Gear

Shop Chop

The Season Demands Axes. Here Are Axes.

Firewood doesn’t chop itself. Christmas trees don’t fell themselves. Lumberjacks don’t... look generally like you. But that last could change. Because you’re receiving a guide to the greatest axe-owning opportunities this holiday season has to offer, ranked by wood-chopping intensity. From hand-painted wood splitters to genuine Viking battle-axes, here’s everything you need to show that log who’s boss. You’re the boss in that scenario.

INTENSITY LEVEL: 1

Max Multi-Purpose Axe

You require: An axe. But also... a lot of other stuff. That you don’t feel like buying separately.
You’ll receive: An axe that can also be a shovel, pick, mattock, broad pick, hoe or fire rake depending on what tool you attach to the axe head. That part never comes off.

INTENSITY LEVEL: 2

The Keegan Axe

You require: A solid woodchopper—with a good backstory.
You’ll receive: A Hudson Bay–style axe head with a solid hickory handle, made in North Carolina and hand-painted by an artist in Philadelphia. You thought we were going to say Portland, didn’t you?

INTENSITY LEVEL: 3

U.S.T. SaberCut Camp Axe

You require: Something that will let you throw around the word “tactical” a lot.
You’ll receive: This compact and lightweight stainless steel number with a 5 mm thick blade. Perfect for clearing the underbrush around your camp/cleaving watermelons at home.

INTENSITY LEVEL: 4

The Japanese Axes

You require: Anything, so long as it’s been made by a father and his three sons in a workshop utilizing traditional Japanese blacksmithing methods.
You’ll receive: Any of the specimens from Best Made’s Japanese axe collection, which fit that above description quite splendidly.

INTENSITY LEVEL: 5

Baltic Viking’s Axe “Braveheart”

You require: Something for battle. Or something that will look great hanging above your mantel while you watch Game of Thrones.
You’ll receive: This historic replica of a seventh-century Viking axe. You’ll have to wait six to 12 months for it to be made, but it’s a better option than time travel.