- Joined
- Sep 11, 2012
- Messages
- 31
Weight- 1.42 Lb.
Length- 14 (exact)
A bit of backstory (ok a lot);
I started looking for a small camp axe a few months ago.
After watching tons of outdoor/survival videos of people batoning wood with their knives, I was thinking A) there is no way Im going that to a perfectly good knife, and B) theres got to be a better way.
I was looking at folks knife loadouts, and seeing the usual small-mid size knife + plus larger chopper, as well as the folks with knives + folding saw, and knives + axes.
Complicating the issue is my need to integrate it all with various tactical gear and a pack. Needless to say, after all the other stuff I dont have space for multiple knives, and for sure not a big@$$ 9 chopper yes, it could be mounted to a pack, but at the end of the day it still just a big knife, not a real chopping implement.
Then of course by extension this started a massive battle for a general use knife between an ESEE 6/SR RMD/etc. sized blade, versus a BM 175/ESEE 4/B.O.B. sized blade. I have an Esee 6, which I *could* chop larger stuff up with, but thats just to finely made of a knife for me to want to do it with, and its currently not integrating well with the gear anyway .
So, its gotten hot and heavy with that, the crux of which all can be traced back to retaining the ability to chop things larger than small sticks.
Long story shortened significantly, I decided to take a break from trying to solve my problem with more knives, and see what the knife + axe proponents were doing.
I read a ton of reviews, as well as what people were packing, and saw everything from people using small belt axes to near fullsize axes with their gear. Needing to keep this relatively light, and having heard lots of good things about Gransfors, I had decided on one of their offerings (either the Outdoor or Wildlife hatchet). But given they're around $130-150, I was a little hesitant to try something I wasnt sure would work for my use. Dont get me wrong- if the research concluded that was the only choice worth taking, Id have simply saved up and done it. Buy once, cry one, quality over quantity and all that.
However, before dishing out for one of those, I stumbled on a fellow who does a lot of outdoor/survival activities in the sticks of Alaska in shall we say inclement weather. The dude is pretty legit, and one day I saw he was using a Gerber camp axe. I said well, if it works for him, itll sure work for me.
I started reading reviews for it, and was not impressed with the consensus. I was aware Gerber is a bit subpar, but I guess I expected a little more from an axe than a cheap folder you can get in walmart. Apparently it can be made to work, but Im not about giving companies money so I can fix their stuff for them
I gave up on that but not before I stumbled on a bunch of people recommending the Fiskars X7.
I saw it looked almost the same as the Gerber with the added insult of a non-tacticool orange handle, and at the same time I thought an axe from a company that makes scissors? B!+@h please .
But then I started thinking about it . And I have a pair of old Fiskars scissors that were gotten many years back, and theyve cut darn near anything you can ask scissors to cut and havent broken or dulled significantly. And of course its a Swedish company, so I thought, well, how bad can it be.
I read a pile of reviews, and after seeing that a lot of people compare it favorably on a quality and use basis to the Gransfors axe I had planned on, I decided to go for it- for $25 bucks (amazon), why not?
The axe came yesterday, and today it rained typical. However, I was way to excited to try it, so I just went out anyway once there was a lull and looked for things to chop.
I started on some el-cheapo pine blocks from shipping pallets. Of course the axe chopped through them like butter- splitting, chopping in half, it didnt matter. It was like they werent even there.
Obviously junk wood, so I got a real log
I found a nice log 3.5-4" or so in diameter- about what I can envision chopping up in the field for a fire with a small camp axe. It was a little superficially wet, but still dry inside, and pretty hard wood.
I proceeded to cut the log in half- it took a little while to get through it, but partially because of the handle (more later) and the fact that not having a lot of experience with this new axe, plus everything being wet I was being careful and not taking full swings at it. So Im sure it can do better, but overall it chopped really well. The reviews that talked about the chunks of chips this thing will take out of a log were right- it really ate up the first 2/3 of the log, but slowed down a little once it got down to the harder core. Still, simply rotating the log to gain access to another spot got me around this minor hiccup.
I could not find a bigger log on hand to stand upright to test the splitting power, and the other logs of this similar size were to crooked to stand straight, so I simply took the approx. 6.5 piece that I had chopped off and split it into four pieces. Whacked through it like nothing. I will need to find a bigger piece of wood to confirm, but it seems to be quite the little splitter.
As you can also see, I made (aside from the one shown) a number of pathetic attempts at making shaving/fuzz sticks with it. Im not good at this, but I think I managed to do a passable enough job. Obviously the axe is more capable of doing this task than I am- this thing is pretty sharp out of the box. I barely even tried to stick it in to various logs tip first (classic axe-style, as seen in picture) and it just stuck right in .
On the con side, my biggest dislike so far is the handle. Its not exactly non-slip as advertised .
In fact it has this annoying tendency to draw your hand down toward the bottom where it jams your fingers against the flared portion, and can put a lot of shock into your pinky and edge of hand. It worked slightly better without a glove, but still no bueno. Maybe it just needs some time to wear in. However if you stay away from this area, it seems fine, and I didnt see any issues that some folks complain about as far as shock transfer. Also orange is still a lame non tacticool color. :biggrin:
The sheath/hanger *thing* is also stupid. Its not even that great to carry with the handle. Ok for hanging on a wall I suppose . Must find a better sheath.
I also managed to roll the edge a little bit;
I had read that this wasnt so much an issue with the Fiskars versus the Gerber, however, apparently it can still happen.
I partially expected this to happen in this area- when I pulled it out the gray finish seemed to have a little burr in that area. I also suspect the large dent is the result of a run in with a staple in the crap pine blocks I chopped up originally .:grumpy:
This seems to be supported by the results of the top edge which is near perfect.
The major rolling/dent happened before I started on the log. While chopping the log, after every few whacks I checked the affected area, and it did not seem to get any worse.
After cutting through the log I targeted the top half of the edge specifically and gave it about another twenty hard whacks into the side of the log. The most I was able to produce was a near invisible roll/burr that you can just feel a little running your finger across the edge.
Im sure once I get myself squared away with some decent sharpening equipment this will be easily fixed, as it doesnt seem to be affecting its chopping/cutting ability as it is- the fuzz stick pictured was made after all the chopping was over.
Bottom line- go get one!
For 25 bucks, its to light and useful to NOT add one to your kit.
Be warned- after a few chops, you may be seized by invasive chopivitis and suddenly youll be wanting to whack everything with it .
I may attempt a paracord wrap for the handle- it could potentially improve the grip and disperse any felt shock, as well as covering up the orange area, and keeping a ready supply of cordage on hand.
I also need to find a MOLLE compatible sheath. Its too bad KIAH is closed for orders. :frown:
