Customer Reviews

Gerber 45912 Back Axe with Sheath

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As much as I like traditional gear and the way the "woodsmen of old" did things....I've not carried an axe into the woods for years and years.

I do this for safety, I'm usually alone and if I'm tired after a hard day of paddling, I know myself...and I'd be another "axe horror story." So I've just batoned my smaller wood with a simple, thick, fixed blade knife.

Last year, I recieved this back paxe as a present. I was "polite" as the giver was in the room, but didn't think I'd ever use it. Eventually, I grabbed it and used it at the house...and to my amazement, it split firewood for the fire pit great! I decided it should go on my next trip.

It fits in a day pack, weighs very little, and for sitting around the fire tap splitting wood, I think it's great - and safe. I have no illusions this will be a "swinger"...but it's a much better splitter than any large knife I've tried...and it's lighter than some too. There's always a rock around to pound in a camp peg...but the back paxe does a good job as a camp hammer, so that's an added use too.

The short length of the handle means it's easy to use to field dress game and I'd imagine to even clean a fish in a pinch (I need to try that). The head also will strike a firesteel in a pinch. I used a file on the head and knocked off the "shoulders" a bit - not the edge, just the shoulders...this thinning of the profile makes it cut deeper, easier.

Overall, I like it. It now goes on my canoe trips and even some of my day trips into some wilder places I might get stuck overnight.

These are handy little choppers but why higher price for the shorter handle ? I have the shorty and the slightly longer version which I prefer. The larger splitting axes are really great. I have one with the splitter head which will out perform larger heavier axes. They are really a Fiskars in the first place with Gerbers name on them. I repeat, this little ax is way overpriced !

I received this little hatchet about a week ago. Last night we had a very heavy snow storm that brought down maple, apple, magnolia, and crepe myrtle branches out of our trees. The base of the maple branch where it broke was about 8" in diameter. I decided to try out the Back Paxe even though I bought it with back packing in mind. I was really happy I did. I was slicing through up to 1" branches in one stroke and 2" branches in three to five strokes. The 3" branches were toast in about 20 seconds. When I got to the 4" maple the going got tougher and I banged my knuckles once or twice because of the short handle but the blade ate through at a reasonable pace. When I got to the 8" maple I switched to my 28" double bit Plumb, but other than that this little Gerber did everything and did it well and easier than any other option that I have used for this type of task including a combination of chain saw and loppers. I am not saying that this hatchet is faster than the chain saw, but it is faster than the loppers in every case, and with the relatively limited number of cuts that I had at 3" and larger, the extra time that I spent with the hatchet on these was much less than the setup and clean up of the chain saw. I also have the Gerber 15" combo ax, but this little brother is much handier and faster as I can stroke about twice as fast and each stroke cuts almost as deep. I have also used the Paxe for some limited splitting of some 2" to 3" logs that I held steady with the other hand before striking. For splitting larger stuff that would stand up on its own the larger ax might be better, but my experience today convinced me that if I needed to choose one ax to carry with me on a back woods trip, this would be it.

Wow. You buy the smallest axe on the market and then complain about how small it is. I own this axe and it has many uses. I also own the 14inch model

I did some research before I bought this little axe & its fantastic. I have several palo verdes, mesquites, & acacias that need regular pruning, and I like to make some cuts above the notch before bringing it out the chain saw to make the final clean cut, and this little axe is perfect. Axe in one hand and branch on the other so that it doesn't fall into neighbor's yard or damage one of my cacti. Great sheath as well, it protects the blade & it protects you.

I bought this axe for my Brother as a gift after seeing a friend use it on our last backpacking trip to the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. It is made from really high quality steel and holds an edge well under mild abuse. My brother has not stopped ranting about how awesome it is since I bought it for him. I hope you all enjoy.

I bought this axe to make kindling for the wood stove and it is perfect. Not too big or too small. Well made and easy to sharpen. It was just what I was looking for and a great buy.

I love this little axe. It is sharp, light weight and small enough to fit in your hiking pack. It is a well made Gerber axe but produced by Fiskars of Finland. I bought it on amazon for $ 21.00 and free shipping if you combine it with something else to total over $ 25.00. Free shipping was fast, in two days, probably because they have this item in stock. You will not be disappointed with this axe, it is great for light to medium duty cutting. You will not cut down any redwood trees with this but it will work great for camp duties.

This is our second Gerber Back Paxe, it is strong and durable...just don't use it as a splitting wedge and it should last a long time!

As other's mentioned, axe (really a small hatchet) is great.
Apparently Gerber is no longer making/selling their nice ballistic nylon sheath. Instead the "sheath" is a lousy plastic display/hanging-store-rack kind of thing. LAME.