Knives and Tools

Recent Knife/Tool Reviews

Bahco Laplander Folding Saw

This little saw works when both pushing and pulling, which requires less effort, in my opinion, and was the main reason I chose this saw. It is affordable for most budgets, and has held up well in the two months I've been using it. This folding saw does just what I needed it to do, which is to cut up some downed limbs or very small dead trees for campfire purposes. It won't take down anything that big, but I would be leaving those for cavity-nesting birds anyway. I think it's more efficient than… Full review

Eddie Bauer First Ascent Belay Knife

Good knife for the price—if you can find it. Bought this knife new, while Christmas shopping. The colors attracted me :). I like this knife. It has a few quirks: bottle opener is hard to open. Noticed one of the rivets loosening after about a year of use.  Full review

Opinel No.12 Stainless Steel Folding Saw

A handy, no-fuss pruning saw ideal for small arboreal tasks at a very reasonable price. The classic and simple design has remained unchanged. Functional, affordable with a lovely feel compared to saws with a plastic handle. I have used a Bahco Laplander and an Opinel folding pruning saw and I was interested to compare the two. For me, the Opinel is the superior saw. Unlike the Laplander which failed after a short amount of time, the Opinel has proven to be dependable and durable in cutting through… Full review

Gransfors Bruk Outdoor Axe

Lightweight, a fantastic chopper and splitter...much better and lighter than a large Bowie-style knife for bushcrafting and camping chores. A joy to use. This is a beautifully designed and balanced lightweight hand axe for the hiker, back country camper, and bushcrafter. You can certainly build an expedient shelter, you can fell, limb, buck, split, and carve trees that are 5-inches in diameter or less fairly readily. You can use it to skin, clean, and butcher small game. Carrying this and a small… Full review

Estwing Camper's Axe

A decent light axe for minor felling, chopping, and splitting...but doesn't compare to a good HB or GB. I bought one of these a few years ago, and have used it mostly around the house. I've found it's best for light limbing and felling, but the design of the blade is such that it really is a chopper, not a splitter. I'm surprised at how much better a smaller, lighter Granfors Bruk axe is at both felling and splitting.  Buy it if you want a fairly inexpensive and durable decent axe for occasional… Full review

Leatherman Squirt PS4

The Leatherman Squirt PS4 is my go-to backpacking knife and multi-tool. It has everything you need and nothing you don't. The Leatherman PS4 Squirt is a key-chain sized multitool that comes in at 55g. It took me a few tries to find a multitool that has the perfect balance of utility and size for backpacking. The big sell was having both scissors and pliers. I have used all the tools on this Leatherman out on the trail, whereas I have only used half the tools on my Victorinox Tinkerer Deluxe after… Full review

Opinel No. 9 Folding Knife

The Opinel No. 9 is a highly utilitarian, customizable knife that is perfect for the camper, hiker, hunter, backwoods cook, and farmer alike. Opinel has been making the same pocket knives with very few changes since 1890. It is a testament to the design that it has not only been around that long, but is one of the most popular knives in the world. The No. 8 is the most popular, but I am a fan of the No. 9 because that extra centimeter in the blade and the handle make it ideal for a man's hands. Full review

Silky BigBoy

I've found nothing more effective for clearing trail. Every hiker should carry one. I stumbled onto one of these at REI a couple of years ago. I had been trying to use a Sven Saw off and on with marginal results, and could saw nothing larger than about 8" in diameter. When I discovered the "Big Boy", and learned it utilized the Japanese cutting orientation of the teeth, I went for it. It seemed expensive at the time but now after two years, it's clearly a bargain. I've likely cut well over 100 trees… Full review

Silky Katanaboy 500

In the family of folding saws, Silky plays the role of the teched-up young prodigal son—and the Katanaboy is his hulking, gym-rat persona. After seeing a few recent reviews of other Silky blades, I thought I should toss in my experience with something a little more sizable. I was working on a trail crew in the PNW and the crew leader brought along his personal blade, along with all the tools supplied by the volunteer organization. I was tasked with building some new steps in a particularly eroded… Full review