2 Axe Handle Makers (USA and Swedish Manufacturers)

If you actually wonder who makes the best handles then it’s safe to say that you care about your tool and the quality.

Knowing who made the handle and what material did they use is important, nowadays we see a lot of companies making low-quality products and using good marketing to hide it. If you have ever bought an ax handle from the big stores such as Home-Depot, Walmart, etc. then you know what I’m talking about.

Those ax handle can still work, but they come with a lot of downgrades:

• Tend to break after a few uses
• They don’t look good
• They usually vibrate a lot after a hard swing
• Can crack during the swing ( dangerous )

There are clearly a lot more reasons why you should for high-quality ax handles instead. Knowing which handle is good and which one isn’t by just looking or holding it isn’t easy. To reduce the chances of buying a low-quality handle then you should buy handles that are made by known brands.

The 2 brands I usually go for, but not limited to are:

1. House Handle Company (USA)
2. Gransfors Bruk (Sweden)

Of course, there are a lot more brands that make high-quality handles ( if you know one then send me an email and I will try to review them ), but these are the 2 brands I usually go for.

Down below I will get more in details about these three brands to explain to you why these three brands are high-quality

2 Best Handle Makers

1. House Handle Company

The House Handle company is a family business, they have been selling handles for over 70 years.

The company was created by William House, he started selling handle when he was 20 years old, he would buy handles from different manufacturers, load his truck and hit the road, he would sell handle like farmers sell fruits and vegetables in their truck.  He retired in 1976.

9 years before retirement he partnered with his son, Kenny House, who took the business to another level. Instead of buying and re-selling the handles, he bough machines and started making his own handles.

Now, the House Handle Company has been making and selling their own handles for over 40 years.

Handle grade:

The company comes with a handle grade that helps you understand the quality of the handle you are getting. It has . I recommend you to buy the AA handle. They are made from hickory or oak and they are free of any defects.

You can find more details about this here.

Extras:

If you buy the “AA” quality handle then you can make special requests:

1. Handpicked handles
2. No lacquer
3. Octagon

Option 1: This means that a staff member will go personally to their supply and pick a handle for you. This will give you a better chance of getting a high-quality handle. This additional feature doesn’t cost a lot of money. And since they have been in business for a long time, I’m sure they will pick a good handle for you.

Option 2:  I’d recommend you to get this because lacquer can mess up your hands. I usually buy handles without lacquer.

Option 3:  I don’t like this since the octagon is made by hand and not a machine and therefore they can’t be perfect and you can’t return them. I personally would skip.

Where can you buy it?

You can buy handles directly from their official website.

See also:

• Best Axes With Viking Design
• Best Axes For Carpenters

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2. Gransfors Bruk

If you read my blog before, then you know that I love axes that are made in Sweden. A reason for that is because they are usually good axes and tend to hand a longer life.

A good Swedish ax maker company is the Gransfors Bruk. They have been founded in 1902. They grew up fast and in the 1960s they were making over 200,00 axes per year.

Now, in the last 20 years, the company grew up more and they are now known as the “Mercedes” company for axes.  And if you know cars, then you know what that means. Their tools are pricey, but they are well designed and they are durable. You will be set for a long time if you buy their axes/handles. Plus they are a “premium” company, meaning that if you own an ax from them then you can show off to your friends.

Handle Grade:

This company doesn’t use handle grades like the other company, but the handles are made from Hickory with a wax finish.

Where can you buy the ax handles?

When it comes to this company, then you can’t buy a handle easily.  They sell only axes. But what you can do is order a replacement for your ax.

If you don’t have an ax from this company, then you can directly buy only the handle from another website: Click here

They got a lot of Gransfors Bruk handles, you can order them and they will ship it to your house.

If you want to learn more about the Gransfors Bruk company, then make sure to check their website.

See also:

• Best Kindling Axes
• Double-Bit Axes

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Why do you need a good ax handle?

As I said before, there are a lot more high-quality companies that produce handles. I picked these two because I buy a lot from them and that’s why I can vouch. Plus they mostly use hickory, which is a good material for handles. But if you are not satisfied with their price, or anything else, then you can check other manufacturers.

Having a bad handle can make the splitting/chopping process harder. Especially if the handle is not comfortable to hold.  A bad handle can also result in unwanted injuries e.g the handle can slip from your hands, or while swinging the handle can break.

To avoid all this, I recommend you to invest in a good ax that comes with a good handle. If you already have an ax, and the handle isn’t that good, then make sure to buy a replacement from the websites I listed.

Learn here:  Maul vs Splitting vs Felling Ax

Final Words

And that’s it folks – these are the two companies I usually buy handles. If you liked the article then make sure to share it with your friends.