Good one Chris!...looks to be a well made axe and a good companion. Nice pack as well...the extra straps in the front are for attaching to an equipment belt as part of a harness system. The pack appears to be Russian military M41 rucksack....goes well with the axe i'd say!...atb...woods
Thanks woods! Good call on a possible identification of this pack, I will research this. It will adapt well to a few modifications, when I get time...atb from BC.
Greetings Howling Dingo. I still like this axe and it is one of the best choppers I have ever come across pound-for-pound. The steel is of very high quality and the edge grind is excellent.
Interesting axe! But as stated in other comments it's quite pricey. Army surplus clothing is great. I have a Serbian(?) wool army cape I obtained for very little $ that must weigh 5#. It even came with a blood stain and a very musty odor at no extra charge! Had to hang it in my garage for 6 months and have it cleaned, but it's great for cold weather.
Yes, the price was hiked up by their suppliers, I spoke with a Russian guy on RU-vid and he bought one about $100 less than I paid (I bought mine rom Lamnia in Finland). I only buy new stuff when I have sold off axes and stuff that I have refurbished. I went on to speak with one of the blacksmiths at Toporsib (one of the owners) I asked if I could buy direct, he said they had no plans at that time to sell to customers in Europe, Canada ir the US. Haha...your story adds a new dimension to 'Milsurp'...hopefully the vendors do not pick over corpses in the battle field!
Howling Dingo...here is a link; Here is the link to Toporsib Forge. Click translate in your browser. Look for shipping details. It is worth navigating arounfn their site as there is some good information (though sometimes translation is a little confusing) Here is Lamnia Finland's Website...they are a little pricey though. www.lamnia.com/en/p/13478/tools/toporsib-bobr-%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%80-axe
It's really too bad that this axe is not readily available as it looks to be a very good choice. I'm going to give the wide blade Helko axes a go, as they're readily available and the company, in Germany, has been making axes since 1864, or somewhere around there. I've watched most, if not all, of your videos, sir, and your youtube channel's content is extremely interesting, to me. Thank you for all of the great information that you share, here.
Thanks Owen. I suspect they will become more available in the future, at the moment the forge cannot keep up with demand, Lamnia, who stock their axes sold out real quick. It might be a good idea to follow Toporsib on RU-vid and pre-order with Lamnia, they will email you when axes come back into stock.
Thanks Michael, well spotted the blood! I was chopping kindling a couple of weeks ago with a small hand maul and had too much on my mind and cut my thumb a little. Axemen wear their scars with pride :) Yes, I have many good, old axes I have nurtured back to life and are exceptionally good. This Toporsib Axe is very well made and capable, it is well tempered from exceptional steel.
Greetings, how has the Bobr held up over the time? It must be particularly good at splitting wood given its "fat" profile. I've ordered the Maral model for myself on a 65 cm handle from Sobol. Toporsib should have it ready in January, been waiting for it since September.
Hello Viktor Ragulin, Merry Christmas to you! So far the Toporsib Bobr is a strong axe, it splits well and also is very good at flattening the side of logs. I have thinned down the shaft as it was too thick along the shaft, I have not removed wood from near the poll though as this is where the strength is needed. I think Toporsib make very good axes but they need to increase the number of suppliers they have as I think they are very expensive from Lamnia. I look forward to your opinion on the Maral. Best Wishes from Canada, WS
@@redcanoe14 Merry Christmas to you too, Woodsman Spirit! I actually ordered my axe directly from Toporsib but that is because I live in neighboring to Russia Kazakhstan. Lamnia has almost double prices. Alright, I will try to make a video testing my long-awaited Maral once I get it!
@@redcanoe14 Beech is an interesting choice for an axe handle. Birch, though, is and has been the most popular wood for axe handles in Russia. I heard that they use it in Finland too. Did you know that Toporsib no longer uses beech handles on their new axes? They have switched to ash completely. According to Anton from the smithy, they have had cases of beech handles breaking, maybe 5 out of 100. With ash handles they no longer have such statistics.
@@ViktorSuhov I did ask Toporsib if I could assist in promoting their axes in the West, they commented that they '...had no intention to do so at this time.' As a businessman, I find it hard to see how this would not be good for there business as they make premium quality axes. I suspected that Lamnia are making a large profit on the sale of these axes. I am excited to see what you think of the Maral!
I AM VERY CURIOUS ABOUT THAT RIG YOU HAVE ON YOUR BACKAND THE STRAPS TO KNOW WHERE, LOOKS LIKE IT FASTEND TO YOUR PULL OVER JUST HOW IS THAT SET UP . HAPPY TRAILS
These are additional straps riveted onto the shoulder straps to facilitate attaching a front pack (this is a military surplus pack so I do not have the attachments.
I understand, just got of skype with the brother in law he was wandering about you rig also he said they did years back have something similar to what you were wearing is your surplus Czech by chance. Stay safe in the winter it can get ugly as you know .Happy trails
Well Carl, Toporsib have their own website, but it is in Russian and last time I checked it was fairly rudimentary and impossible to order from without a knowledge of the language. I ended up going on a waiting list with Lamnia Finland for over 6 months. Lamnia (www.lamnia.fi) carries this range of axes, but at inflated prices, (so I am told by my Russian friends). Yes, it is a great axe in my opinion, but certainly expensive. That said, their top of the range axe costs over $1,000 CDN!
I think, without knowledge of language it is possible too. I watch this video and I read comments, but badly I know English :( It is only necessary to consider transfer from Russia. It can be quicker than Lamnia.
I went to the website that had them and they must have updated it a bit. Cause they were not to bad to figure out. I may order one later this summer. Right now I'm on a vintage sweden collared axe kick. Lol
Say Heah, Yeah, I got a Ochencopf Axe that's similar, Mine is German Made by Iltis. On mine there's a steel playe that's screwed into the handle they call the Rotband Plus. It also has a steel sleeve for over bits, My head is 2.7lbs and a 27" hart. But very similar .,,.
I have an Iltis Oxhead, the head shape and blade thickness is very different (very thin blade for first 2 inches with convex edge). The Iltis is the traditional Bavarian (Germanic) profile with upswept top edge on the blade. The Toporsib is based on an old Taiga Axe design with a heavily beveled cutting edge, these two axes cut very differently. I have seen the Ochsenkopf Rotband series as you describe.
Yes, your absolutely right, My Iltis Oxhead which I had made into a House Axe with the short 19" handle is very thin in the cheeks, That's why guys shook their heads because they didn't realize how well it split. I like using it, and its compact. It's my pleasure to meet you.,,.
Yes, I just wish they had more retail outlets, not just Lamnia as they adda lot on to the price (a friend in Russia said he paid much less from Toporsib directly).
Agreed, but I suspect that since they have one distributor outside of Siberia (Lamnia) that there is a huge mark up on the price. I think if you could speak Russian and order directly from their website it might be $100 or more cheaper. All I know is that the build quality on mine is perfect, I just think the shaft was too thick for my liking, for its size it is a more aggressive chopper than the HB or SAW 2 1/4lbs (note the chopping of Birch and harder woods in this video).
+Woodsman Spirit Same issue with quality made US axes like Council tool and US Hults Bruk. Import and postage charges virtually double the price. I am sure this is a very fine axe but uneconomic to purchase. Also think HRC at 60 is a bit high. Good video though.
These guys live in village in forest with about two hundred kilometers to post office which can make international shipment. They distribute only within Russian Fedreation. And you are right, Lamnia makes double price
Correct, they probably have a lot of customers in their own region as well, more people make their living outdoors and hunt, than in the West 🤝@@JustDux
Greetings, thanks for your comments. Are you referring to axes in general, or the Siberian/ Taiga Pattern Axes? I have rgeww 'side axes' that are ground on one side and used for squaring off timber/ logs
Thank you for answering, i was referring to access in general I didn't know they came double bevel I'm used to seeing them single bevel. Is the Siberian the same as taiga or are they different places
@@joshsimp1995 Aaah, I see! When you say single bevel you mean no secondary bevel on the cutting edge.not just one edge of the blade ground as would be the case with a chisel?
