes in manufacturing that were now common in axe production:

'The restructuring was based on the belief that when all unnecessary steps are taken out of the production process, you end up with a more functional and environmentally sane product, and at the same time a more appealing one.'

Gransfors have continued along this path of quality-before-quantity ever since, and in 2002 they celebrated their 100th year of business, marking a century of axe forging. A grand achievement by any standards, but they were quick to dispel any notions that the age of a company holds a direct link to the quality of their products:

'Age is not the important factor, what one can learn and how one uses that knowledge is. We all share in the responsibility to harness, use and protect the knowledge we obtained. Now it is the future we must look towards.'

Ray has been a loyal user of Gransfors’ axes for many years now, incorporating their use into his various expeditions both in the UK and overseas. From felling trees in boreal forests to shaving feather sticks for kindling, Gransfors’ range of axes provide Ray with an array of tools fit for almost any situation.

It is this strong belief in their products which led to Ray and Woodlore working together with Gransfors to create an exclusive range of seven axes featuring the Ray Mears Bushcraft logo embossed on each handle. We feel very privileged to be the only company world-wide to have our logo featured on Gransfors’ axes. The axes featured in this range can be found in the Cutting Tools section of our website.