Council Tool 2# Wood-Craft Pack Axe
Reviewed by
300winmag
+1,493
October 20, 2019 (original Oct 2, 2019)
I wanted a short-handled axe for car and canoe camping. The two main Swedish axe makers had very nice camp axes, but I liked the Council Tool Wood Craft axe head shape better and the fact that it was a high quality US-made axe.
Pros
- Handy size with 19" handle
- Hardened poll for driving steel stakes or smaller splitting wedges
- US-made (North Carolina)
- Nice head shape for handheld work
Cons
- Included leather sheath is tiny and not able to be belt carried. It covers only the edge area.
I like the Wood Craft small camp axe because it is larger than a hatchet and able to do small felling tasks and splitting of firewood yet is easily carried on a pack when on canoe portages.
It is very similar to Hults Bruk and Gransfors Swedish axes and at the same price, but I prefer the CT Wood Craft head shape. It is the same quality as the Swedish axes and in one way may be better in that the poll (hammer head) is tempered so it won't mushroom when pounding a small splitting wedge or heavy steel tent stakes for car camping.
If you expand the the photo Alicia so kindly provided above you will see the different "insetted" shape of the axe head. It is made so you can easily hold the head in your hand for carving and other close work, like making a "fuzz stick" for starting a fire.
The axe in the photo above is the long-handled (24") version. I preferred the short (19") version for canoe and car camping.
Background
The shape of the head is thick enough at the cutting area to prevent it getting stuck when splitting wood—UNLIKE my larger Estwing axe.
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $135
