Gerber Folding Axe!
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Ok, so what exactly is so bad about it? Gerber isn't exactly a fly-by-night company so they should have done some serious testing on the mechanisms and the like. If it works as advertised I'd rather stick that in my pack than strap an axe to the outside.
The head profile isn't much to look at but if it works, why not? Just because it's new doesn't always mean it's bad
I'd like to try it out at least.
The head profile isn't much to look at but if it works, why not? Just because it's new doesn't always mean it's bad
I'd like to try it out at least.Indoorsout - I think the problem is similar to the problem with folding knives.
A locking folder might be more safe/secure as a non-locking one, but neither are anything like as safe to use as a fixed blade.
With the forces an axe is subject to, and the natural wear of mechanical things, one would expect the axe to develop some degree of play (unavoidable I think) and have a greater potential to break in use than a good traditional axe with a decent haft and a well wedged eye.
A locking folder might be more safe/secure as a non-locking one, but neither are anything like as safe to use as a fixed blade.
With the forces an axe is subject to, and the natural wear of mechanical things, one would expect the axe to develop some degree of play (unavoidable I think) and have a greater potential to break in use than a good traditional axe with a decent haft and a well wedged eye.
Shambling Shaman
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Indoorsout has a point about Gerber, but like you say wear will be inevitable. Also if you did brake a wood haft you could fashion a temp.
Shambling Shaman
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Like all tools, you need to use it correctly.
I've never seriously injured myself with a folding knife, or a lock-knife, or
a fixed blade. The odd cut or two have had nothing to do with the knife
being able to fold. So in my personal experience, folding knives are
not more dangerous.
If a fixed blade is safer for you than a folding one, then you are misusing
the folding knife.
Looking at the pictures, it would appear that the handle joint has some
kind of levered hook (a la Mole Grip) which means that a very solid join
would result. I can't tell about the head.
As for wear of mechanical things, there are no moving parts while the
axe is in use, just when opening or closing. As Indoorsout point out,
Gerber is well-respected by a lot of people and will have tested this to
destruction, realising that their reputation is on the line and that an axe
has greater safety requirements than their folding spades, for example.
Used correctly, there should be little stress on the handle since the
handle only gets the head travelling at speed, the momentum of the
axe head is what should be behind the force of the cut, not pressure
on the handle once contact has been made.
My only concern would be the price $90 doesn't seem enough if the
quality is going to be adequate. On the other hand, since the Merkins
consistently rip us off in Europe, it will probably be £90 for us.
gzorenplat
Good points.
I wouldn't suggest Gerber were some sort of fly-by-night company, and you're right about no moving parts in use, but I'd still feel uncomfortable with that tool.
The wear I'd anticipate would probably be more of an issue in the joints becoming a bit looser making the thing rattle when in use.
I think I'll stick with my wooden handled axes either way.
Good points.
I wouldn't suggest Gerber were some sort of fly-by-night company, and you're right about no moving parts in use, but I'd still feel uncomfortable with that tool.
The wear I'd anticipate would probably be more of an issue in the joints becoming a bit looser making the thing rattle when in use.
I think I'll stick with my wooden handled axes either way.
gzorenplat
Good points.
I wouldn't suggest Gerber were some sort of fly-by-night company, and you're right about no moving parts in use, but I'd still feel uncomfortable with that tool.
The wear I'd anticipate would probably be more of an issue in the joints becoming a bit looser making the thing rattle when in use.
I think I'll stick with my wooden handled axes either way.
I might buy one just to find out what they are like. It would be a talking point if you turned
up at a meet with one
If it *is* solid enough to be usable (and surely it must be for a short while at least), then I
like the idea of not having it hanging on display on the outside of my pack. Having the
wherewithall to be an axe murderer in plain view piques the interest of the plod, and
dramatically reduces your chance of hitching a lift, in my experience.
Well, in my mind, for openers
1) The bit appears to be completely flat rather than curved. This is perhaps desireable in a carpenters axe but certainly not what I would look for in a field axe
2) The helve is metal over moulded with plastic. Used in a splitting fashion there will be no flex in the helve and, combined with a flat bit (which can impact along its whole cutting edge at once) its likely to jar significantly
3) The fact that it has less weight forward (due to the higher proportion of its weight being in the helve) will reduce torque and so the force applied along the cutting edge compared to a similar weight axe with a lighter (wood) helve and a heavier head
4) The fact that the handle has pivots and is designed to fold must compromise strength in the design
5) I believe the underside of the handle must be hollow to allow the blade to enter it when folded - this would lead to pressure areas on the hand compared to a round wood handle and blisters in use far faster
6) The formed "grip" at the end of the handle means its only designed to be held in one spot meaning you can't "choke up" on the axe for fine work
Those are among the reasons I don't like it. Others are more personal (I think it looks "tacticool" which puts me right off - I don't need a stealth axe).
I personally wouldn't buy one (particularly not at that price) because there are tools what will fulfil the purpose for the weight, for the price, better.
Thats just my view of course - if anyone buys one, it would be very interesting to see how it performed against a similar priced traditional axe
Red
Size and weight wise it seems like it's pretty close to my Husqvarna Hatchet and the GB Wildlife - either of which go inside my failr small daypack with no hassle at all. I imagine the Gerber one would take up roughly the same volume as those two hatchets (possibly even more due to the dead space inside it once it folds). No probs catching plods eye, and no less likely to hitch a lift either.I like the idea of not having it hanging on display on the outside of my pack. Having the wherewithall to be an axe murderer in plain view piques the interest of the plod, and dramatically reduces your chance of hitching a lift, in my experience.
I expect that if someone's pack was so tightly filled as to prohibit carrying a 12" to 14" traditional axe, it would probably be too full to carry the folded Gerber too.
That said, I would actually like to see a proper review of one and maybe even have a go just to see for myself.
British Red - a pretty well written list there.
Points 4 and 5 were two I'd thought of, not so much the parts about choking up, difference between head and haft weights and the likes, but i think you could well be right on those points too.
I think you are taking it too seriously. I don't think it is meant to be for continuous,
professional use in the same way that you wouldn't consider a folding spade if you
worked on a building site or were a landscape gardener.
But you might consider a folding spade to keep in the back of the car for the
odd, unexpected foot of snow, and you - well, OK, not you
- and one might consider this if one wanted something 'just in case' or for occasional use.
Granted, and if you like it, buy all means buy one.
My point was that you can buy axes that are no heavier and suffer from none of those limitations for the same money or less. In addition you can get them that are handmade, by proper craftsmen. Now that is a consideration for me. I would rather buy from Cegga, or Gransfor Bruks or a number of other craftsman axe makers and, in my opinion, I get a superior tool for my money.
However it has to be acknowledged I like simple, proven tools .In a snow fall I would take a long handled shovel rather than a folding spade (indeed I do when offroad). If I have to use it I want a good, solid item.
If others like them, absolutely great, buy them and enjoy them. To me its just a solution looking for a problem
Red
My point was that you can buy axes that are no heavier and suffer from none of those limitations for the same money or less. In addition you can get them that are handmade, by proper craftsmen. Now that is a consideration for me. I would rather buy from Cegga, or Gransfor Bruks or a number of other craftsman axe makers and, in my opinion, I get a superior tool for my money.
However it has to be acknowledged I like simple, proven tools .In a snow fall I would take a long handled shovel rather than a folding spade (indeed I do when offroad). If I have to use it I want a good, solid item.
If others like them, absolutely great, buy them and enjoy them. To me its just a solution looking for a problem
Red
I tend to agree. A normal axe consists of three components really, a head, a shaft and wedges to hold the two together.
This one has more components so more chance of failure of one of them. Hinge points are often the weakest links though the catch mechanism looks prone to wear and tear.
I like the Gerber Multitools but prefer Leatherman ones, I don't know why I just do. The same feeling/gut reaction is there when considering this axe against one with a wooden shaft.
Maybe it was designed to do very light duty work that bushcrafters would choose their knife over an axe for?
As someone else said, a side by side comparison review would be interesting.
you would be better off taking up karate! 
what a joke, but i bet you there will be tones of bear grylls wanabes buying them.
pete
what a joke, but i bet you there will be tones of bear grylls wanabes buying them.
pete
A little more seriously than before... Anyone noticed that when folded, the blade goes straight to where your fingers would be if it failed?
No way is the risk worth the few extra cubic inches of space IMO. At least if a folding spade fails, you don't have an axe head flying through the air, or through your fingers. To me it looks like tacticool junk aimed not at outdoorsmen, but city cowboys who would mainly use it for opening pizza boxes and sharpening pencils.
Out of curiosity, if it weren't meant for continuous use then why buy it, when you can get a better one that CAN withstand continuous use for around the same price? Not meaning to be an *ss in singling out your comment gzornenplat since I know other people defended it too, but why would you want a backup axe that's less sturdy than a traditional axe?
No offence intended to anyone, I just don't see it as a worthwhile tradeoff.
Pete
No way is the risk worth the few extra cubic inches of space IMO. At least if a folding spade fails, you don't have an axe head flying through the air, or through your fingers. To me it looks like tacticool junk aimed not at outdoorsmen, but city cowboys who would mainly use it for opening pizza boxes and sharpening pencils.
Out of curiosity, if it weren't meant for continuous use then why buy it, when you can get a better one that CAN withstand continuous use for around the same price? Not meaning to be an *ss in singling out your comment gzornenplat since I know other people defended it too, but why would you want a backup axe that's less sturdy than a traditional axe?
No offence intended to anyone, I just don't see it as a worthwhile tradeoff.
Pete
In the unlikely event that both locks failed while the axe was being swung through the
air, the axe would straighten out due to centrifugal force. I think it would take some
practice to get the blade on to your fingers.
I haven't been promoting this thing, just putting the other side. I don't believe that it
is aimed at bushcrafters or professional lumberjacks and if it is made to a reasonable
standard (and Gerber is IMO a good make), then arguing that it is going to fail and take
your fingers off is like arguing that the head of an ordinary axe could come off in mid-
swing and split your skull open - both would require a catastrophic failure while swinging
the axe through thin air (two concurrent failures and a change in the laws of physics in
the case of the folding axe) - or you would have to use it when it was in a such very bad
state of disrepair that only the suicidal would want to risk using it.
There is no evidence to suggest that the folding axe isn't rock-solid - what do you base
'less sturdy' on? It isn't on sale yet and no-one wants to buy one, so it is unlikely that
anyone here has tried one
I don't carry an axe - I have no use for one, but I'll be spending 2 or 3 weeks in the
Canadian wilderness fairly soon, so I have been considering getting something. You'll be
pleased to know that the folding axe isn't it
Currently top of my list is the Gransfors410 Mini Hatchet for no other reason that is it is light, well made, and will probably
never get used for anything other than trying it out.
Personally, I'd say it is aimed at people who want to keep it in their tool box in the
boot and don't want it rattling about on its own, or at the kind of people who are only
one step away from buying camouflage make-up and still have their transformers in a box in
the loft.
I dare say Gerber have done their market research. Not many people on this forum would
carry a deckchair, nor would you want one for the living room, but it doesn't mean it
doesn't have a place somewhere.
gzornenplat - quite right about the swinging and centrifugal force, of course - however, what about battoning it into something? If it suddenly splits through and the mechanism fails, then your fingers would be the main target... And normal axe heads CAN come off, IIRC Old Jimbo recommends on his website replacing a heavily used axe handle once a year. The difference is that it's relatively easy and cheap to replace a wooden handle, and it's pretty easy to know when a wooden handle is unsafe; not so much with that one I reckon. I think a solid handle would be sturdier due to the simple fact that the folding axe folds... a wooden one doesn't. Don't know how thick the pins are, or what they're made of, so I obviously can't say 100% that it is sufficient, I just doubt that it is safe enough for me to risk using. It's not even necessarily a matter of whether the product is in general good - what about quality control? It's very critical with this sort of thing.
On the subject of the mini axe though, it's mentioned here quite a bit - seems to hold it in high regard IIRC
Atb
Pete
On the subject of the mini axe though, it's mentioned here quite a bit - seems to hold it in high regard IIRC
Atb
Pete
Not saying I would buy this but I have had a Gerber Backpack Axe that I have had for a long time.
I bounced it down a cliff and run it over with a 4x4 it has been used and abused but it still holds a great edge an does everything I ask of it.
IMO their quality is excellent.
And where does Bear Grylls come into a discussion about axes.
The man presents a program which I have no doubt the producers demand ratings,and the directors want to see the most outrageous over the top scenarios possible.
Its his job,how he puts bread on the table.
As to the hotel stuff,has anyone considered that it could be the production company looking after their meal ticket.
How many on here have served in the toughest regiment in the british army or in fact could.
Find out a bit more about the man before slagging him off.
Could you have lived his life the way he has. I doubt it.
Sorry but it Ps me off when this guy gets continually slated by keyboard warriors.
GS
I bounced it down a cliff and run it over with a 4x4 it has been used and abused but it still holds a great edge an does everything I ask of it.
IMO their quality is excellent.
And where does Bear Grylls come into a discussion about axes.
The man presents a program which I have no doubt the producers demand ratings,and the directors want to see the most outrageous over the top scenarios possible.
Its his job,how he puts bread on the table.
As to the hotel stuff,has anyone considered that it could be the production company looking after their meal ticket.
How many on here have served in the toughest regiment in the british army or in fact could.
Find out a bit more about the man before slagging him off.
Could you have lived his life the way he has. I doubt it.
Sorry but it Ps me off when this guy gets continually slated by keyboard warriors.
GS
