Dateline: The Swamp. I am writing this in the depths of winter, but I cannot rest from my labors. I must press forward with the ongoing campaign. The objective is to push back the tangled undergrowth threatening to swallow up our property. Only ceaseless effort can prevent the undergrowth from reclaiming our land for The Swamp.
Without the protecting cover of leaves, my enemy is more vulnerable to my counter-attacks. I can better see to cut the various tendrils, stems, and saplings. The newest weapon in my arsenal is the Husqvarna 26 Inch Clearing Axe.
The clearing axe consists of a 5.75-inch blade held firmly by a heavy spring-steel bow. The bow, in turn, is fixed securely to the end of a 19.7-inch hickory shaft. The blade is about 0.13 inches thick and about 1.5 inches wide. When applied with appropriate force to the proper place, the blade smoothly severs tendrils, stems, and saplings up to 0.5 inches in diameter.
Designed for one-handed use, the clearing axe weighs 2.2 pounds and is made in Sweden. At the time of this writing, it cost $64.99 at Husqvarna.com.
FhttThe clearing axe requires less exertion to use than a ditch bank blade, and can cut thicker stems than a double-blade weed cutter. It is a much more robust tool than a grass hook.
The clearing axe user will need to stoop or kneel in order to cut with the clearing axe at ground level, where the tool works best. I am happy to report that my knees and back are still up to that challenge.
Background
I ran across the Husqvarna Clearing Axe online. I have a lot of respect for Husqvarna tools, and (as I mentioned above) brush clearing is a constant task for me. I contacted Husqvarna and asked if they could provide me with a sample of their clearing axe for testing and evaluation. They were kind enough to agree. Before long a 26.5 x 19.25 x 9 inch shipping box arrived via FedEx Ground from Husqvarna Professional Products, 1001 Carolina Pine Drive, Blythewood, SC 29016.
First Impressions
The huge box contained a lot of crumpled brown paper, a packing list, and the clearing axe.
There is a California Proposition 65 sticker on the wooden handle, as there is on virtually every manufactured product that is marketed in the United States. The boy who cried wolf comes to mind. There is nothing to distinguish genuinely hazardous products from those that contain substances that are safe in their present form. As an example of a product that is actually safe in its present form, the nickel in the five-cent piece in your pocket would merit a Proposition 65 warning if the five-cent piece was marketed in California.
The brush axe comes with a plastic guard over the edge of the blade. The blade is reversible and replaceable. Only one side of the blade is pre-sharpened when the brush axe ships from the factory.
The hickory shaft is sturdy and attractive. The spring-steel bow of the head is robust.
Testing
It was an unusually warm and rainy day in mid-January. A significant winter storm was forecast for later in the week.
I took the brush axe to the edge of my driveway, and attacked a tangled mass of vines hanging from some trees. The vines were so tangled that it was difficult to know where to start. It was also difficult to get a clear swing. The vines also had a tendency to swing away from the blade when struck near the middle with the brush axe.
As I started to make progress on clearing the tangle, and especially as I got closer to the ground, progress improved. The roots near the base of a stem hold that stem in place. That enables the brush axe to cut the stem more effectively. When used close to the ground, I felt that the brush axe cut more effectively than a machete.
It was nice to get the tangle cleared with about 30 minutes of effort. I then returned to the pole barn. I wiped and brushed soil and plant matter from the head of the brush axe. Then I sharpened the blade with a sharpening stone, oiled all metal parts, and hung the brush axe on the wall of the pole barn to await more use another day.
The next day, I took out the brush axe again. This time, I was trimming back growth along the edge of the driveway. I was able to clear 56 yards of brush along the edge of the driveway in about 30 minutes of labor. By way of comparison, I was only able to clear 30 yards along the driveway in about 30 minutes of labor while using the ditch bank blade. I found the brush axe much less exhausting to use than the ditch bank blade as well.
Blade Removal and Reinsertion
Following my second trimming session, there was quite a bit of dirt and plant material trapped between the blade and the bow of the head. I placed the bow of the head in a vise with a block of wood supporting the tip of the bow. I then pulled the handle toward the open end of the bow to relieve the tension on the blade. I was then able to slip the blade loose from the bottom end of the bow.
Once the blade was removed, I could clean the blade and the ends of the bow more thoroughly. To reinsert the blade, I just reinserted the bow in the vise, pulled the handle toward the open end of the bow, and reinserted the blade into the bottom of the bow. I then oiled the blade and bow, and hung the clearing axe back on the wall.
Husqvarna History
During the second half of the 1600s, Sweden found itself enmeshed in a series of wars. Among others, these included the Russo-Swedish War, the Second Northern War, the Scanian War, the Franco-Dutch War, and the Nine Years’ War.
These ongoing conflicts led to a need for increased weapons production. So in 1689, the Jonkoping Rifle Factory established a water powered mill next to the falls in Huskvarna (then Husqvarna) in southern Sweden in order to drill rifle barrels.
With the coming of more peaceful times, production at the plant turned to items for domestic use such as sewing machines, wood stoves, bicycles, and eventually motorcycles.
In the 20th Century, the clouds of war once again gathered over Europe. Husqvarna turned once again to arms production. During World War II, they manufactured about 18,000 m/96 Mausers for the Swedish equivalent of the Civilian Marksmanship Program. These rifles were sold to civilians at a subsidized price with the understanding that the rifles would be returned to the government in the event that Sweden became involved in hostilities.
After the war, the focus once again returned to items for domestic use. In 1959, Husqvarna experimented with a new product: a chainsaw.
Early chainsaws were even more deafeningly loud than current models. Husqvarna’s first saw incorporated a motorcycle muffler that cut sound emissions in half. This breakthrough was soon widely copied by other manufacturers. In the ensuing years, Husqvarna continued to introduce new innovations to chainsaw design, like the automatic chain brake in 1973.
By 1990, the United States had become Husqvarna’s largest market for outdoor products.
My backup chainsaw is a Jonsered 2255. It was manufactured by Husqvarna. Internally, it is virtually identical with the popular Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw. The saw has been rugged, dependable, and easy to start. My good experience with the Jonsered was the foundation of my positive opinion of the Husqvarna brand.
In September of 2022, Husqvarna discontinued the Jonsered line of chainsaws. The only loss is aesthetic. I like the look of Jonsered red more than the look of Husqvarna orange. But appearance is a minor consideration while cutting wood. With saws as with people, it is what is on the inside that counts.
Conclusions
The Husqvarna Clearing Axe is a more effective one-handed tool for clearing brush than a machete. It is less exhausting to use than a ditch bank blade, and is more robust than a double-blade weed cutter or a grass hook.
In terms of hand tools, I would recommend a double-blade weed cutter for light trimming work, a clearing axe for medium trimming work, and a ditch bank blade for heavy trimming work. If you have access to power tools, then a chainsaw equipped with a Granberg Clip-N-Trim will out-cut all of the aforementioned hand tools after about 15 minutes of use. But for small jobs, it is usually faster and quieter to just use a hand tool rather than gassing up and starting a power tool. And if the grid goes down and fuel is unavailable, hand tools will still function when power tools will not.
Disclaimer
Husqvarna Professional Products was kind enough to provide me with a sample of their Clearing Axe for testing and evaluation. I tried not to allow their kindness to interfere with my objectivity in this review, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.
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