Gransfors Bruk axes are hand-forged by smiths in a small Swedish factory, each head stamped with its maker's initials, and the Large Splitting Axe 442 is their purpose-built answer to the woodpile. The bit is forged and ground to a concave, relatively thin edge that penetrates quickly, then widens so the cheeks push the wood apart instead of wedging tight.
That geometry is the difference between splitting and chopping. Five pounds of axe at 27-1/2 in is enough mass for full rounds without the fatigue of a maul, a steel collar guard protects the handle from overstrikes, and grooves near the end of the handle keep your grip when your hands are wet. One rule: it is not a wedge driver. Gransfors builds the 450 maul for that.
Specifications:
- Model: 442, large splitting axe
- Overall length: 27-1/2 in (70 cm)
- Head: 6-1/2 in long, 2-7/8-in cutting edge, concave thin bit widening into a broad splitting body
- Total weight: approx. 5 lb
- Handle: hickory with steel collar guard and circular grooves at the end for grip
- Includes: vegetable-tanned leather sheath with snap and the Gransfors Axe Book
- Use: not for striking wedges (that is the 450 maul's job)
- Made in: Gransfors, Sweden by Gransfors Bruk
