Short Viking Axe

This short Viking axe excels as a one handed weapon but is made to withstand throwing, with the steel head having hardened edges. The axe is well balanced and competition approved. The blade is medium wedged, so it can withstand being used as a tool, but is not solely meant as one. The more wedge shaped an axe head is, the more it is geared towards use as tool, and the thinner and flatter it is, the more likely it is meant as a weapon. Something like this was useful both on the farm and in battle and being relatively small and light it travelled easily wherever the ancient farmer/warrior went.

This axe excelled as a close quarters weapon, while still being light enough to be used as a heavy throwing axe when necessary, and yet sufficiently sturdy for work around the farm. This historically accurate and fully functional axe has a hardwood shaft and hand wrought hardened high-carbon steel head. A leather sheath to protect you and the edge is included.

Made by Hanwei. Specs may slightly vary from piece to piece.

This axe is designed as a throwing axe, but that does not mean that it is indestructible. The handles of throwing axes come under a lot of strain, and they constantly break when practicing.

There is so much mass in a throwing axe, that a quick stop at the point of impact produces a hard shock to both the target and to the axe. Even if you are an experienced thrower, the handles require replacing every so often, because the angle of the axe does not have to be too far from a perfect hit, for a large part of the impact energy to be directed to the handle instead of to the blade.

Of course, the durability of the handles also depends on experience, that is, when you get a good feel for the axe, the hits are more perfect, and bad hits don’t happen as often, so the handles start to last longer. With throwing axes, the changing and making of new handles is a part of the hobby, which is why you can get cheap spare handles for many throwing axes, with an emphasis on easy and quick replacement.