Swiss Issue Forest Axe

The big brother of the Swiss Issue Forest Hatchet, these axes should feel familiar, albeit sporting a beefier handle and an aesthetic lumberjack axe head. Clocking in with an overall length of twenty-three inches and a weight of five pounds, these axes strike a beautiful balance between power and portability.

General tips on sharpening & maintenance

We've read all the reviews and we decided to add a couple notes for all you prospecting lumberjacks who'd like to really use this axe for what Paul Bunyan would want.

• This is a "Forest Axe", not to be confused with a "Felling axe" or "splitting axe" — a felling axe typically features a longer handle and is designed to make the initial hits on big 'ol trees to knock them down. A splitting axe is for what the name implies, splitting wood. These axes are more of a jack of all trades, master of none. the best kind of tool for the woods, if you ask us. 
• These come from pretty much directly off the line unsharpened. You may caused undue stress to the handle or head if you do not sharpen it before use! So what should you do?
  Take it to your local knife sharpener - businesses that literally just do sharpening exists, and they will almost always do axe edges, which are a specific shape that lends itself well to the activity of chopping wood.
  If you'd like to DIY, it's easy to learn and teaches you how to keep it sharp too.  We like using an Axe puck.
• Some of our customers have mentioned the handle might need some TLC since it comes pretty barebones - give it a sanding with some fine-grit sandpaper to really soften it up and ensure the axe's head is secure on the top — they have a habit of loosening/getting crooked in transit from god-knows-what surplus warehouse to our warehouse and then again to your door. The head can be adjusted simply by giving it a few love taps with a mallet to further secure it.
• Learn how to swing it. No really, look at videos about proper form so you don't use the wrong muscles and/or put stress on the wrong part of the axe. Then you can impress the ladies with your manly, flannel-wearing lumberjack skills...

Specs

• Genuine Swiss Issue
• 23.25" (59 cm) overall length 
• 4.25" edge
• Classic Red-painted "fireman" style coloring on axe head
• Comes unsharpened - see maintinance tips!
• Forest Axe dimensions perfectly balance power and size
• It smells really good like fresh wood out of the box. Really. It's one of our favorite surplus smells we've encountered.

Condition

Every axe is unissued, guaranteed—so you'll be the first to swing this axe around while listening to Huey Lewis and the News. This is reflected in their stellar condition, though you may want to sand and coat the handle, as they come a tad rough from the factory.