Been using the Trail Boss for 2 years. I use it to limb and split kindling. Never had a problem and am very happy with it.

1) the Trail Boss has a history of garbage heat treat, I have several tomahawks with a very knife like edge (many of them Cold Steel) and they haven't ever had any issues 2) Gerber axes are made by Fiskars. 3) the Fiskars 28" chopping axe has the same head as the X15 and is a much better axe if length isnt an issue. 4) I haven't ever seen any legitimate proof of any Fiskars axe or hatchet handle ever failing unless it was severely abused or shot. Even in extreme cold (it hits -40 Celcius or better often here) the handles do not fail, contrary to popular mythology. 5) the Bushcraft Sergeant was recently buried in a shallow grave for sneaking up on the wrong practical bushman. 6) despite my deep and long love of the Fiskars my favorite axe is the pulaski.

I have the Trail Boss and am very happy with it. Found it on Amazon for $23! Won’t find anything better for the price. It’s just an all around great axe and great to use.

Man, I was on the fence about these two axes but this video, however entertaining pointed out all the positives of both axes .... Now it's even harder to decide which to get. Thank a lot! Really, thank you for the information. After a long soul search .... I went with the trail boss at the end. It's the "bushcraft" thing that goes with the traditional wooden handle that won me over.

I have the Fiskars chopping axe with the 28 inch handle, and without the rubber grip. I got it as a birthday gift and for what it is, I love it. I've got about 50 axes in my collection and the Fiskars still sees some use. It's great to loan to a brother or an uncle, and I'm never too heartbroken when it comes back all dinged up. I've got family that still likes to hit the polls of axes together to split wood despite my constant disapproval, and I'm not loaning them my phantom-beveled Kelly perfect Jersey. It's good for roots and stumps, too.

Awesome video. Thanks!

I have a couple trail bosses I like them alot but I noticed the eye walls are very thin. Trail boss is a great axe

Great honest review. Thank you for sharing. I’d love to know if other Trail Boss’s edges fail as quickly.

"Probably in the landfill," excellently said! Cool comparison.

Nice review. I've had the same edge issue with my Trail Boss but still like it for the money. Cheers!

this narration is awesome. its like a mini podcast lol!!

I have both of these axes. Sent the 1st Trail Boss back to Amazon as the blade was chipped in several places and the bevel was warped from toe to tip. Replacement was much better. But, I find it too light for chopping and constantly requires sharpening. Otherwise the axe bounces back off the wood. Absolutely no problems with the Fiskars. Price point of both axes is a "steel".

You forgot to mention Fiskars has a lifetime warranty. Great review!

Great video, as always! I do think it's worth noting that the short eye/loosening issue chiefly applies to wedge fit axes. Slip-fit axes can get away with much shorter eyes. Also, as a minor terminological quibble I'd say it's not that you need to make the Trail Boss *less sharp* to fix the rolling issue, but rather *less keen*. Any sharp edge, examined under an electron microscope, would appear completely rounded over, and what we feel as sharpness is just how wide that apex is. So you can have a 90° angle edge that's just as sharp as an 18° angle edge because of how small the diameter of the apex is, but obviously the 18° will be much more penetrating. Keenness is the combination of both the micro-geometry and the macro-geometry that's readily observable behind it. So that 90° edge, sharp though it may be, would not be considered keen in most contexts, while the 18° typically would.

For practicality, Fiskars always wins. There's no chance of head flying off, and there's extremely small chance of handle breaking. And you also get force delivery advantage of all weight being in the head and weight savings. Head is also really well suited for working with all the most common ways you use axe. Ultimately, while wood handle is nice, and while in theory you can make new handle, for most people it's very hard to do it yourself, or you just don't bother to and paying someone do it can cost you quite a bit. You might as well get new axe at that point unless the axe is expensive one. Wooden handle also has relatively limited capacity to take hits, it will start degrading with every strike and environment can do so too, mostly direct hits to the shaft. Actual fitting of the head also has the same issue. Finally I just have to put it out there, that Fiskars is just very reliable company and axes especially have amazing track record.

I think I made my mind up on the TB once you showed the edge not holding. Fiskars is "tech", but if it works, why not accept it? I like the fact that the Fiskars probably won't ever need handle maintenance unless you leave it in the sun for 2 years. Weatherproof is cool.

You should do a test and review of the husqvarna axes 😶

converted the grind on my Fiskars to a scandi-vex, scandi convex combo

Gota dig the modern look of the fiskars. And the light side of the Trail boss

Awesome review - can you recommend a good sharpening stone please.

Good timing. I just ordered a trail boss off Amazon. I like the head pattern as well as the length. About the only other one in this price range was the Marbles camp axe. I’ll be using this to split kindling as well as general camp tasks. I just can’t abide a Fiskars axe although I own two of their splitters. You overstrike on a steel wedge a couple times and your wood-handled mail handle is pretty much history but you just can’t destroy a Fiskars. Thanks for the informative video.

If I’m not mistaken the Trail Boss is goin for $25 on Amazon right now, good deal imo.

Gosh that bushcraft ranger is one intimidating dude... looked like sasquatch last time I saw him

I recently used the x15 to fell two large trees. My hands hurt for 3 days, like couldn’t bend them for 3 days. I just ordered the trail boss and am waiting to see if it vibrates my hands like the fiskers did.

Haven't used the trail boss, but agree with your points on the Fiskars, nice for bushcraft tasks decent handle( says the guy that rehung his on wood🤣) easy to sharpen.

Thanks, I will turn my father onto this video. He talked of buying an axe to keep in his side x side buggy and that is about his price range.

Just bought a trail boss got it Tuesday scraped the handle did a little wood burning to pop the grain a bit lol and blo polished the factory edge only made 3 cuts with but I liked it mostly will use for small limbs dint have any edge roll

How about keeping the same grind on the Trail Boss but just putting on a convex micro bevel 25-ish degrees

Those Fiskars X models are meant to be functional tools. They just work. If you want something beyond that, then other stuff is out there.

I overstruck and broke the handle on my ancient H. Werk maul 2 days ago. I felt the Ranger's disaproval.

I use Fiskars and Estwing. I lost my Bushcrafting Permit a long time ago when I shared an opinion about KZfaq bushcrafters obsession with knife batoning and making feather sticks. Gasp, sometimes Ill even craft some bushes with a folder! I know... The horror ...

Great axes, owns 4 Fiskars - and some of Gerbers are excactly the same - just with black or green instead of the orange handle. Fiskars owns gerber, that's why.

Looking to get my first axe. I live in a big city rural area and have never really had a need for one. But who needs a reason to buy new toys right? So I’m buying an axe now. I leaning towards this one any other recommendations?

My handle had some type of varnish is sanded it off and put linseed oil on it

I think that the Fiskars axe and the Gerber axe are the same axe, they are both made in Finland. Fiskars owns Gerber.

the only fiskars composite handle iv heard of breaking was hammered on the butt end to drive through very hard oak. right on the handle there is a pictogram telling you specifically not to do. the only thing that might be beneficial in a survival mode , a wood handle you can make in the wilderness with a pocket knife if you need to in a emergency. i trust my x7,x15, x17,and x27 , they never let me down.

What was the song

I bought my Fiskars x15 and x27 axes, as well as the 8lb maul, for splitting (sometimes very) large rounds. I had no great expectations for the x15. This was foolish of me; it is simply incredible. This axe will easily work through any round I've tackled, up to 30"! I have no clue about the Cold Steel axe, so I won't comment on it. It does look nice and it's cheap enough that I'll try one (it's an axe so, I'm gonna like SOMETHING about it).

Feel like you need to do separate notches per axe when you're doing your comparisons. Gives us humans a visual comparison very than a few swings of each axe in the same notch. Trail boss seems like a solid starter axe to me! I do love a fiskars for genuine splitting for hours on end at work. X25 does wonders on most woods we have in the UK.

The prices have all gone up! Darnit. I’m looking for a truck axe for emergency situations… like breaching a door in a fire, or rescuing an entrapped person from a wrecked car. I’m guessing the Fiskar’s would be a little bit tougher.

Trail boss all the way.Never had a problem with my edge not holding up.I paid $22 each for both of mine delivered to my door.Its a beast.

very good now I am totally confused I will buy them both

Love the Trail Boss, I think I paid under $25, free delivery. It’s been great.

Gerber is made by fiskars

So the Fiskars is similaire to a main wedge .

Bonjour So which one is the best ?

Bushcraft ranger or not I love fiskers.

The fiskar axe is a splitting axe.Not chopping

EDIT: Apparently my Amazon quadrupled the price for like a week because it’s normal again. I have sad news for everyone. The trail boss is now $80 on Amazon. I don’t know for how long but this is truly a sad day.

2.11.22 Trail boss is $23 on amazon, claiming a $50 usual price.

I'm pretty hard on axes and have busted big chunks out of several of them over the years. And no it wasn't from hitting rocks. LOL Two of those were Collins, one was a True Temper and a couple were vintage axes with unknown pedigrees. So they weren't high quality axes but they weren't China junk either. I've been using my Trail Boss for a few years, mostly on leg sized wood and limbing big trees. Mine has a great temper and while it's slightly softer than most of my other axes it holds an edge really well imo. Cold Steels tools aren't very consistent as far as tempering goes. I've owned most of their machetes, even multiples of a few of them and it's a gamble as far as tempering goes. Some are so soft they roll with the first cut but others are great. Some have soft spots while the other parts are good. I like fiskars shovels but never could stand their axes. I'm sure they are fine from what I've heard but just can't warm up to the looks of them. I do have several splitting mauls with plastic handles which I like. Something about how they attached the heads of their axes to the handles just doesn't seem right to me. It's hard to go wrong with the Trail Boss, if you happen to get a soft one use it for chopping roots if nothing else. We use to use soft/ cheap axes to clean off the dirt impregnated bark from logs after we skidded them out to save our chainsaw chains. And we used them on demolition jobs too. There's always something you can use a cheap axe for. :)

I wish fisk would come with a mask

Gerber/fiskars are one in the same.

Trail Boss is not a good ax for working. Stacks, they should take the word boss out of the name. The steel is cheap and poorly forged. Lots of hatchet throwing venues sell them as affordable options for their big axe competition throwers. The aggressive angle is great for this application and the boards thrown on are usually soft wood like pine, cottonwood or poplar. If you seriously use axes for logging, there are much better options. If you are just a Harry homeowner with just a few small trees, then have at it.

Cold steel edge characteristics are superior to fiskars in every way. The fiskars axe makes me angry because it chips, rolls and dulls. I contacted the company trying to get a replacement, forget the runaround. Lifetime warranty is just a slogan or empty words if you like.

Which won the bargain buy award? 1055 isn’t a good axe steel. It won’t harden like higher carbon steels hence you’re dressing the edge a lot.

I watched the video, right? This is a comment, right? In the comment section, right? I typed it myself, right?

My god hates your axe

Strop an axe? SMH