Fiskars Norden N10 | Expert Review by Nicolas from Chartreuse Nature

As a nature enthusiast I often spend a great deal of my time in the woods and mountains to observe and film the Parc de Chartreuse. During my adventures I prefer to use tools that are reliable and look great. When I first held the Fiskars Norden N10 I immediately noticed one thing: this axe feels like the Fiskars X10. The difference? The N10 is enhanced with a wooden handle.

The design of the Fiskars Norden N10

The Fiskars X10 and Norden N10 are similar on many accounts. There is, however, one difference between the two: the handle. The handle is namely made from American hickory wood. I personally think that the wooden handle feels better in hand than the plastic handle of the X10.

The handle of the N10 is relatively long. This means that you can hold the axe in different ways: both with two hands and with one hand. The end of the handle is enhanced with a small protrusion. Great because this small detail ensures that the axe will never slip from your hands, no matter how you hold it. Whether you want to work precisely by placing your hands close to the axe head or prefer to apply more force and place your hands further apart.

To properly test the axe I used it for different tasks. I chopped down a young, dead pine tree, for instance, and removed its branches. Afterwards I used the remaining wood in three ways: as small kindle, as a mast for my shelter and as a rack for my tools.

With the Norden N10 you can easily split and chop wood. But also for the more precise tasks, like carving and sculpting wood the N10 is great. I felt it important to properly test the N10 and to push the boundaries of the axe. I did so by using the axe as a splitting wedge and hammer, both with the back of the steel axe head and the side of the plastic casing. Of course this part now contains clear traces of use, but the N10 did pass the test successfully.

Connection between the handle and the head

I use my YouTube channel, Chartreuse Nature, to test and recommend tools. After posting the video presentation of the Fiskars Norden N10 a couple of my subscribers told me that they didn't trust the connection between the handle and the head of the axe. It is true that if the handle breaks it will be difficult to replace it. Fiskars doesn't give any information about how the wooden handle is attached to the plastic casing and if it is possible to replace it if necessary. Such a shame!

Extremely versatile

During one of my bushcraft adventures in the woods I decided to make a wooden cup with my tools. To safely do so I needed a workbench. Fortunately I quickly came across a nice tree trunk I could easily use. The only thing I needed to do was use the N10 to flatten the work surface and to place and lock a couple of wedges. It didn't take me a very long time to prep my workbench and get started. All thanks to the Fiskars Norden N10.

Conclusion

The Fiskars Norden N10 is the perfect mix between the X-collection and traditional axes with a wooden handle. I cannot wait to test the Fiskars Norden N7 to see if you can compare it to other one-handed axes. The N10, at least, is heavy enough and properly balanced making it a very versatile axe. As such you cannot only use it for large tree trunks in the woods but also for small precise tasks.

But that is not all! You can even use the axe with one hand, despite its somewhat long handle. Fortunately the N10 is still compact enough to easily take with you wherever you might go. I am convinced! Are you?