Appreciate the honesty and shared experience. Makes it a lot easier for the rest of us to make wise purchases.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I don't have personal experience with these  3 products but your comments seem valid.

I have always second guessed that H-B splitter just by the looks of it. Due to the cost, I'm glad that I never took a gamble on it.

Mr. Urban, I owned the American Felling Axe for a period of time and currently own the Hunter's Axe by Hults Bruk I am/was very satisfied with their products. I too watched Ben Scotts' video you mentioned. I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on the subject....

Great video.   I have such a hard time dropping the dough on a premium axe when I watch review like this.   I want to get more value for a premium tool than just a name.

I agree with the 5 Star criticisms, especially with the thin cheeks. I have one as well and have struggled with the bit geometry to try and make it  perform better. I would also recommend removing the long club like handle. I've recently had my eye on the blue paint Agdor tassie they offer as well. I wonder if its much different in design though.

Hey Urban,  the swedes split 1m (3.3 foot) long logs, and they do so by splitting them from the side of the log, for this their splitting axe is perfect. But granted it is sucks for splitting rounds from the top.

Great video

Great video! I've recently started trying to get into axes now that I have my first fireplace to burn wood. I've already learned a lot from what videos of yours i've watched! Thank you!

Awesome review man. Good arguments and honest opinions, subbed :) Been looking at the Arvika and the Helko tassie. Going to buy the Helko now, thanks.

Great video, and always nice to hear a self formed opinion from someone who knows what they are talking about. Thanks for sharing.

Agree with many of your thoughts here. HB is probably my favourite modern company, a good range at different price points and generally good value. The splitter is a bit weird. I have the heavier splitting maul/sledge axe version and it's a bit of a love/hate relationship. The hatchet is a good all rounder but in my opinion could do with a straighter thinner handle. The Arvika though is a bit of a mystery. I've got several old HB agdors and been using tassie patterns for decades.  My vintage HB 4lb model has been one of my favourite go to axes for years. So to see what the the new arvika has turned into is really strange. It's almost become more of a heavy limbing axe with that thin edge and super hollow cheeks. Dunno if HB is trying to squeeze too much bit- or edge-length out of the given steel weight or maybe they're trying to concentrate on the supposed aesthetic of a race axe.   Maybe they're trying to change with perceived customer use over time? The Helko is a much closer representation of a true tassie (though still not perfect) and probably the better purchase out of the two. Imagine helko did a forged finish version of their tassie... subbed👍

Two splitting axes I've had my eye on is the Ochsenkopf splitting axe, not the one you showed, the one with the 2500g head with yellow paint, and Council Tool 5lb splitting axe. I do believe that first Hults Bruk splitting axe you showed is designed for the soft wood trees in the north. And the little Hults Bruk hatchet I have and I got to say I love mine. It's great for me. Also, Hults Bruk does have  a carving hatchet, it's called the Almike and also the Hultafors brand has the same carving hatchet with different name.

I often find myself using 3 , even up to 4 different axes while splitting / processing the same round . I have about 30 axes . Some of them are a bit "unique" due to my modifications. But something that i absolutely Love about chopping stuff, is selecting just the rite chopping thing for chopping the stuff that I'm gonna chop. And tell ya what, I've never met an axe that i couldn't find something good for it to chop.

Awesome video man !! I don’t have any personal experience with any of the axes you talked about in the video. I am familiar with all of them because of other videos and research and you seem to be right on the money with what other people say about these particular axes. Makes you wonder if the the manufacture is testing out these designs. Thanks again for putting out great content !!!

I really like your content. You call it like you see it and you don’t pull punches.
I’ve never owned the splitter or hatchet. I can tell by looking at the splitter that it wouldn’t be effective. I’ve also heard a few people talk about how terrible it is, so there is zero chance I’ll spend my money on it.

I’m a little baffled that so many people dislike the Arvika. It’s among my favorite users. Have mine sitting at around 19 degrees flat with a micro bevel. It doesn’t have a very high centerline, but seems to have enough for most species I’ve used it in. It is quite a stretch to call it a tassie (I actually did a side by side of a modern and vintage arvika on my latest video and it’s hard to believe just how different they are). I actually think it has more in common with a big Connie than a tassie or a racer. But overall, it’s been a really good axe for general chopping. Light enough for felling but has the extra weight for bucking bigger logs.
Now the bit did roll when I first used it but it didn’t have any secondary bevel on it. Once I added one, it held up great. And honestly I’d rather have it roll then chip or crack.  
Overall, I love the axe. I think the design makes it an effective chopping axe for a fair amount of species and the steel it’s made out of is pretty spot on for an axe.

I should add that the lacquer on mine was a bit of a pain to remove as well. Luckily I was able to get it off with a wire wheel on my grinder.

I have to admit, my favorite splitter is the Fiskars 5Lb Splitting Maul.
That thing is an absolute beast, is virtually unbreakable, and isn’t super costly.

The old splitting maul that they used to make works great, but for some reason they just stopped with that design and switched to slimmer and longer axes. Would really love to find out why they made those decisions.

Bruv, I had the same axe and sold it. Well thought out critic on that one. Just got an arvika, going to run it through my own trials.

Totally agree with you about the hatchet, I was all set to upgrade from my Fiskars... until I actually tried one. The Fiskars is actually a pretty versatile tool, despite its utilitarian look, the HB very much felt like a one trick pony. To be fair, its relatively difficult to find a good hatchet without spending a whole pile more, I'm thinking the Adler Scout Hatchet with a slightly longer handle might be a good option.