Customer Reviews

Fiskars 7860 Brush Axe

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am a volunteer with the National Park Service and spend a great deal of time cutting invasive exotic vines and other noxious plants to try to save mature woodlands.

I used a new tool today to beat down some Chinese Porcelain Berry vines and it worked extremely well. To date, my tools of choice have been a 22" machete - for English Ivy, Winter Creeper, Multiflora Rose and tall Japanese Knotweed, and a 12-inch bow saw for anything over 1.5 inches in diameter. I also use a weed cutter (grass whip) for secondary knotweed cutting, etc.

I have found that the difficulty with Porcelain Berry is that it hangs away from native plants, is swingy and poorly supported. It's often so dense that one can't get close enough with hand pruners or loppers to make much progress. And the machete requires tedious, exhausting and repeated hacking. Today I used my brand new Fiskars brush axe on it, expensive at $39 through Amazon, but worth every darned penny.

It's a bit shorter than a machete, very light and well balanced. The handle is high impact plastic and absorbs shock well, the blade is short enough to be relatively safe, and the blade is strong, anti-corrosion coated and takes a good edge. But most of all, the downward pointing hook serves (similar to a grass hook, brush hook, bill hook or ditch bank - which are much heavier and unwieldy) to keep hanging vines and springy arms of shrubs from sliding off the cutting edge. The rounded point of the hook also impacts the ground before the blade, which helps to preserve the edge of the blade.

This tool cuts through vines up to 1 inch like a hot knife through butter! I reckon it is twice as effective as the machete for swinging growth and 4 times as fast as a lopper - plus being much lighter than a lopper. It works equally well on living and dead brush. If you are familiar with the difference between bypass and anvil blades (one for green wood the other for dead wood) on pruners and loppers, you know that you really need two tools if you go that route. Combined with welders gloves, the kind with the extra long gauntlets, I have no reluctance anymore toward bashing into vines that stretch over my head or under shrubs.

My only complaint, and it is minor, is that the handle is not rubberized and less smooth.

All in all, this tool is a joy to use.

Excellent quality, period. Having read all the reviews before purchasing, I can simply say - I agree. It is Fiskars quality, it is balanced and the curved nose holds onto the branches and vines which would normally slip away from the blade. This will last the rest of my life.

My one complaint - what is described as a sheath is not what I or likely you would think of as a sheath. It is hard plastic with a plastic snap to hold the tool in it. It is great for hanging on retail racks. It is a severe disappointment if you are expecting something to attach to your belt to safely carry when not in use when you are in the field. It is not possible to use it in this manner.

Bottom line - if you don't need the sheath for carrying and safety, then buy this tool. If you do need a sheath for carrying and you value safety, then buy the Gerber version of this tool. They are the same tool and same company.

Have fun - chop, chop.

This was a great tool...until it broke and flew hundreds of feet into the woods. I used it to cut Asiatic Bittersweet and Porcelain Berry vines. It was great! It really did a nice job of cutting those vines. Good balance, sharp blade, quality shape to cut and pull vines away.

One day, I was cutting vines and the blade broke right off the handle. It was bizarre because there were no prior signs of damage. There were no cracks and the blade did not feel loose. So for the love of Crumb Cake, be careful with this tool if you purchase one.

I am happy to report that after I sent an email (including pictures of the broken tool) to Fiskars' consumer affairs department, they said they would forward the pictures to their quality control department. They were very helpful and quick to respond.

I have poweline trail "woods" behind my home, which is basically comprised of thick brush, saplings, and oak trees. Like most of my neighbors, I wanted to clear the brush to about 30' back from my property line to improve appearance.

This tool is amazing. Well balanced and just the right combination of heft and length. It takes a few minutes to get used to it, as initially you will not expect it to cut cleanly through up to 1" diameter branches with a single swing, which it can and often does. You can also chop through larger diameter branches with a few swings using a hatchet methodology. I was able to clear 'about' 3,000 square feet of thick brush in just a few hours' time, and I wasn't trying to break any records in doing so.

A note of caution: considering what this does to branches, etc., you do need to exercise care or you could easily get seriously injured. Do not hold anything close to where you will be chopping; maintain a good footing and keep your children clear of your work area when using. If you're getting tired, stop. All of which should be common sense ...

My husband loves his new bush knife. He was cutting through brush and branches with ease. This product was recommended by our son, who also loves his. Just be careful not to cut into your leg.

Though an avid Amazon customer I purchased this tool through Wallyworld for $21.00. I agree completely with the prior 5 star reviews as to the effectiveness and performance of the tool..outstanding! It just makes you want to chop something. If there's weak links to the product it's the smooth handle and funky "sheath". I fixed the handle issue by wrapping baseball bat friction tape around it. It took my chopping to another level. Try it and you will soon agree. The sheath, (hard plastic locking case) worked for me because I wanted to mount the axe to my tractor so I could whack nutrient depriving suckers off the trees as I cut the grass. The shape and strength allowed me to epoxy a piece of 1/2 in plywood to the tractor and screw the sheath onto it. Now it's always at hand and ready to restore order to my landscape. Finally a word of precaution, the ergonomics lends itself to great and powerful blows. It is super sharp and capable of removing digits and inflicting great injury. Chop smart!

I bought this from wallyworld after reading an article in Backwoodsman Magazine (check it out). The folks that contribute articles to this magazine are mostly hardcore outdoors types, so they are super critical of equipment. If your butt depends on it, you tend to be critical. Anyway, I got the thing home and went straight to the woods with it. I began to hack my way through the bushy stuff, and this knife never missed a beat. One swing took out anything within the arc. I have quite a bit of ten year old pine on my property, and when I decided to blaze a trail through them, I expected a bit of a fight. No way. Anything around 3-4 inches in diameter was a one swing affair. I couldn't believe it! Anything up to about six inches only took two or three swings! It's also good at other things. It's heavy enough to split smaller firewood (for the campsite or survival site), and it's sharp enough to cut rope, line, etc. The guy in the article even cut a roast with it, but I wouldn't want to do that after a day's bushwhacking. It also is good for skinning the bark from felled trees (using the crook). So I would highly recommend this item. It is made in China, like most stuff these days, but it is to Fiskars' specs and it appears to be solid. The hollow handle is even good for carrying a light survival kit in, just cover the end of the handle with tape or something. It also has a lifetime warranty, so you can't go wrong with this one!

I would rate this tool higher, but the "sheath" is garbage. Get the gerber one instead (it's actually made by fiskars) and you get a quality sheath with it as well.

It's a Fiskars ... and that about says it all. I love it. Use it often and it's a briar, brush killing machine!

I have used machetties for many years, and always carry one on my ATV, for making trails. There are many poor quality ones on the market, that will dent if cutting hard wood. The Fiskars brush axe is a quality tool that performs as advertised. I am very happy with my Fiskars brush axe.