5 Reasons your Knife is BETTER Than an Axe! 

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axe: good knife: better axe and knife: perfection axe, knife and saw: god tier common sense

Congrats for this vid! 🎉 There are also tons of other arguments in favor of a blade over an axe, at least for survival purposes. I hope I'll find time to make a video with all of those arguments soon, so that this topic will be closed once and for all. I understand axe fans (myself included), but when it comes to survival, a blade always beats the axe.

I always have a backpack on me on the way and in my backpack there is practically always a schnitzel tri knife, a silky saw, swiss knife, fire steel, fällkniven DC3 sharpening stone, paracord and a first aid set 😅

Also I wanted to say I finally manage to get my dream knife, I have the Brisa Enzo trapper in elmax but I finally completed my gear with a bark river bravo crusader in 3v what a dream knife and it would be so cool if you manage to test it, I think it would be a good comparison to cold steels trailmaster/ fällkniven modern Bowie just also a good comparison to the storm vector/el chetw

With you all the way. If weight is not a consideration, take an axe as well, save some weight and take a small saw, but ALWAYS take a knife.

Nice one boys!!! This is a knife channel of course we think you are right! We love knives not axes

I say to each job it's own tool. when it gets cold here in Canada an axe is must. I can only agree with you on the weight factor, obviously. and I'll add this: for survival I would choose a knife over an axe but not for bushcraft. I guess it all depends with what we each are comfortable and efficient with.

Greetings from Arizona fellas.

so basically you don't know how to use an axe, and blame the axe for it.

Two different tools Right tool for the right job

You do realize, when you make the tentpeg and you claim to have no experience with the axe, but aren't that much slower over all but have almost decades of experience with knives at this point, this makes the axe look pretty good, right? And with all the Bushcraft interest you two have, i am a little surprised you never saw Ray Mears or whoever it was who showed how to avoid the swing through with an axe when missing or gliding off. As for the first test: you can place the axe on the piece of wood lift both up together and smash them down (not with excessive force) and it will easily split it. If not, the wood is stuck on the axe and you only need to repeat the process just like with batoning. People who have never done any bushcraft wouldn't know how to do it with a knife either. As for #4: the shovel is actually correct: in my basic training, even on the first day when we got all our gear, our instructor said: " _and for close quaters fighting you take the spade/shovel because it's sharp enough on the edges and has proven itself in that role in two world wars_ ." (and our issued knife was a Glock FM78!) That said, when i am hiking, i have a fixed blade knife and a SAK with me. But most of the time i don't need either. I don't go in hikes where i expect to need to use them, they are for when somehting unexpected happens. The SAK inm ypocket because i don't leave the house without it (and for it's tools and fine cutting), the fixed blade in the backpack, in case i would need to make a makeshift splint for an injury or similar things.

I'm not an axe guy but this video made me argue in axe defense, you have never seen an axe used in combat? Really? In north america, but also in europe. Axe can be batoned or used properly (there are tons of video that you probably have seen) If you have a 600gr knife vs a 600gr axe I can assure you that the axe will win in splitting and chopping

Improve your skills, using an axe belongs to those skills, nevertheless it’s way more safe to baton a knife even for big logs which can be split with wedges made with the knife,I really like to use a axe for the fun and power it has but I sure hate to carry it 😜

If it wasnt for the weight id choose an axe, vikings did that... i wouldnt want to fight a guy with an axe having just a small dagger 😂😂😂😅

A knife is a knife,an axe is an axe!😘🤘

I'd disagree on combat, an axe is way better. Soldiers carry knives because they have guns these days.

you guys got me arguing with myself in my room alone, trying to defend axe

Just imagine that classic scene from “The Shining” but with a little mora instead of the axe. Don’t think even Jack Nickelson could have pulled it off

An axe for combat ? 10,000 Vikings can't all be wrong .

I got a hatchet before I got a knife growing up because I couldn't sneak a hatchet outside without getting caught; so I learned quickly how to use it just as effectively as a knife for a lot of basic tasks. It's really just gonna come down to which one you decide to put in the work with.

i learned early on if you are travelling light (canoeing, hiking) - a good knife and a saw are far better than an axe and a knife. usually much lighter, especially if your knife is big enough to de-limb a tree decently.

Why not both I'm from Appalachia I've always carried a knife and an axe. Right now I've been using the 16 inch council tools flying fox (which I wish you guys would give a try) and the Benchmade 200 puukko. But even pared with a mora that's a hell of a combo.

You can "baton" with an axe, you don't need to swing if you don't want to.

So one thing that really jumped out to me is that neither of you really know how to use an axe/hatchet properly, or as safely as you could. An Axe/Hatchet is just as safe in the right hands as a knife, as can both be dangerous in the wrong hands. There are better grips for carving with a small hatchet, just as there are better ways of positioning yourself and your materials, to make it impossible to hit yourself, even if the axe glances (which generally happens with inexperience). Both tools are useful, and you can get by with either a small axe/hatchet, or a knife. Training and practice is what matters more.

ALWAYS have a knife with you. An axe is an excellent option if you have space and conveyance (a vehicle).

I'm one that prefers axe to knife But that being said, much like knives there's many different facets to an axe. Some are thick and only good for splitting, they vary as much as knives can very from filet knife to McHuge SURVIVAL CHOPPER 1cm thick knife. My preferred axe has a knife-like bit with a large cutting edge (Rinaldi Lavagna with 15" handle would be my style). The positive with the axe is that you can use momentum and physics to accomplish more work with less effort and time, with the trade off of requiring more skill. I am very good with my axe, and thus for me tent peg carving like yours can take me only 52 seconds too, and big jobs are also faster. Any skill you use with a knife to save time or increase effectiveness can also be done with an axe, but with more options since you have the handle acting like a lever to produce more force and speed if you choose to, much like a bike with vs without training wheels. One example of where an axe saves time is making a cedar plank. My favorite way to cook fish is grilled on a cedar plank, making a cedar plank with an axe vs a knife is much faster! Imagine cutting a 18cm diameter log down to size with a knife, that would be silly and you'd go grab a saw to cut the log. With the axe this is an easy and quick task to buck a 18cm diameter log, but with a knife that's a big chore. The option to grab a saw is nice, but the capability to not HAVE to grab the saw is better. The axe allows versatility that the knife does not have. In combat axe vs knife, knife is gonna lose lol. Please see: Vikings and Native Americans. These are also thinner, lighter axes less good for splitting but faster for fighting. Overall the reason to go axe is, if you have the skill, it can do everything a knife does but with more options to work more effectively

I had a "scout hatchet" (solid one piece drop forged) long before i ever was allowed to carry a knife . You must be taught correct safe techniques with everything . Baton the hatchet etc , the hammer on the end is extremely useful.

#1 reason, it’s not called Dutch Bushcraft Axes.

Hi guys - I'm a knife guy too - but axe's 100% have their place. Have you guys watched the TV show "Alone"? NONE of the contestants take a knife bigger than necessary to process food, Where they're chopping down 20+ trees daily for fire's, shelter, etcetc. You wouldn't want to be battoning a 200g knife in that scenario! Or if you were going camping for several weeks in the wilderness, etc.

When I was a young boy I received a nice hatchet from my uncle in Romania, I used it constantly in the woods processing wood gor our campfires. And still have it 54 years later.. But you are correct about the weight.

The RMJ Jenny Wren was designed for "combat," ive also used my tactical tomahawk for getting through car windows after responding to accidents where a knife would have been completely useless.

A man with a knife can survive. A man with an axe can live like a king. Best to have both, but you are better off with an axe. Then, of course you need a puck, fire steel, paracord, tarp, tinder box, bush pot, saw, warm clothing, backpack, rifle and a good woman.

A knife is not a hatchet. A hatchet is not an 'Axe.' An axe is neither of the prior two. A saw just kicks arse for what it can do. Learn the differences and how to use each accordingly, and your woodland chores will be much easier! ;-)

In terms of combat if knives were better than axes for combat why did the folks in medieval ages abuse axes and battle axes instead of knives and daggers (the battle version of a knife) ?Oh right because they were better and wars were fought mainly with axes and battle axes/polearms (an axe with a spear on top and other spikes throughout with very long handle) and although the military carried knives instead of axes doesn't mean the knives are better for combat than axes because nowdays no wars was ever fought with military knives name one war fought with mainly military knives exactly none so this is irrelevant to even mention wars nowadays are fought with guns and bullets not knives never has the knife ever been used mainly in a battle historically speaking people used spears and axes and combinations between the spear the axe and the mace never the knife so ur just pulling these arguments that are irrelevant to the topic out of ur butt

"An axe requires more skill than a knife" Absolutely false a knife can be more dangerous than an axe because a axe can only cut you if you swing it at yourself with full force and besides a knife can cut you much deeper than an axe ever will and besides a knife has a tip unlike an axe a knife can stab you too if ur not careful or too busy with something if you sit on ur knife pointing upwards you're gonna get the stab of a lifetime cant do that with an axe though so that argument is completely false and delusional to make axes are much safer than knives and knives are much dangerous than axes to the user who has no skill with both tools

"Have you ever seen a soldier run around with an ax?." Yes.

I put a camp axe (the size of the bigger one in the video) on my backpack and went camping. Never again. Silky and a knife, that's all I need. My BOB has two knives. No axe. Too much weight

Your axe technique just sucks bro 😎

i actually saw combat photos of a ukrainian soldier carrying a gladius style short sword with him. so knife wins

Esee junglas and silky big boy is how i roll when camping. In my go bags are smaller silky saws or laplander saw and mora knives... but those bags are meant to be cheap to put together, minimalistic, and as lightweight as possible while still covering all the survival basics.

This is a debate as old as the internet. Humans mastered fire long before we started using metal tools. But I guess learning different ways to make fire without splitting logs doesn't sell axes or knives.

Carrying an axe means i can carry a smaller sharper knife .

I carried a tomahawk in Iraq, it was an old LaGana Vietnam era hawk and would use it for breaking down ammo crates, disabling vehicles, even punching holes through walls. When I wasn't deployed it would do well for just about any bivouacking activities. Smaller finer work could always rely on a multi-tool.

I disagree with the chopping a tree argument. Can a knife do it? Yes. Do you want to spend the time and energy doing it with a knife? No. Just as weight is important, so is the amount of energy you're using for a task. Doing the task of an axe with a knife is silly unless you NEED to do it. If you are just backpacking, then there's no reason to not carry both IF you know you will be required to chop a tree down for wood. Another quick point about axe safety: Doing the big axe chop to split logs is really unnecessary unless you are in a time crunch for whatever reason. Hitting the axe into the log and reverse batoning itself into a stump/hard surface is just as effective and waaaay safer than the standing chop.

When am camping i have axe knife saw but axe is what i use most knife is way more tiring to use

I wish i was crazy like you guys.Also don't forget the people who may want extra weight in their packs for under water hiking.

No one ever uses a knife as an axe. Not in his right mind. Batoning wood with a knife is just bloody stupid and no survival expert would ever recommend it.

With an axe, you can hammer in a tent peg.... But yeah, weight is a big issue. Canoe'ing where you are building fires every night, an axe is way better. Weight isn't quite the same level of concern. Also if you are group camping you only need one axe for the group. Hiking up a mt, you generally are not building fires. Along a long trail, sure. In some ways a small hatchet is better than a large knife. Breaking joints on a deer or elk. Car camping, I bring an axe. One thing to consider rarely are others afraid when you walk around your camp with an axe. Not so with a large knife.

So if you do know what your doing the axe is better .

Axe is for one thing. And knife for an other thing ..! ^^

My first tool as a kid was a Boys Axe. I remember being all excited until I realized it was my job to keep the kindling box full. Think it was a few years later before I was gifted my first hatchet and traditional Camp King folding knife. My first fixed blade was a Schrade Sharp Finger at around 10yo as I was being groomed for hunting age...

I agree. I bring my axe camping, but don't use it. I use my knives to split wood.

I fully agree with the video. Handling an ax is more dangerous and it takes a lot more skill and technique. You can see this at 2.14 minutes in the video where the log was in the middle of the chopping block and the ax dug in way more to the side. If the chopping block was smaller in diameter the ax would still have split the log but the swing would end in his leg. Of course this is wrong technique, and Mickey admits to having no clue and it shows, but you see this happening a lot. All other arguments are valid also. An ax is valuable if you know what your doing and building a permanenet shelter like a log cabin and/or live on a homestead but than it's in your shed and you don't have to carry it around. A good reason to learn how to use a relatively small fixed blade camp knife is of course local laws, customs, police and park rangers. If you have some camping gear you can explain why you have it. It's a lot harder with an ax.

Here in the US the short axes you speak of are called 'hatchets'! A true axe handle would be approx. 2.5 to3 feet long. I agree with your premise but... who carries a baton in their pack? :)

You need an ax/saw when you do big base station projects. You can use a knife/saw on the move. I phrase my reply as I do because of health issues, using a Silky saw instead of an ax or hatchet.

G'day Guys, plenty of ...... "ax-ioms" in that lot ; ) There are a few very "safe" axe techniques and great hatchets around the 700 gram mark; the ol' Fiskars X7 for example is a little ripper. But just gimme a quality; machete of some description AND a 6 in. knife AND a folding saw, for versatility and back up on the trail, ......... what ever the size/weight ends up, I'll deal with it ; ) Cheers Duke. P.S. Luckily I dont have to worry about it, though In fairness, another commenter reminded me, ...... in the snow, you'd be far better off, substituting out the machete, for an axe.

The first reason isn't a one: with an Axe, btw you have hatchets most times, you can become a way better craftsman, and bushcrafter, as if you work alone with a knife. You can learn so much from working with a heavier tool.. An Axepert.. Simple use the right tools for the right job. Point 3. Since .. some 25ys a hatchet/tomahawk is widely used in combat and by the Special Forces! I tell every student get a Fiskars (X7 for the ladies, X10 for the men) and learn to handle that. Think that way: would you as aggressor attack a guy with a .. X10 by example.. ? Piont .. 4? For the finer tasks you can use a Vic Camper :P Point 6: Price! For 50.- to 90.-€ you can get a tool that last a lifetime! (If you do not buy a GB.. there is no reason for that) If you will have both, try a Tracker T3. It is also called a creative blade, because you can, and must, learn so much to handle that thing. ^^ The conclusion: this is a knife channel, what should we think about.

Okay guys, I've been collecting knives since the early 80's. 30+ years ago, where has the time gone. So, if the knife is better then the axe. How come the Axe was invented, to do the things a knife could not, maybe?

Always depends on what you plan to do.PERIOD. Now you guys have to show off a 2Kg. Knife to prove YOUR point😂. If you need to build a forest hut, the Axe is serving well as a hammer too. Just sayin' that as a former Carpenter. I PLAYED with knives long before i WORKED with Axes. But if i need to get WORK done. Axe all the way.

I go camping with either a Skrama 240 or a Mora Garberg (which I bring depends on how much walking I need to do) and a Rangergrip 79 as my camping tools. I do have my SwissChamp (sometimes WorkChamp - either 1 is my standard edc) in my pocket. Thats all I need. I'm not a lumberjack, I go camping.

would love for you guys to review the new Victorinox Swiss Army Venture Collection Pro Fixed Blade Knife 4.13" 14C28N Satin Drop Point Blade please!!!!

Hi guys: I'll comment as you speak. 0:40 A knife is safer than an axe. Absolute no-brainer! Of course it is. Axes are very dangerous in untrained hands. 4:13 Use the knife to cut very simple wedges to use instead of that little toy knife, or use a decent knife like a Falkniven Modern Bowie, or a Cold Steel Trail Master or a BK9. 7:30 Weight. Even a large knife (see above) weighs only about a pound and you get the bonus of having a multi-functional tool that is easy to carry on your belt. Another no-brainer. 9:54 "Way better!" At doing what? Chopping a small tree into logs? A saw will do it faster, safer and cleaner every time, and deliver a product that is easier to work with (ie split). 10:40 "You can't take down a tree with a knife" Maybe not. But, with the saving in weight you can carry a Silky Bigboy and cut it down in a quarter of the time! 11:15 "Our take is the right one" Well, for once guys, you are 100% correct! Welgedaan!

I am happy with a good knife and my Becker BK 2. But i carry a Silky Pocketboy 170 folding saw in a DBK leather sheath when out and about in the wild.

You didn't cover the best, easiest, most efficient and (possibly) safest (as long as you pay attention) way to split wood. A hydraulic log splitter. Yeah, I know - it won't be going on camping trips but... When I was in high school in the 1980s (I am 52, now) we heated our home mostly with a wood burning heater. Dad and I would also sell firewood here and there as a side hustle (long before people used the term 'side hustle). Eventually we got a smallish, portable, gas powered log splitter - portable in that it was on wheels and you could roll it around by hand. Lay the wood to be split in place, pull a lever and the hydraulics push the wood into a fixed wedge. Very easy and the way to go if you are splitting a lot of wood at home and you did mention 'at home'. Before we got the hydraulic splitter I mostly used a wedge and maul for splitting larger logs. Even after getting the splitter there were sometimes logs that were too big for it to easily handle so we would use a wedge and maul to split it to a more manageable size. It is safer and much more efficient for big stuff than an axe. I would pretty much only use an axe for stuff that could be easily split with a swing or two. My point is I have experience using an axe, I know how to use an axe and I really don't like using an axe. If I am camping I really don't need to split anything all that big. A knife with a quarter inch thick, nine or ten inch blade will do just fine and, as you say, I'm not swinging an axe around. At home if I need to split something bigger than a knife like that can easily handle - maybe for use in my smoker - I will break out the wedge and maul. I have axes but they see limited use. If I need an axe-like implement I prefer something like my Cold Steel Rifleman's Hawk or CRKT Woods Chogan - I prefer the 'feel' of those over a true axe.

On the survival reality TV show "Alone", contestant-selected 10 items have evolved over the years. The sharp objects selection has stabilised over the past few seasons though: Leatherman Wave+ or Charge, and 24-inch (give or take) folding saw, and archery kit. I don't believe a single contestant since Season 7, maybe 8, carried a standalone knife. Maarten and Mikkie, please do an episode where you test out theories, and then suggest "sharpened gear" for Alone contestants. In other words, pretend you guys are contestants. What would your sharp items be, and why?

An ax is better at chopping and splitting. A knife is better at carving. By the way, axes are great in battle. I'm 64, i carry a multitool, 2 pocket knives, a belt knife, a multitool, a saw, an e tool, and a forest ax. I also carry a first aid kit, a rain poncho, an emergency tarp, a wool blanket, water bottle, cooking supplies. weight?.....If you are too much of a pussy to carry the weight, don't go in the woods. Remember, soldiers carry up to 90 pounds that's about 43 kilos, i think. my pack weighs about 50 pounds fully ready to go......I left out some things that I do carry, like a compass, and sometimes a firearm.....but, I'm always ready for just about anything.....except maybe swimming a river...lol

I love my little Granfors Bruk mini hatchet and use it plenty when I'm out skiing and wish to brew a cuppa. I camp during the winter months and always have my Small Forest axe with me for fire making (with saw)...but when I'm out hiking or cycle touring I use a saw and a knife always...combined they offer a far greater range of fire making options and they're far safer to use (a huge factor when you're alone and a long way from aid). Plus, I have experience of wacking my hand with an axe when tried and in bad light...and it really, really wasn't cool. Combat: an Axe all day long. When people actually fought hand to hand combat the axe was king. Native American braves and Vikings stand out as examples here. Modern soldiers carry knives today only to open their MRE packets. 😀

Hello Maarten and Mikkie, good vid, good stuff for sure! Hey guys, a married man is stating that he had always dreamed of marrying Ms. Right, he didn't realize her first name was "always"!😊 Hope all's well with everyone/thing. Be safe and take care, "God Bless", sincerely, Randy. 😇🙏👊

A knife....with a little practice...won't chop off your leg. But am axe....with a little practice will order knives off of ebay without your permission!

57th to comment! Yes! I'd take a knife almost every time EXCEPT an axe if I had to chop up a year of wood or something like that... but for camping and survival - a knife and my silky saw.

You can baton with a carving axe...furthermore tomahawks, axes and other tools like shovels are used for combat, that's fact. I prefer a billhook/khukuri, saw, knife combo unless I need to cut down and split a lot of wood in which case an axe, khukuri/hook (these are still better for delimbing and clearing), saw combo makes more sense. Your lack of skill is not a general determinant, right tool for the job is. Did you magically learn how to use your mobile phone or laptop? Can you replace your laptop with your mobile phone? I can't. Right tool, technique, and safety is important. And again the wielders lack of skill is on the person, next up driving take more skill than riding the bus to work, cars are also dangerous, so stick to public transport.

How many times have you guys cut yourself with a knife making these videos? Sharp and pointy things are all dangerous if you have a moment of carelessness and/or don't know what you're doing. There are a lot of people out there who think you can't baton with a hatchet, who make me think they never made a lot of kindling for a woodstove growing up, because it's a lot easier than batoning with a knife. There are people out there who do a lot of wood carving with hatchets but I would always use a knife. I also use a saw a lot in the bush (I love my Silky Saw). If you're doing long distance hiking, you totally watch every gram and don't carry a big knife either. Right tool for the right job. As far as self defence goes there's a big difference between "Oh no, he's got a knife." and "Oh sh#%, he's got axe!". The last time someone thought a knife was better for fighting than an axe was when the Netherlands got sacked by the Vikings.

A knife and a folding saw works great for camping in wooded areas. If you are a hiker or bikepacker a small knife, SAK or multitool is good enough. If you are going to be building a shelter from trees then an axe should be used, maybe in conjunction with a bucksaw. I suppose most people are not shelter building. As for using knives for "combat" (as you mentioned), in 2024 that is largely nonsense in most places IMO, for defense maybe, but still not a great choice.

I DISAGREE! Axe's are, in fact, the BEST WEAPON you can use in combat! I know that Gimli and every other dwarf would agree with me! 😆

Same rule applies for the axe as it does for the knife: "there are various techniques how to use them but you have to know and practice them." There are a lot of god ways to split kindling size wood with an axe, even when iths dark and you are in an enclosed environment. An axe is an awesome tool with its range of use and an intersection with what a knife can do. If you are in a short term survival situation a knife is good, so would be an axe or evers tool with a cutting edge and because of the weight a knife would be more obvious than the axe to have at hand. But if we are talking about long time survival there is no way arround an axe. Sure you can cut down a tree with a knife ... even in under a minute if its around thickness of your wrist ... but a big one would take you way longer than it would with an axe ... and if you have it down, you have to take off branches and split it up etc. ... good luck with a knife 😅 ... there are reasons why everyone doing the TV show Alone for examle picks an axe as one of their tools ... efficiency to save energie is the keyword. But as I said: you have to know how to use your tool ... and gyus believe me, you may know, but a lotta people out the don't ... I have seen bad things. I always wonder why very simple tool these days comes with a user manual, but knifes don't ... thats why I decided to give classes in how to use knifes 😄

I can fall, buck, and split two days worth of fire wood for camp in 30-45 minutes. Everyone who goes outdoors carries a pocket knife, which is adequate for nearly every other task you would need. You save 30 seconds making a tent peg with a knife, but you'll lose an hour making a fire that will keep you warm all night.

The way I see it, an axe and a knife are two different tools - mostly used for different primary purposes. I don't see a "which is better" argument being logical. Rather it depends strictly on the purpose. An axe is preferable for many activities, including fire preparation. However, as you note, it is not generally suitable for backpacking - so you make a knife work and adjust your approach. If you can take the weight of an axe on your activity - strapping on a fixed blade means you don't have to make the choice. Take care DBKG!

Mostly agreed. I rarely want to make a fire that requires an axe. And agreed that an 'axe incident' will likely cause more trauma/a bigger wound. But hey, I've also managed to almost loose an index finger with only a knife (razor sharp Malanika accidentally slided out of the leather sheath). With both tools, you gain from learning before use, either from real life instructions (or from a decent YT channel). You guys perhaps might want to do a 'safety rules' vid once? (I learned to use an axe the old school way: as a boy scout. The scout leader openly cursed, first time ever, when a second wooden handle was completely trashed within 5 minutes of starting 'Axe class'). When using a hatchet, perhaps keep one knee on the ground, so the axe head disappears into the ground instead of a shin when it glances of a log or if you miss the log/be very aware of a moist handle/being very tired after a long day. For feather sticks, it's always easier (and the safest option) to stick the knife in a log and scrape the feather stick over the knife. Use of lanyards, to have more dynamic control...Et cetera.

My guy is looking way too stylish for the woods lol. Great video guys and I agree, an axe is badass but I just find myself never needing one, much prefer a knife!

Well for me personally the only thing I need an axe for is to cut through a tree that my Silky Bigboy can't handle. I have an axe in my Jeep as a piece of recovery gear on the off chance that a large tree will have fallen across my only path out of a place, but it has only ever been used to split firewood. I use my Silky saw 100x more for wood cutting for sure. Knife is for battonig down kindling, feathersticking, and other camp tasks. Your milage may vary. Just my 2¢.

For Survival, a Chopper like the Skrama is the best Option....but for Bushcraft-Tasks i prever a Hatchet, Saw and a small Knife.

You're right, it wasn't 20k up a mountain with an axe...it was 20 miles, and a 60lb ruck, and kit...and an axe lol. Different tools for different tasks

Nutnfancy did a long talk about this in "Why Big Knives Don't Suck" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rpKNfhpAPV0.html

Would choose a knife over an axe in combat????. I would even choose a hammer over a knife in combat. Reach does a lot in a fight especially with untrained fighters and stopping power also does a lot. The reason military does not carry axe in combat is weight.

I feel like I'm throwing a weak, fence-sitting opinion here, but the answer depends on the need. A good knife can do everything you need for a day or even an overnight in the woods (at least here in the Northeast US). But if you're going to be out for any length of time and/or intending to do "bushcraft", then an axe is going to make life WAY easier. Good point on axe safety through - they are pretty damn unforgiving if you screw up. I know more than one woodsman in the 8 to 9.5-finger category.

Knives and axes are just 2 kinds of tools from really broad family of hand tools. Each member has a different purpose. There are areas where knife outperforms axe and vice versa, In reality with proper axe you can do anything you can do with a knife and on top things you cannot do with a knife. Will rather carve with axe as cutting tree down with a carving knife :-) Issue is, learnt how to use properly axe is in those days almost impossible.. Not speaking about the fact that properly practicing with knife is much easier those days as with axe. Knife you are able to use to full potential is way better as axe without proper skills. And way more safe. Learnt how to use axe properly many decades ago, from family members which used axes for decades on daily basis as primary working tool , After many years of daily axe usage, will always prefer axe over knife if i must choose only one tool from this two. Regarding combat, for centuries axes was one of main combat weapons, cheaper as swords and generally available. Until development of polearms which superseded them on battlefields,

If you're lost in the forest with just a knife and need to find true north you can't just axe someone 🎉

At one time in history, the axe was the weapon of war. The ancient stone axe was THE weapon for close-quarters combat. This changes into the Viking bearded battle axe, then morphs into the European Battle Axe, which becomes the Swiss Halber, which ruled teh battlefield until the advent of gunpowder. A combination of pike, hook, and axe in one weapon. No knife was ever a main weapon of war. The knife was far more likely a cooking implement of the soldier.

Boys! You should have done a fish processing with even a big knife like the Apocalypse, and a fish processing with a small axe (hatchet). Useful intel, boys.

A person would prefer an axe if he/she is an experienced outdoors person, and a knife for a backup. And a large number of US troops do carry tomahawks even if they have knives, for that intimate moments when they need to reach out and touch someone who only has a knife. And it works better if your need is de-materialization, ie. punching a hole in a wall for a quick exfil. Can't do that with a knife. And should you find yourself in the Rockies, and need to build yourself a shelter, you better have an axe and not just a small knife.

I have used just an axe for chopping, de-limbing and also have used bushcraft knife/saw for same task. I prefer the knife/saw setup better as it gives better control, less effort, safer, and less weight, especially when hiking.

How do you exactly made a log one foot long with a knife? It doesn't seem to me they grow that size in the forest. BTW, a manaresso, or a billhook, is better, and way safer, than an hatchet for any kind of work you really want to do with an hatchet. The knife is not even close for woodworking.

yes, yes, but: the Law..... Mini axe is legaL, Knife a liitle bit Big: illegal.... I use in Germany and France Mini Axe.

In the end, a knife is so light there is no reason to not carry both. My G. Bruk light Forest axe, and my Enzo Trapper in Elmax are a great camping combo. But you can go for an inexpensive Martini or Mora too. And throw in your Silky saw.

IMHO, a true tomahawk is better than both. I have the H&B medium camp hawk and can chop, split and drive stakes like a hatchet, then choke up on it and it becomes an ulu. You can even pop off the handle in the field, put a smaller piece of wood in, and it's even easier as an ulu. Then when you want to switch back you just slide the handle back in. Heck if you really want to, you can even take the handle off and make it a splitting wedge.

An axe is better because I like axes. I can do anything I can do with a knife with an axe and more. Nothing compares to the smile sinking a properly profiled axe into wood puts on your face. And yes i do actually carry my axe over mountains. But the correct answer is both, it's nice to have a small knife and an axe. Or in certain situations a medium knife and a saw, though it's not as much fun.

I can't quite believe that I'm having to write this but an axe is unquestionably better at splitting wood than a knife 🙄 Also combat, loads of SF guys carry tomahawks as backup weapons.

no matter...if the discussions about weapon laws go on like this we will soon all only have an edc axe...because knives will be completely banned... so...practice your axe skills! 😅🪓

I think that knife is better for common camping tasks. But when you need to ”carve” a loghouse or whatever permanent building for homesteading/survival an axe is almost a must have tool. No knife will be as effective in felling or notching big logs. But yeah i will leave my axe at home when im just camping for few days. But i will never leave the house without my shovel😂