Traditional Black Forest Woodworker Axe

Helko Werk is widely recognized as a producer of premium world-class handmade axes and is one of the oldest axe manufacturers still operating in Europe. The story of Helko Werk began in 1844 in the village of Cronenberg, Germany, now part of the city of Wuppertal, where August Helsper founded the August Helsper Werkzeugfabrik (the Helsper Tool Factory) and began producing axes for the region. The Helsper Tool Factory increased its export of axes beyond the borders of Europe during the early twentieth century, and by the 1930s was regularly shipping axes to countries in Africa, Asia, and South America. It was also around this time that the Helsper family formed a partnership with the Kotthaus family, setting the stage for exponential growth and giving the company its current name: Helko (an amalgam of Helsper and Kotthaus).

Helko Werk's Classic range combines versatility, performance, and aesthetics to create a premium line of pristine working axes. The Traditional line is a premium collection of hand-forged German heritage axes, handcrafted by one of Helko's Master Smiths. The Vario 2000 is a patented design using a German engineered fastening system that introduces incredible versatility and efficiency. Förster by Helko is a commercial line of professional axes and forestry tools manufactured by the Helko Werk company. Our signature Frontier Collection includes an assortment of top-quality outdoor and travel gear, proudly handmade in the USA and built to last a lifetime. We also carry an assortment of sheaths and leather products, made in the USA from full-grain, vegetable tanned cowhide leather.

The Black Forest Woodworker is Helko's flagship piece. This axe is the quintessential tool for the experienced woodsman, with a compact size that makes it a versatile packing tool and lightweight cutting, felling, and chopping axe. It features Helko's famous Rheinland pattern axe head, named for the country's Rhein River Valley, where cutting axes like these have been in use for centuries. The axe head is open-face drop forged individually by hand from German C50 high grade carbon steel, with a Rockwell hardness of 53-56 HRC. The sustainably sourced grade A American hickory handle is finished with a boiled linseed oil and sanded to 150 grit for a comfortable and smooth feel. Each Black Forest Woodworker axe includes a vegetable-tanned premium leather axe sheath and a bottle of Axe Guard protective oil to help maintain the steel and prevent rust.

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