Check Husqvarna Carpenter's Axe price on Amazon

When Husqvarna first got into the axe business, they contracted Hults Bruk to make their axes. Then they went with Wetterlings, another great Swedish axe maker. Then it was Hults Bruk again.

Now they use a number of reputable Swedish axe manufacturers. In the earlier days, each axe had its maker’s mark on it, so you could tell exactly which company built it, but now they use a Husqvarna stamp instead of the actual maker.

What we do know is that, no matter who the maker is, it’s a good company, and the price is relatively cheap. As far as I know, Husqvarna sells the most inexpensive hand-forged Swedish axes available.

Not really on par with something higher-end like a Gransfors, but it’s a third of the price of a Gransfors.

Specs: Weight: 2.2 lbs, handle length: 19 inches

Think of the Husqvarna as more of an unfinished axe. You still get a good quality hand-forged Swedish axe. You get a highly functional design that’s also aesthetically pleasing, and you get a good hickory handle.

What you don’t get is finish-work. You get a fairly roughly ground bevel. Don't get me wrong--it's sharp enough to be useable, but if you want it doing everything it can do, it'll need some elbow grease to get it into proper shape. 

And you get a handle that will want a good coat of boiled linseed oil after a light sanding. The unfinished handle is actually a bonus compared with a lot of commercially available handles, since you don’t have to scrape off unwanted varnish before re-finishing.

For the price, the Husqvarna Carpenter’s Axe makes an excellent carving and crafting axe, which makes it a great camp or bushcraft axe.

Things this axe excels at: hewing, limbing logs, splitting kindling, roughing out bows, spoons, etc.

I like the fact that the bit has a symmetrical bevel, as opposed to the flat, single beveled blades of most carpenters’ axes, which makes it more of an all-purpose tool.

It's decent for chopping trees (small trees), although felling is not its favorite job.

I’m also partial to the curved handle on this axe, which lends balance. It feels good when you choke up on the handle for finer work or when swinging it for chopping.

As camp axes go, this one is a little heavy, which could actually be a benefit depending on your preference.

It’s more weight to carry, but it gives you a little more heft for chopping or wasting wood on a carving project. And it’s bulky enough to use comfortably with two hands.

Bottom Line

Expect to put an hour or more of work into this axe if you want to bring out its full potential. That could actually be a plus if you look at it in the sense that you’ll, A) be cultivating your shaping and honing skills and, B) after customizing it, it will feel more like your axe.

And of course it will cost you a lot less than some of the alternatives. For well under 100 bucks, the Husqvarna Carpenter’s Axe makes a nice hand-forged Swedish carving, camp, or bushcraft axe.

Check Husqvarna Carpenter's Axe price on Amazon