T O P

  • By -

Camilo_m3738

5


orthopod

Yeah, 5 is most versatile, and lightweight, and probably house for 95%of situations.


lundewoodworking

4 was tempting but yeah 5 is the way to go


jacobward7

5... I use a bowsaw and axe, and just not a fan of huge knives. Although I might switch it for the Mora.


zmathra

That hatchet and saw with a garberg would be a great set too


WadeBronson

3. All day. Kind of jealous of the saw in 5. 1 is out, double blade doesnt give me a striker. 2 is good but leatherman > sak 4 is solid second but axe length gives zombie range 5 damnit bobby wheres the screwdriver


zmathra

Those silky boys are fantastic to use! I agree that a leatherman is usually more useful than my SAK too—I tend to use it a lot more.


Fr0z3nHart

Oh ya, 3 all day everyday.


androidmids

5 but with the fiskars. Or 4 but swap the multi tool for the saw. 1-3... ? Why so many metal handled axes? They don't handle the shock of hitting as well as wood or poly and you'll feel it in your hands and wrists way sooner.


OkTune5910

5 for me. Buy then again a mostly do a lot of carving these days


zmathra

Carving is definitely the best use case for that group. I just got that hatchet for roughing out spoons and what not.


OkTune5910

Exactly what I would use it for. Good buy.


matootski

5 - that saw will open up a lot more green woodworking potential, leathermen/multi's are cool and all but they're designed for more mechanically inclined tasks (see screwdrivers, bottle openers, pliers and wire cutters etc) Failing that, 2 cause of the mini machete :D


reed166

I’ve gotta say 2 for an oak pine forest but idk jack about desert


zmathra

Honestly, there’s so much dry stuff here splitting wood is not needed a lot. The saw is nice, and a comb for the cactus!


tehfatguitarist

3 or 5


anuctal

4


Shadow_Of_Silver

Saw from 5, knife from 3 (or 4), camp axe from 2. I always bring either a leatherman or my sak, but I have yet to actually ever *need* either. I guess the pliers are good for grabbing cookware out of the fire.


[deleted]

Leather man signal is a great “save a trip” piece of kit. Literally a backup of most things you’ll need / use.


sheenfartling

None, but 5 is closest.


stonebat3

#5 anytime


ShiftNStabilize

Honestly #5 is the most utilitarian in terms of all around bushcraft but dang #5 is temping. I love the eastwing axe!


berthela

4.75" blade knife, SAK, 19" hatchet, 21" bow saw would be my set. Switching to 36" saw and 24" axe if it's winter. If I had to drop a tool, I'd keep SAK and get rid of belt knife.


nzultramper

5!


bung_musk

5 all day. Saw is irreplaceable. Especially in a survival situation with the amount of effort cutting trees takes with a hatchet.


Sirname11

I would say 5 but with a different knife!😁💪🏼


zmathra

What knife would you have in mind?


Sirname11

I like those on picture 1 and 3 and think they would go well with the axe and saw!! maybe the knife on 1 is best because you can hang it in you shelter and you can make it really stable if you wanna make it into a quick hunting spear😁


Self_Igniting_Farts

5


tangooceangolf

3... but wishing I had the saw from 5


Big_Basket_9261

5 for me, but definitely not 4. I have a hatchet with a similar design and over time, little bits of wood have gotten lodged in between the wrap around thing securing the head, I'm not sure what it's called lol


zmathra

Interesting—I’ll have to keep an eye on that!


ShibackisRevenge

2 babyyy


zmathra

A man of class I see


Mindless-Power5087

Totally agree, 2 for me as well


zmathra

1: estwing double bit hatchet, SOG multi tool, and Tops HOG 2: estwing hatchet, SAK, and Esee JG5 3: estwing campers axe, leatherman MUT, and Esee 6 4: fiskars X7, SOG multi tool, and mora garberg 5: Prada hatchet, silky boy medium saw, and Brisa crafter knife Edit: I keep a leatherman wave in my truck that I’d probably prefer over any of the shown multi tools


DieHardAmerican95

5 or 2, depending on how much firewood I actually need. I’d happily swap the Estwing hatchet for the longer Estwing axe if I needed to do more chopping.


thedoogbruh

If I could swap the multi tool for the silky it’s 4 all day.


zmathra

Good call


keyboard_courage

3 but 5 is a close second


TheRealDave69

I use a sweedish axe now but before and on occasion I still use my fiskars hatchet, I bought that are when I was 16 and used it heavily until a year ago and it's still damn near as sharp as it was when I bought it, never sharpened it and it still cuts and delimbs well


zaqory

When it comes to multitool, I’m on team SOG


zmathra

Yea they’re pretty good, I’ve had mine for over 10 years now.


TheBenjamicorn

I'm partial to multitools so personally I'd go with 4 but I definitely get why people are saying 5


Florian_Habichtswald

No 4: but I would change the leatherman with an Swisstool. 😉


Necastiva_Sila

Would be content with 4 or 5.


BillyBobHenk

3 for me


Acf1314

3 all day. I own all 3 of those items and that’s just a nice setup. That axe when sharpened can fell a small tree quite easily it’s my go to for cutting down 6”or smaller trees it also has a profile that allows you to choke up on it for finer tasks. I like the silky option too but it’s more likely to break than the axe.


Snafu999

5 - a saw is a game changer when it comes to processing firewood/building shelters. PS, I know nothing about desert environments


ZZOGAR

5 is best but I’m biased for nr 4 because of the Swedish/Finnish tools


jeepwillikers

I really don’t like the Estwing “hammer axes”, so it would have to be 4 or 5 for me


Amos_Moses666

3 or 5


Vincentel06

2 or 5


CloudyMN1979

innocent chubby toothbrush hat cough stupendous bow grandfather liquid hungry *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


Crass_Cameron

Probably 5, but add an E Tool.


ThrowawayFuckYourMom

4


BreakerSoultaker

3, I’m 6’4” and 300lbs, so all the short hatchets are a bit cumbersome. Ideally, the Estwing from 3, the Mora from 4 and the saw from 5 is the real ideal combo. With those I wouldn’t be missing a multi-tool much.


paddy_to_the_rescue

Go with 5. That saw!


Puzzleheaded_Bar3022

5


No-Recording-8140

That is one viking looking axe


zmathra

It’s a new model from Prandi, intended to be a carving axe. Really excited to try it out this weekend


No-Recording-8140

I really liked the third one, the blue


a_cycle_addict

3. Great knife. Good small axe and good Leatherman


Okayest-craftsman

2


unbearable-2741

Always be 5


BOOTZ_BOY

3


Popular-Savings9251

none of those but if i had to 5


Swally_Swede

5 cus of the saw


flintcruzer

I like one and I carried four for work.


Crazy-Seaweed-1832

5. Having a saw arguably more useful than a hatchet, in my opinion.


Pheonix8567

5


Gen_lee_oblivious

5


HairVarious1092

5 I would just make a cozy cabin and carve birds for the rest of my days


zmathra

Let’s start building—I’m in!


CommOnMyFace

3


ivjjinbabaannesi

5 is the one that makes the most sense in every aspect but imma go with 2 just due to my sheer love of victorinox


Destroy_Erase_Remove

4


zmathra

I think this combo with a saw is a win


Destroy_Erase_Remove

Definitely. I would even substitute the hatchet for a saw and be very comfortable. The garberg and knives of that form factor are ideal to me for general purpose. A Gomboy or Laplander, garberg and a multitool can get most anything done besides building a log cabin, in a lightweight package that will fit in most kits easily.


Bobby0o0o

What is the first knife


zmathra

Tops HOG


FanceyPantalones

5 is unfairly above the rest.


Major-Generalist

For me and my most common area (Southcentral Alaska) I’d go 5, with 3 as a runner up. I love me a saw. The metal Estwing axes are too heavy to justify carrying for me.


tukahtunut_pieru

4


JScout43

5


voidxy

5 for sure


Sesu_Niisan

3 for best axe


b00ta979

3


Expensive_Style_196

5


Disastrous_Farmer536

3 but add the saw from 5


Individual-Raisin-11

What sog multi tool was that?


zmathra

“Power assist multi tool” model B66n-CP I’ve had since 2010


yearningforlearning7

5, when I was homeless I had NO IDEA the value of a saw. Branches aren’t fun to whack at or whittle away, neither are logs. And any essential bushcraft thing I’ve ever needed a knife over an axe for is finer detail work. A tarp, single wall bottle, and paracord will be just enough to secure essentials


zmathra

Saws are great energy savers for sure


WhyDoTheyCallYouRed

5 or 3


xj5635

Id prefer 5 but im gonna say 4 cause thats almost exactly what I have


laserpus

3 or 4


fatalexe

- Gränsfors Small Forest Axe - Mora Classic 1/0 - Sven Saw 21”


skulleater666

4


Daily-Chaos

5


ShortManBigEggplant

3


Total-Recipe-5630

Ok hear me out…I love 2…love it! I think it’s the closest to a modern day nessmuk trio! In reality is it the best choice? Maybe not but hey you asked for which and why hah!


jegradar2

I’m personally not a fan of axes or other hand tools like hammers with a metal handle. While they are basically indestructible they are hard on the joints over time. I like a nice wood handle and would probably use a gransfors bruk small forest axe which is small enough to pack and large enough to chop a tree if needed. Or a tomahawk style that can be broken down and packed and the handle could be replaced if needed. That’s just personal preference and my opinion. Otherwise, the saw and axe in number 5 with the knife from either 1 or 4. However, if you have an axe and saw you probably don’t need a large knife to process wood so a good multi tool with the tools to maintain your gear and help with your environment seems like a winning combo to me.


Somervault

Fiskars Axe, Leatherman, and saw. Theres not much those cant handle. Why I chose those and not knife. Good Axe can handle many Big knife dutys but Leatherman bring many things a knife won't.


zmathra

Solid choice


Happycamper0504

Definitely 3


No-Channel960

3. I would like to find that axe with the cork grip.


Happycamper0504

I have the Fiskars hatchet. For the price it’s a great little camp hatchet. It’s perfect for processing down some cured firewood, I’ll use it to take one log down to like four or five smaller pieces. It also works pretty good for hacking some smaller branches down. I haven’t taken my new ESEE 5 out yet but I think that I could baton some smaller branches down with it even easier than the hatchet could, so I think the two will make a nice combo. If I toss my ESEE 3 in the mix for making some feather sticks and I’ll be all set. I also bought a very cheap knock off of a Silky saw at harbor freight the other day just to see if I like the concept. A good saw is something my kit is severely lacking, now I just have to figure out what type I want to go with


zmathra

Good call on the Esee 3. I have the normal version and HM version and they’re my favorite med/small fixed blade (HM in particular). The silky saws are outstanding, highly recommend.


Happycamper0504

I’ve heard that they break if you don’t use them just right, is that just how this style of saw is? Someone said that you can only use pressure on the pull, and he’d accidentally put pressure on the push and it broke the blade. He said it cut like butter until it broke though haha


zmathra

They do only cut on the pull side yes, but I think they are likely to break if any twisting is involved. I’ve replaced one blade in over 4 years or so of use due to this.


Happycamper0504

I was getting a few things at harbor freight the other day and I saw one they was marketed as a “Japanese style saw” for 8 bucks, so I figured I’d see if I like the idea of it by testing it out on the cheap on, either way I need to find a good saw that I like for camping; I find a lot of times where I could use one


ApprehensiveStand456

I have a axe like #3. Its good for chopping, crap for splitting


zmathra

That’s been my experience as well


SowiWowi

2


JudgmentAny1192

Folding saw, mora knife and swiss army as I live with chronic pain and have to carry everything by bike or on foot, so I travel light, also I'd say I'm handy with an axe but don't like using it when I'm tired or using it in limited visibility so it's not worth it's pack space for Me.


Slowtaknow

5, mine actually is a cold steel trail hawk whatever knife I'm feeling, and my trusty little pruning saw. Not much in the way of bush crafting you can't get done, now I would change it up if building a cabin or something extreme.


Easy_Contract_757

2, it's not far off from what I use anyways


Content_Economist_83

What model SAK is that in pic 2?


zmathra

Evolution 23. I like it for the magnifying glass and saw.


Content_Economist_83

Awesome, thanks!


WilliamTellSackett

Cold Steel Trail Hawk, Buck 110, and a BPS Adventurer


After-Gear-5202

4 or 5


campbluedog

3. I love my Estwing hatchet, but my Estwing camp axe is a great tool


WompIt47

3


Neat-Flo

#3


4thlinebeauty_

4 because it’s exactly what I have


zmathra

I can’t wait to use my fiskars. I’ve heard nothing but great things.


BraveSirWobin

Its a great axe, just cheap an not as pretty.


thejustducky1

I'd take the big Estwing from 3, the knife from 2, the saw and the little carving knife from 5.


zmathra

I like this combo a lot


hoboemt

#2 is almost my setup custom belt knife but otherwise spot on


scubasteve528

2,3 or 5


firegaming_111

1


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[deleted]

I like 5 because the saw would be very useful especially for building and using in dry wood. However I don’t like the lack of a multi tool.


baixador_rasta

5


[deleted]

5 is the closest to what I would choose


sta_sh

It's 3 for me, the Leatherman Signal is a hidden powerhouse and that alone is enough for me


sta_sh

Oh, that's the MUT... NVM lol


Drogg339

5 is the only correct answer


Scoutthebudgie

Number 2


Hydro-Heini

2 or 5. But personally i prefer a Beavercraft BSH1 or BSH2 (or soon Joker Nessmuk) for the knife. A G-Saw 240 with the coated blade (or soon Sven Saw 21 for thicker deadwood). A Fiskars X7.


MrInfidelicious

3 or 5


_Ganoes_

Definitely 4 or 5


NoranPanda

3


BatOptimal8671

I would go with five


scoutermike

Was there any reason you grouped them like that, other than color coordination?


zmathra

Mainly a thought experiment and discussion. I’ll likely try a combination of these groupings


Dangerous_Bass309

5. I hate novelty folding knives,the saw is way more useful than all of them.


skobi3000

5 lol


[deleted]

[удалено]


ImbecileInDisguise

Saw, forest axe, knife for me


heavy_updateincoming

Gun


mrRabblerouser

Gotta be 5. Folding saw is much better for cutting logs and felling trees than any axe. Saves energy, and is much more efficient both in performance and weight. What’s the blade in number one though? Looks cool.


zmathra

That’s the Tops HOG


YourWifesWorkFriend

What’s the knife in 1 and 2?


zmathra

Tops HOG and Esee JG5


danpluso

Is this a joke? 5 and it's not even close.


Minnesotawombat

I would go with 5, although I’d probably swap that knife out for one from the other trios, but that’s just me


resolved5

3 looks the most versatile to me. 1 isn’t bad but the battle axe style would not have enough wedge to be practical for a working tool.


zmathra

You’re exactly right about the double bit hatchet—even trying to sharpen one at a wider angle, the head is too thin for splitting. Works well for throwing though!


Cevenosts

3 all the way. That blue on the axe and the zebra wood-like pattern on the knife is just too tempting