Karesuandokniven Unna àksu

An axe from Karesuandokniven? Yes! After 40 years in the knife business the Swedish company now offers an axe for the first time. The axe is called Unna àksu which means "Small Axe" in the Sami language of the indigenous people of the Nordics. Karesuandokniven couldn't have picked a better name; this is really a small axe indeed. What's special with this interesting tool is the weight, the sheath and the shape.





The Weight
Unna áksu is a lot lighter than other small axes meant to be carried in the belt. This axe I actually can carry like a knife without getting bothered by the weight. Unna áksu weighs 317 g which can be compared to the Ontario RAT-7's 361 g or the Leatherman Surge's 334 g.

The Sheath
Perhaps not the prettiest piece of leather work I ever seen, but it absolutely get the job done. I can unbuckle the sheath and pull out the axe just using one hand.





The Shape
The design of the axe's head allows me to grab the tool far up the handle. This enables me to also use the tool almost like a knife. The sharp edge holds up very good as the stainless steel is hardened to HRC 54.





Specs 
Manufacturer: Karesuandokniven AB, Sweden
Model: Unna áksu 3638 (Nature) and 3639 (Brown)
Steel: Stainless tool steel hardened to HRC 54
Length of axe's head: 105 mm
Thickness of axe's head: 20 mm
Edge length: 70 mm
Handle material: Moose bone, Reindeer antlers and curly birch
Total length: 225 mm
Weight (without sheath): 317 g
Sheath: 3 mm thick black cowhide
Total weight (axe and sheath): 375 g
Delivered with: Sheath, gift box and a diamond sharpener
Price: 1705 SEK (Sweden 2015)




A Crossing Between Axe and a Knife
Of course a small axe like this one doesn't provide the same chopping ability as a big and long axe, but the Unna àksu surprises me. I'm not a fan of batoning wood with my knives, but by batoning on the Unna áksu you get a great little tool to help you out when starting the fire.

If you wanna know more about the Unna áksu; take a look in the magazine Vapentidningen no 9 year 2014. There you can read an article I've written on the little axe. On the Vapentidningen website you can order the paper version of the magazine or take a look at the e-mag.






Also take a look at Karesuandokniven's largest axe by clicking HERE.


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