I guess the popular thing these days is to go out drinking and throw axes around at bullseyes. I have not done this. I’m suspicious of people wielding weapons around me, especially drunk people I don’t know. Live and let live. Never mind “you’ll shoot your eye out, kid”; you’ll cut your hand off if you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.

Why do I need an axe?

I spend a lot of time in the woods; hiking and camping is my thing. Out on my adventures, I have specific needs for certain tools. I need to cut firewood, maybe make some stakes to pound in the ground for various reasons, and that is about the extent of why I could use a tool like this. 

The bonus is the fixed blade stowed away in the handle. I usually always carry a fixed blade on me, but there have been times I’ve left it behind, so I could see this proving to be helpful on those shitty memory days of mine.

The first thing I’ll comment on is the grip. Gerber is known for its excellent textured, rubberized “Gator” grip, and I love it. I’ve used this in warm weather, cold weather, and rainy damp weather; I never lost my grip on this tool. On the bottom of the handle is where the fixed blade is stored.

The fixed blade also has that killer Gator grip. It is held in place by a magnet and rubber end cap.

Make sure that you lock that rubber piece down; I didn’t clasp it when I was out about eight miles and had to trek back three to find it… I was pissed. The blade does stay in place without it, but I wanted to have it, like a kid that loses part of a lego set.

The nylon sheath is pretty standard, features a belt loop on the back, and I can easily carry on my belt.

It also has a nylon loop so that I can carabiner this to my pack. It is a perfect size for that, not too heavy, and it doesn’t flip and flop around when hanging off my bag.

The axe head is engineered from forged steel and so far is holding its edge just fine.

If you do light work in the woods similar to what I do, I’m pretty sure you will find this Gator Combo Axe to be helpful. 

Overall I like this little combo tool, it’s a great size for me and perfect for the light work I need to do when I’m out camping.  Not the best tool for heavy workloads, but it’s obviously not intended for that type of use. This is a compact tool to take with you on excursions and it’s doing the job perfectly for me.

Have fun out there, and please don’t cut off your hand.

Gerber Gator Axe Combo Specs

Axe

• Overall Length: 8.75″
• Blade Length: 2.70″
• Weight: 23.60 oz.
• Head: Forged Steel
• Handle: Gator-Grip

Knife

• Overall Length: 7.01″
• Blade Length: 2.88″
• Weight: 2.00 oz.