Before you buy

Choosing a Viking axe

Four decisions: what it is for, the head shape, the haft length and the steel. Answer the first and the rest narrow fast.

4 min read

There are only four decisions here, and they are not equally important. Start with what the piece is for, everything else follows from that answer. If you want the long version, the full walkthrough on heads and hafts goes deeper than this page does.

Start with the purpose

01Display & collectingAppearance leads. Damascus heads, rosewood or olive hafts, carved detail. Edge geometry matters less than how it hangs, so work out where it goes on the wall before you buy.
02ReenactmentPeriod plausible shapes: bearded head, plain ash or birch haft, restrained decoration. Check your group’s rules first, then see what reenactors actually ask for.
03Camp & outdoorsWeight, balance and steel outrank pattern. Plain 1095 over Damascus, ash over rosewood.
04GiftingEngraving turns a good object into a specific one. A name, a date or a rune cut into the finished steel, which is 19 dollars for text and done in the US after the piece lands.

Head shapes

Bearded

The head extends downward into a hook. Lengthens the cutting edge without much added mass, and lets a hand choke up behind the bit. The shape most people picture, and most of what sits in the bearded axe rack.

Standard

Compact, with more mass behind a shorter edge. Simpler, sturdier and usually less expensive.

Dane

Broad thin head on a long haft. Impressive mounted, and the least practical of the three to store. The Dane axes need a wall to themselves.

Haft length

Under 15″One handed. Shelf or small wall space.
15 to 20″Most of our Viking axes. Start here.
20 to 30″Two handed reach. Needs real wall space.
Over 30″Dane territory. Plan the mount first.

Head weight matters more than total weight. A heavy head on a short haft feels unwieldy, the same head on a longer haft feels balanced. Spare handles and hafts are cheap next to the head, so a cracked one is not the end of the axe.

Which steel

Short version: Damascus if it will be looked at, plain 1095 if it will be used. Those are the only two steels here. Damascus is 1095 and 15N20 forge welded and acid etched, 58 to 60 HRC, and plain 1095 sits at 54 to 58 HRC and shrugs off abuse. The steel and hardness page spells out what those numbers buy you.

Before you buy, check

  • Overall length, and whether you have somewhere to put it
  • Whether a blade cover or one of the separate sheaths is included
  • Whether the piece can be engraved, if it is a gift
  • Handle material, if the recipient prefers pale or dark wood
Handmade in the Czech RepublicShop Viking axes