Gerber Ax Saw Combo

Here is a quick review of the Gerber Gator Axe 2, that I got for Christmas.  I used the ax on my winter camping trip to Maple Canyon and have since packed it into my family 72 hour kit.  This ax is unique in that it has a small, but very sharp, saw that hides in the synthetic handle.  The sheath, also included, is made of durable nylon and has belt and hanging loops.

Loop I installed to secure saw in handle.

In the field this ax worked great.  If you read my review of my trip to Maple Canyon you know Zach and I hauled fire wood to our camp site.  We used this ax to cut our fence posts and fire wood down into tinder and kindling.  It was great for that purpose.  The weight of the ax was heavy enough to drop on the wood with little effort from my arm and light enough for precision cutting.  The saw blade is very beefy.  You have to be careful while handling it not to snag your clothing.  Both blades come out of the packaging very sharp and ready to use.  The one thing I didn't like about the saw is that it is held into the handle by a small magnet.  If shaken hard enough the saw can fall out, as potentially be lost.  (The fact that you can buy replacement saw blades on the Gerber site is evidence that this can happen.)  For this reason I made a slight modification.  I decided to wrap a part of the handle in para cord to keep the saw in place.  With just enough slack to pull off the para cord loop I have easy access to the saw without the risk of loosing it in camp or on the trail.  At first I had some para cord wrapped about two inches up the grip of the ax.  While using it to cut a fallen tree I noticed the grip was a little slippery, with gloves on.  When I got home I replaced the wrap with some new cord and extended the cord all the way up the handle.  This gave the handle a much better grip.  Not only does the cord secure the saw and give better grip, but if you needed to use the cord you could.  It would be nice to have to bundle up some sticks or hang a wild kill.

Para cord allows better grip along handle.

Over all I give this product a 4 out of 5 stars.  The saw blade attachment needs to be improved for a more full proof method.  The slick grip is also a minus.  However, the light weight is a huge plus.  Both blades are, by all accounts, strong.  Also, there really isn't anything else out there on the market today that is like this combo.    If you tried to carry both an ax and saw you'd have twice the weight and bulk.  This combo is light enough I would be tempted to take it with me on thick wooded backpacking trips, strapped to my pack.