Author Topic: Knife/Hatchet Combo (Read 2202 times)

dispatch 510 · « **on:** May 15, 2005, 02:44:44 AM »

Hello to all, I am looking for a knife haychet combo,to carry in my day back. anybody have any suggestions for a good and affordable set.thanks in advance.

Joel · « **Reply #1 on:** May 15, 2005, 06:06:50 PM »

I personally carry either a tomahawk(brand unknown...belonged to my dad), or a standard boyscout axe in my daypack....either works well. The boyscout axe is the bettre of the two, but the tomahawk is lighter. As for knives, I carry a variety and can't really help you there. If I have one of the axes with me, then I usually carry a smaller blade; around five inches. As for what's out there; Colt makes the trailblazer axe/knive combo where the knife fits into the bottom of the axe handle. Timber Ridge knives makes what looks to be the exact same thing for $30.00 at eknifeworks.com. Marbles(the knife manufacturing portion of Marbles is now owned by a gent named George Brinkley) still makes the original Marbles Safety Axe which has a hinged metal cover that slides over the edge. I know Case and Camillus and Western used to make combo's. There are others out there...I"ve no idea how good they are, since I've never used any of them. I prefer to concentrate on what works really well for me on an individual basis, rather than trying to find a matched set that works well and meets my requirements. Although since I've never tried one of the sets, I might be missing out on something.....dunno.

darrell8937 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 10, 2005, 06:20:03 AM »

This is a good choice. A quailty knife stores in the handle. The hatchet is good quality and is good for the needs of a backpacker. has a nice sheath with stone. Only downside is it has a little rattle to it due to the knife in the handle. You could probaly get rid of the rattle with a well placed small rag in the handle.

willysjeep134 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 07, 2005, 04:35:08 AM »

Of all the knife hatchet combos Ive seen, none of them are too impressive. The worst ones have a hatchet punched out of thin steel and a knife like handle attached to them. They have no weight for chopping. The knife in handle ones might be better, I haven't had as much experience with them. I would say that purchasing a good knife and a good hand axe separately would be a better bet. Matched sets always have shortcomings. Council Tool company still makes good inexpensive hand axes in the USA. One will run you about $18. The forestry suppliers Inc. catalog carries council axes.

BillP · « **Reply #4 on:** October 25, 2005, 07:18:16 PM »

In my openion a knife and a hatchet are two seperate tools. The woodsman's Pal might be sort of a compromise but I would still want a pocket knife.

Joel · « **Reply #5 on:** October 25, 2005, 08:03:43 PM »

I just received from Ragweed Forge a double bitted "hunter's axe", that is quite similar to the Nessmuk double bitted "pocket" axe mentioned in his book. The axe carries the Marble's Trademark, and is a repro of one they made in the 1880's. It is made in China. Weighs 1lb 5oz on my kitchen scale, has a five inch long High carbon steel head with cutting edges of 3 inches(measured along the edge curve). Handle is 13 inches long and is of straight grained ash. The 4.5 inches of the handle before reaching the axe head is slightly swelled, allowing a really nice "choke" hold in case the axe is used as a skinning tool. The axe edges are convex ground like the old Marble's knives, i.e. there is no separate edge bevel. The axe is extremely well made and comes out of the box with usable edges. Comes with a nice, riveted belt sheath also. I re-ground one of the edges to be thinner(finer) than the other(didn't take much...the edges are fairly fine already); which gives me a relatively blunt edge for coarse work and a fine edge for pure cutting. Took it outside for a bit of chopping this morning(in the middle of our first *&^*^*^ snowstorm, and it worked great...better than my 'hawk, but not quite as good as my larger(and heavier). Camillius boyscout axe. 'Course the Camillius has also been thinned, as have my other axes/hatchets. This axe cost $33.00 plus $5.00 S&H, which is a lot less than the $125 I was willing to spend for a similar axe from a custom maker....who had an 8 month waiting list. Can't wait to really take it out into the woods, along with my usual sheath knife and pocket knife, and mess around some.