Gransfors Bruks Ray Mears Wilderness Axe

  1 of 81

  The item arrived in great shape and came razor sharp. It shaved my arm right out of the box. The weight seemed a little light before use and it balanced quite well in the hand. The hickory handle was hafted perfectly and the grain was straight as an arrow, oriented the way it should be. In fact, I would consider the haft a super premium handle. The length of the haft appears short out of the box but after using it to cut saplings, I feel the length is perfect. The handle never got in the way trimming the finger sized saplings while clearing a path to my sons deer hunting tree stand. Grabbing the saplings a foot off the ground and choking up close to the axe head, it sliced through the saplings with no effort. There was no need to swing the axe to sever the saplings as the sharpness rivaled a good strong knife. We had high winds last week and as a result, I had a rather large willow limb on the ground in the yard. I grabbed the wilderness axe and thought I'd try it out on some larger limbs about the size of a large man's arm. Swinging the axe onto the willow limb was a surprise. I swung too hard and it blew right through the limb effortlessly. A lighter controlled swing sliced through with better results. With my limited exposure to this axe, I think it's a winner. I like the length, weight, sharpness, and the choice handle. I feel that the leather sheath could be more robust.  

  Steve J Drake

  2 of 81

  What an outstanding bit of kit, this axe hits the sweet spot perfectly between the Small Forest Axe and the Scandinavian Forest Axe. Also the head is different to any other Gransfors I've used or owned, it's a stand-alone profile all on its own, the more pronounced wedge shape is great for splitting but not so much that it doesn't bite into the wood when felling or bucking, the perfect all-rounder. The only down side is the mask it is too flimsy for such a beast and split through after a week, the customer service from Woodlore is second to none.  

  Ken Ferguson

  3 of 81

  What an upgrade from the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe! I even prefer it over the Scandinavian Axe. I have owned Gransfors Bruks Axes for years and have always thought something was missing. Don't get me wrong, they are wonderfully crafted and I enjoy using them. Come to find out 'it is all about the right balance of head weight and handle length' as you describe. I immediately felt the heavier weight and when I first used it I was sold. Now I could use all of my efforts into accuracy because the added mass of the head did all of the work. In my humble opinion a safer design, at least for me. On a side note, your soft packaging is not adequate. The leather cover was cut through at the toe, but no damage to the bit that I could see. I like your partnership with Gransfors Bruks enough that I ordered another one of your axes. We'll see how this one survives the skip over the pond. Keep up the good work!  

  Liffy

  4 of 81

  I own three GB axes, all of which are used on an almost daily basis. This axe did not disappoint. It both chops and splits very effectively. It comes sharp enough to make fire sticks with ease. It is significantly heavier than my SFA and both axes have their advantages. To sum it up, this is a great axe and I am very happy with my purchase. As usual, the service from Woodlore was fantastic. Thank you.  

  Alistair

  5 of 81

  This is a lovely axe, as you would expect with all Gransfors Bruks axes. Very well finished, and the edge (which came very sharp as expected) has held up nicely, I don’t think it will need more than honing for a good while yet. Used mainly for splitting so far (which is why I went for this over the small forest axe), but has a nice balance for carving as well. A good all-rounder. Amazing service from Woodlore, delivered within 24 hours. Finding this site has been great. Very nice selection of stock, and great to deal with.  

  Dominic Campbell

  6 of 81

  I am so pleased with the Wilderness Axe. I have been splitting wood my entire life and am also an avid hiker/camper. I was looking for something bigger to compliment my GB Wildlife Hatchet and was looking at the Small Forest Axe and the Scandinavian Axe. It came within a week despite the fact that I live in the USA, and the fit and finish is top notch. I put it to immediate use and am so happy with my choice. It has the perfect weight and handle length and fits perfectly in my pack.  

  Robert Sandt

  7 of 81

  Overall I was a bit disappointed with the fit and finish of this axe. The fit of the head has a gap between the wood and front portion of the head on both top and bottom. The handle appears to be straight most of the way until you get to the palm swell, the swell is twisted about 45 degrees. For a company that takes so much pride in how their products are hand made and use such high quality standard, this is a bit disappointing. I would have returned it if I had time to receive a replacement. Unfortunately I had a camp trip scheduled and needed to use what was sent. Hard to believe this passed quality control at GB and RM.  

  Aaron

  8 of 81

  I received the axe very quickly. It was taken straight to a Viking event to use for fire wood prep which it excelled in. I also used it for some carving and axing out bowl blanks. Fantastic axe which is weighted very well and comes very sharp.  

  Jonathan Arey

  9 of 81

  A great general purpose axe with that extra little bit of clout being a little bit heavier, however the shaft on mine is a little thin for my liking as I find I have to grip very hard when using the axe one handed, this is not a major problem but after I have been using it for a while one handed I begin to feel the strain a little, using a glove would help but then not ideal as I don’t feel I have the same control. Had I handled this axe in a shop before I purchased it would I have gone for something different? I’m not sure. Fortunately I have other axes that are very good for one handed work.  

  Fieldmaster

  10 of 81

  This is a wonderfully balanced axe. I’m glad I had it shipped all the way to the US. It has a shorter more manageable shaft but the heavy thick head splits well.  

  Chris