The 9 Best Bruk hatchets (2023 reviews)

We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a hatchet. The estwing bruk hatchet is exactly that - it's a simple hatchet that hits all the right notes. This sport-man hatchet holds an edge well, and is well balanced. It has great form and if you have smaller hands you can double hand chop. It's genuine leather handle is sanded and lacquered for a durable yet comfortable feel. The steel is hardened and tempered as it should be, so that it's at least functional and long lasting. It feels very smooth, almost glossy, so a sure grip is needed when you're taking a swing.

It's perfect for chopping logs, small trees & branches or splitting firewood & kindling. The weight, the heft, the build, the design, and its looks are impressive. The leather handle is also plenty good to grip with.

Why We Like This:

Delivers what they promise
New and hot release

Best For bushcraft: Gransfors Bruk Hickory Handle

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Next on the list, we've got yet another hatchet that manages to win our hearts. It's the gransfors bruk hickory handle and it's widely considered as hatchet that has the most suitable features. The Gransfors has superior craftmanship, is very sharp right out of the box and the perfect size and weight for a camping hatchet. It is practical for carrying in your rucksack when you need a small axe with plenty of power. It is perfectly balanced, stays sharp, has perfect handle ergonomics, and stores nicely.

The Hunters axe also has circular ridges in the handle for improved grip when wet or slippery. It is a great hatchet for splitting or cutting small limbs. It is the perfect size and shape and holds an edge amazingly well. It's easy in the hand, well-balance, and effective at range.

Why We Like This:

Head geometry is great for limbing, carving
Very sharp, and the designs are perfect for their intended purposes
Great tool for camping, comes with a really helpful manual

Best For backpack: Gransfors Bruks Hand Hatchet

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Not everyone likes to purchase hatchet for their daily purpose, but the gransfors bruks hand hatchet would be an anomoly. This little hatchet is really a discreet way to pack a decent chopping / splitting tool on a camping trip. The heads are mechanically hammer-forged by trained smiths from recycled steel (old Saab engine blocks, probably) and as such every one made is unique. The top portion is smooth to allow your guiding hand to easily move along the length of the handle during a swing, while the bottom portion is rough textured to allow that hand to keep hold of it. The fact it is a gransfors bruk that automatically tells you its hand made, top of the line and will arrive razor sharp.

This hatchet is handy, agile, and relatively light. The hatchet comes with a leather sheath. The quality is excellent, and the hand forged and tempered blade really holds a sharp edge. It is extremely practical to carry in your rucksack on forest walks, or to keep in the car as it takes up very little space.

Why We Like This:

Very rugged and functional without the polish of mass production hatchets
Great hatchet for camping, hunting etc
The ultimate single camping / survival tool

Best For Good swing: Hults Bruk Hatchet

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Best part: hults bruk bruk hatchet costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. Being an excellent chopper, and a pretty good splitter, this thing is a very nice crafter/carver. It is perfect for a good swing. It is intended for tasks such as making kindling, doing light clearing and for any number of backcountry jobs. It is for survival you need to be able to build a fire, build a shelter, and preform the tasks of a knife.

There must be two styles of sheaths for this hatchet. The wood handle is good quality wood with correct grain orientation. It is extremely sharp and holds its edge well. It does come with a leather sheath for the axe and it is a great purchase.

Why We Like This:

Head to handle fitting is tight and perfect
A very fine, super-high quality product
New and hot release

Best With Saw: Gransfors Bruks Bruk Hatchet

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The gransfors bruks bruk hatchet is capable of outshining several other hatchet featured in this list in overall features in its price range. Hand-shaped, this wonderful piece of wood truly compliments the traditional nature of the rugged hand-forged hatchet's head. This easily fits in a backpack, weighs next to nothing and is VERY sharp. The leather is thicker by at least a millimetre, with a tie closure. It is also great for limbing and for splitting kindling and firewood.

The Gransfors has a snap closure mask. It is an excellent steel and comes sharpened well. It's also thicker on the business end before it tapers to the cutting edge. These are both beautiful, quality tools, and it's easy to see that they have been produced by companies and craftspeople with generations of experience.

Why We Like This:

Great steel at just the right angle
, beautiful, useful, and almost perfect
Delivers what they promise

Best For Light jobs: Peco Bruk Hatchet

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If you are currently in the market looking for a popular hatchet for your daily purpose, you cannot go wrong with the peco bruk hatchet. This is an extremely well made hatchet. It will cut you a nice fire to cook on if you are backpacking and don't want to carry a lot of weight. Due to the sharpness of this blade and due to the fact that it is light and you can put tremendous velocity into each strike, this is a very, very dangerous tool if you do not know what you are doing or if you get careless. The edge is very fine and you can choke up on it and use it as a knife no problem, but because the head gets thick around the eye you are not going to slice thick stuff with this like you can with a knife.

This axe is not stainless steel, this axe is forged by a living human being, their initials are stamped on the metal, so you need some maintenance oil. It's the perfect size for carrying in your back pack without extra bulk. This hatchet will not only work as an effective tool but could serve as a weapon if needed.

Why We Like This:

Has a definite "hand made" quality to it
A real tool for real bushcraft
New and hot release

Best For Axe Throwing: Hults Bruk Agdor Bruk Hatchet

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Next on the list, we've got yet another hatchet that manages to win our hearts. It's the hults bruk agdor bruk hatchet and it's widely considered as hatchet that has the most suitable features. The Agdor 15 hatchet takes care of business, from clearing a campsite and making kindling, to fashioning hot dog spears and driving plastic tent stakes. The Pound yankee pattern axe head gives this compact hatchet a powerful punch. It features a new premium leather sheath, made in the usa. The Tempered zone helps to keep the axe sharp after many sharpenings.

The throat of the axe feels great in your hands when throwing.

Why We Like This:

Made leather sheath, constructed by expert leather makers in north carolina
Lot of satisfied buyers

Best ergonomic: Hultafors Bruk Hatchet

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Hultafors has been making great hatchet for years, thanks to a combination of clever design and appropriate materials. This Hultafors is profiled like a very good chopper and a fair splitter. It is hand-forged and made from swedish axe steel in a foundry that has been in operation since. It is stamped and forged into the head. The sheath is nice as well. It is sharpened, polished and ready to use.

These are made out of high carbon steel. It is the perfect outdoor companion, if you are hiking in the wild or just need to work on the camp fire. The handle is very rough and splintery. It comes with a traditional leather protective sheath.

Why We Like This:

Wooden handle from american hickory, treated with linseed oil
Mostly through a pnw forest environment
Delivers what they promise

Best Light Weight: Gransfors Bruk Hatchet

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The gransfors bruk bruk hatchet is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your regular usage. It is a traditional scouting and camping axe, with the same head as the hand hatchet but on a longer handle. It is made of ceramic abrasives with two grinding faces. It is round and flat with a bevelled edge to prevent chipping. It is capable of lopping off quite large branches or splitting small logs for the campfire.

The shape of the sheath, which covers the edge and the top part of the poll, stops the axe head cutting into your rucksack when you need a small axe with plenty of power. It is normally used with water but can be used dry. It comes in a protective rubber case, which also acts as a convenient holder during grindingsharpeningplease note.

Why We Like This:

Does not require honing oil and can be used with water or dry
A man-made sharpening stone with two grinding faces
Comes sharp with a protective leather sheath and a copy of "the axe book