My opinion of Cruiser Axes 

A few thoughts. If you don't think a felling edge is not any good for splitting, a double bit with one side ground for each task seems very versatile. An axe that size can do plenty of work. It seems like most I've seen are about 2 1/2 lb whereas the average boy's axe is usually 2 1/4 Both can do plenty of work. I like having a poll as well, but I also don't mind splitting the small wood that I chop with a small felling axe like a boy's axe that is ground for felling. I find it remarkably effective in green wood with good technique. Not the smooth sailing of using a larger axe or maul for sure, but doable. If you're sawing out big rounds of whatever tangly, spongy, dried, large wood, then a small axe obviously has limitations, but wood that is chopped with an axe is likely to be in a reasonable range for splitting with that same axe. I have always assumed that the cruiser developed for use by professional timber cruisers, for which it seems like a great compromise axe for all manner of marking, chopping, clearing brush, limbs and trees. It is capable of everything and is small enough to use briefly with one hand, same as the boy's axe, but more versatile and with the junk edge for rough work. I think I will continue to favor smallish polled axes for general forestry work, but am about to haft up a cruiser I have sitting around, so who knows. I've not used them enough to be sure I don't love one as an everyday axe, but I'm suspecting not. Context is everything though.

I have an old Genuine Norland Camper. I have used it for 40 years. I use it for driving plastic wedges to keep my saw chain going

Dave, I found your channel today quite by accident, and I've watched a few of your videos. This one about the cruiser axe really hit home. Although I'm now retired, in the last year I have rekindled a boyhood love of axes/hatchets, and I've purchased several. I've been really thinking about acquiring a cruiser lately, but I have a problem. I really have no use for it. I live in suburbia and my axe work is almost exclusively limited to clearing fallen branches and re-splitting some of the firewood I've ordered. Sometimes facing reality is tough. Keep up the good work with your videos.

I never thought having one in the woods for bushcraft. Thanks Dave.

I really like cruiser axes; they're iconic and pleasant to look at. But, my favorite type of axe is a Stihl chainsaw.

I completely agree...not a carry axe. But I definitely would have one handy on site. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for your insight... I'm new to axes. Still learning...

As much as I love cruisers, I gotta agree with you Dave. Only way I'm carrying a double bit is if it's got over a 30 inch handle and has some good weight to it. But still that's only if I'm planning on felling a few trees. Not great for overall camping/bushcrafty stuff. -Josh

What say make sense. But the double bit is all my grandpa Johnson had. That is what he used to spilt wood with. I wish I had learned more from him than I had. He was amazing.

Awesome video Dave. Question: How many axes, from a utility standpoint should a person have/need for "off grid" living? Thanks in advance and thanks for videos. They're practical and useful for me being from south central Michigan with plans of moving to my property in the U.P. 👍👍

Good point on the poll. I have split lots of wood with mine though and it's my favorite in hand and aesthetically but it tends to stay out of my rotation... I can't seem to find a use for mine that one of my others doesnt do better.

I love my cruiser axe how ever I do agree with what your saying I only use my cruiser axe for making cider kindelling my Grandfather had me making cider kindeling from the age of 9, I still use that axe to this day and im now 62 old habits die hard I guess.I really enjoy your videos keep making them.

What he said...... My only use of a cruiser axe was as a "show and tell item" while working at a Michigan lumbering museum. Quite fond of the Montreal pattern boy's axe though.

I appreciate this video, thanks!

Polls are really nice but a chunk of wood works as good or better for pounding wedges. A double has far superior balance and feels better in the swing. As long as one bit wasnt thinned out too much, you can file up a pretty decent splitting grind. A cruiser is typically a quarter lb heavier than a boys axe as well. I love my cruisers but if never ever recommend one for any sort of new axe user. They are potentially quite dangerous. Lots of good points in your great video!

As a young kid I started out with a cruiser axe. As I got older I went with the felling double bit. Now I'm a old man I'd like to find a cruisers axe. Funny how time changes everything 😂.

Straight up truth about ax's and thank you,... well heck I'm 64 started out life fetching water from the well, burning coal oil lamps, shoveling coal for the stove, useing willow sticks for fishing poles, gathering eggs from the hen house, and I've never owned a double head ax ever, not only that, I've never known anybody that's ever owned one, not even what I called old timers when I was youth, never seen anybody have a double bit hanging in the wood shed or barn,..I always considered the darn things a cartoon ax, something you seen a cartoon lumberjack carrying around or a Hollywood actor in a movie,..I was actually surprised once this RU-vid video stuff come out to see so darn many folks out there in the woods talking about them and drooling all over them.

I think of my cruiser axe like a pocket knife. it ain't near the best for utility, but it's nice and light, throw it into your passenger seat or even a hip holster, it works well enough in a pinch and it looks nice to boot. mine is mostly for my more delicate (relatively anyway) carving, cause I can really whale on stuff with one side for roughing and leave the other side razor sharp for finer work plus it feels really nice in the hand and it definitely fells and chops well enough to be worth taking with me, even if I ain't got a project in mind.

I am mostly a large knife user but have single bit axe experience and never found myself using an axe for anything other that felting trees.I can’t get over the look or feel of the double bit,is there any safety advice that could be really important,it would be appreciated.

It would have been a good idea to explain what a cruiser is and what the axe was made for. Cruisers today use fancy calculators and spray paint, and might not even know what the cruiser axe is for. I agree that there are better axes for general use, because a cruiser is designed as a specific tool for a specific job. I disagree about the boys axe though, really great axe to cruise with, especially since you won't be blazing trees with it.

I have a few collectible cruisers as wall hangers. They are cool tho.

I still miss the Plumb Cruiser I had around 1974. More than just cool, the Cruiser is sort of the Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman Tool of axes. It's handy to have in the trunk, when you don't have a truck full of tools. It's not the ideal tool for the job, but it can do a lot of jobs and it's the one you'll have in the trunk or tucked under the seat when the unexpected need arises.

I've used them for path clearing work. chopping green wood for removal seems to be ideal work for the cruiser.

I'm in the process of "restoring" a cruiser that's been sitting in my garage for years. Why? Because it's cool. Will I use it? Probably not, but I love looking at it and feeling the balance in my hands. Thanks for the video Dave - 🌲🌲🌲

The original use for a cruiser was marking timber! We have 300 of em! Timber cruisers carried them! But yeah I get your point

Nice. Love my cruiser. Haven’t used it in……. Still love it. Kinda like the Honda Crx of axes. Cute, desirable…. Not so effective, limited capacity, possibly dangerous. Still love my cruiser. ( Still miss my CRX too).

Completely agree Dave, a cruiser is cool, but is more of a specialist than an all rounder pack axe

I wish you could write some books on all these outdoors/backwoods tools because I probably won’t have internet in a few weeks when I’m on my new off grid property up their! I’d buy the first one! Just sayin!

It great for protection.

The cruiser shines when clearing underbrush and small trees when trail clearing or clearing an area for camp. The double bit style makes them limber and fast in hand, much more ballanced than an equal single bit. They also do most other camp chores acceptably well while not wearing you out as quickly over a long days work. That said, give me a good pulaski any day of the week if Im taking a full size axe these days.

Gotta admit, i started out 2018 with 5 double bits, now i have 2 because i sold/given away the rest. Much prefer using single bits except for like you say the felling cut

If you don't mind me asking what's that single bit you pull in?

Ok, you answered my question from a previous post. A boy's axe do you mean an axe fit for a "little man", or the maker?

The only bad thing is the safety and they make set covers for your blades also you can turn your axe on its side if your trying to hammer in stakes or even nails

I think your right about the cruiser axe seems like they maybe good for a throwing axe?

I agree with your idea of a single bit axe being better than a double bit axe for the woods. However, if the cruiser is the only axe you have it is EXCELLENT! The axeman will be able to adjust to using just the double bit cruiser. YET, i still prefer the single bit axes. If a person is in a fixed camp setting with no long distance walking the heaver 3 1/2 lb axe is just the ticket to use. However, if many miles of walking is to be done, the boys axe is the way to go. Heavy enough to do serious chopping, yet light enough to carry vast distances. The perfect survival axe is the boys axe.

A cruiser axe is a utility axe mainly for delimbing felled trees and clearing ways int he brush for loggers to walk through. Of course you can't expect it to perform tasks well that it wasn't designed for. Now, having said that, it's a great camp axe. I mean what does someone have to do at camp? Clear some saplings? Split some 4 or 5" logs? How much firewood does a person have to split to get a fire going even in the winter? Nobody's going to build a log cabin with it, but it's a great little axe. As for bushcraft, I wouldn't know about that. Not my genre, but for a woodsman? There's a reason they were mandatory kit on a saddle. :)

gonna disagree. a full size felling axe isn't convenient for saplings. it's too heavy for a pack. and it's too heavy to be swinging overhead at low branches if you're clearing trails. But a hatchet isn't quite heavy enough to get the job done. And two bits means you can cut twice as long. Also I think you're underselling the work a boys axe or cruiser can do. They split branches for a campfire just fine, where a full size axe would be too big to hit accurately. I'm a big fan of my cruiser. It's my new go to when I need something bigger than a hatchet but smaller than a felling axe.

Have you given thought to doing videos on bush saws?

Thanks

yes yes yes...but they look so cool! :-D

A cruiser Axe really good for Paper Company cutting down paper trees

if I were to buy an axe it would be a single edge like the second one you showed

I do not have one of these amongst my 30 axes, I have 2 double-bits and probably about 8 axes over 2.5lbs

I think splitting zombie heads would it's niche.

Their good for throwing.

They were meant for limbing trees and thats about it.

the vikings

Do you have any axes you use for shaping?

It's a comical misconception that double bits are unsafe. None of us have had close calls with the back of our bits. A double is infinitely more versatile. 99% of our injuries have come from over swinging, or improper control. Cruisers allow for better control, as you stated. If an edge worries you place a guard over the side not being used. Even if your pole is tempered you shouldn't use an axe as a hammer. Carve a hammer instead. Cruisers are superior to a single bit excluding detail work. Their meant to have a companion blade. Even then if used properly they are superior for detail work. They allow you to stump one side and use the other for work. Spend some actual time behind a cruiser and your opinion will change. It may not be your favorite, but you'll grow to appreciate the design.

Funny)))) too light to split wood)))) Obviously he did not grow up using axes))))) Forger the weight)))) flip when you split))) if you don't understand what I'm talking about,,,it shows your lack of ACTUAL experience I use a 2 lbs double bit on oak just fine You must be one of those "splitting maul" woodsman )))) LMAO