How to choose an ax for your tasks and not regret

An ax is one of the most basic and necessary tools for any summer resident. From ancient times to the present day, it has been used for various tasks. Despite the primitiveness, the ax is extremely useful, effective and indispensable when working with wood.

Species There are more than 30 axes, it will come in handy both on a hike for setting up a tent, and in the country when pruning trees, and when repairing a roof, and for chopping meat, and for chopping firewood. But it’s not enough just to come to the store and grab the first ax model that comes across from the shelf. In order for it to clearly fulfill the tasks assigned to it, you need to buy such a tool that will meet your requirements, and will also be of high quality and useful.

How to choose an ax: important criteria

The ax belongs to the group of percussion instruments. Regardless of the purpose and variety (and there are a lot of them), they all consist of two parts:

• head - working part;
• ax - handle, grip.

There are several key factors to consider when choosing.

Head

The most important part of the axe. A high-quality product is, of course, made of metal - this allows you to process wood of different densities and maintain integrity. To work effectively, the blade must be sharpened to a sharp cutting edge - thin enough to cut into the wood, but thick enough not to split on impact. It all depends on the quality of the steel from which the head of the ax is made. For example, you saved on the material of the handle (although not desirable), which can be replaced. However, if the head of the instrument is made of poor and fragile metal, then you can’t do anything with it, so you just have to hand it over for scrap.

The shape of the blade can be straight or rounded:

• the direct splits this or that object better;
• the rounded one is usually longer, and in this case, in addition to the chopping blow, there is also a cutting component of the blade.

The quality of steel is a very important point, because it is on this criterion that not only the durability of the tool depends, but also the productivity of work, human safety. It is easy to check this - just hit the blade with something hard:

• dull, quickly fading sound - the steel is bad, it is better not to buy a tool;
• sonorous, resonant - everything is in order.

To improve performance, the blade is often double hardened and ground. In expensive ax models, the cutting edge is coated with a special compound, which allows you to work longer with the tool without sharpening.

ax

The handle can be made from several materials:

1. Tree. Use oak, ash, birch. Such an ax is not heavy, dampens the impact and is easily replaced in case of breakage or wear. Particular attention is paid to the direction of the fibers. Ideally, they should be parallel to the point of the axe. The transverse direction indicates incorrect sawing, which further leads to an early breakage of the handle.
2. Fiberglass. Pretty stable and reliable. Does not rust, dampens vibration during operation, and rubber inserts improve grip.
3. Metal. Such models represent one whole head and ax handle - one-piece cast products. The option is quite reliable and durable, but due to the all-metal design, such an ax will extremely difficult - with prolonged logging, a person’s hands quickly get tired, which reduces productivity work. To prevent the grip from slipping, rubberized inserts are often placed on it.

So, the classic option for an ax handle is, of course, wood. It is not very expensive, easy to process, and absorbs impact energy well, which makes long work easier. But it also has disadvantages - it is not resistant to moisture and may crack over time.

If you want to get a durable and convenient tool, then it is better to look at fiberglass. Yes, products from it are more expensive than, for example, from wood, but this is a modern material that does not rots, does not crack, does not deform, is resistant to moisture and frost, perfectly absorbs shock loads.

The size of the handle is an important criterion when performing specific jobs. A short grip contributes to more accurate strikes, a long one is not as accurate, but the impact force will be an order of magnitude higher.

Indicators of a good ax

Summing up, we can draw the following conclusions:

1. Weight. This criterion affects the functionality of the axe. If the head is too heavy, then the person will spend a lot of energy to raise it, and lose on the accuracy of the blow. And with light heads you can't get a deep cut. A good ax should fit comfortably in the palm of your hand.
2. Handle material. A common choice is wood. Fiberglass is just as good, but it costs more. If you want to save money, choose the first option. To get a durable tool, then look at fiberglass.
3. Blade shape. It is rounded and straight. The first focuses on cutting qualities. The second is ideal for splitting wood.
4. Handle length. For tourist axes - about 20-30 cm, models for cutting trees or chopping firewood - from 35 to 55 cm.
5. Practicality and safety. If you will rarely work with the tool, then make sure that a case is included in the kit. Such an accessory will not only protect a person from accidental injuries, but also extend the life of the tool.

In general, when buying an ax, you should not look for reasons to save money. In the selection process, preference must be given to those models for the manufacture of which only high-quality and durable materials were used. Only in this case it will turn out to buy a tool that will last more than a dozen years.