The hand-axe 2.0

I’m no lumberer, but the Flexible Axe does seem like common sense to me. Imagine needing to slice a large piece of wood with a traditional axe. Its fixed blade means the axe cuts in exactly the same line as the handle, which means you need to adjust your grip to cut wood comfortably. The Flexible Axe puts the blade on a rotating pivot, allowing you to set an angle on the blade that lets you hold the axe itself in a manner that feels comfortable. Think of it being the lumberer’s equivalent of the FlexiClick drill that allows you to drill at right angles, or get into those tough spots. The Flexible Axe brings innovation to what’s possibly one of the oldest (if not the oldest) implements ever made by man. We’ve seen refinements to the humble axe that has been with us since prehistoric times, but probably nothing quite as revolutionary as this!

The Flexible Axe is a winner of the Red Dot Design Concept Award for the year 2017.

Designers: Huang Nuan-Ting, Li Ke-Jun & Lin Bing-Ta.

Sarang Sheth

Sarang is the co-editor in chief of Yanko Design. He is a former industrial designer at a Bangalore-based multidisciplinary design studio, working in areas including appliances, FMCG, packaging, technology, luxury, etc. Sarang has written about design and technology for over a decade and has been a jury member on international design awards. He occasionally works on tech concepts featured on Forbes, The Verge, Hypebeast, Digital Trends, SlashGear, Tom's Guide, LetsGoDigital, and Unbox Therapy. Sarang graduated from MIT Institute of Design, Pune.

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