the head is 1.5lb head and polished on the back—it glistens like chrome, man—and that’s better for separating the hide from the meat of a dead animal.
the handle has a unique shape with grip-action grooves that make it easier to grip with blood-soaked hands.
it costs significantly more because of the extra polishing and grooving.
Gransfors Bruk is a tiny hatchet maker in Sweden, and makes the best ones in the world. They have hickory handles and forged steel heads, and each model is made and signed by a single hatchet-maker. These ax heads keep their sharpness well, and sharpen easily. We use Lansky Butterfly files to sharpen them, but any $30+ hand-held sharpener will do. Youtube can show you how.
Use, use, use…sharpen…use a lot more, sharpen again.
READ THE AXE BOOK! It may save your fingers or shin.
