Pablo from Woodlife puts the Leatherman Juice CS4 and Victorinox Huntsman Head to Head.

Leatherman Juice CS4 Vs Victorinox Huntsman

I was asked to have a look at the Leatherman Juice CS4 by Mark at Lakeland Bushcraft and thought it might be an idea to put it up against an old adversary – a Swiss Army Knife.

I chose the Victorinox Huntsman because of the size similarity, the similar number of accessories on each tool and the fact that both knife blades are sub three inches and non-locking. First of all, here are some specifications:

Leatherman Juice CS4

The Juice CS4 has a closed length of 82.5 mm (3.25 in) and weighs 155 grams (5.5 ounces).

Price: £75-£80 (Feb 2010)

• Needlenose Pliers.
• Straight Knife.
• Wire Cutters.
• Hard-Wire Cutters.
• Extra Small Screwdriver.
• Small Screwdriver.
• Medium/Large Screwdriver.
• Phillips Screwdriver.
• Lanyard Attachment.
• Can/Bottle opener.
• Corkscrew with assist.
• Scissors.
• Saw.
• Awl.

Victorinox Huntsman

The Huntsman has a closed length of 91mm (3.5 in) and weighs 99 grams (3.5 ounces).

Price: £28 – £35 (Feb 2010)

• Large Blade
• Small Blade
• Corkscrew
• Can Opener
• Small Screwdriver
• Bottle Opener
• Large Screwdriver
• Wire Stripper
• Reamer, Puncher & Sewing Eye
• Hook
• Scissors
• Wood Saw
• Keyring
• Tweezers
• Toothpick

So, that’s have a look at some features:

The Chassis and Scales

The Huntsman has plastic scales and is about one centimetre longer than the Juice. The Juice is slightly wider but the main difference is the weight with the Juice coming in quite a bit heavier. The Juice has anodised aluminium metal blue scales. I prefer the warmth of the plastic, especially as they are rounded making for a comfortable grip. It’s well known that you can make your own scales and replace the plastic ones. For general handling, pocketability and weight, the Huntsman is a winner here.

Build Quality

Both tools are good on build quality although I have found some of the accessories stick against each other on the Juice, but not to any excess. All accessories on both tools are non-locking but I like the positive “click” of the Juice as the accessories are snapped into place. I think the Leatherman has the edge here.

The Main Knife

The Juice’s blade is slightly thicker but not as wide. I’m not sure I like the hollow grind with secondary bevel of the Juice and although it seems solid enough, it just doesn’t feel as well built as the Huntsman; nevertheless, I carved a little tea-spoon with the Juice. My preference though is with the Huntsman.

Scissors

Both scissors are adequate but the Juice’s are longer. They also seem a little more robust and sharper. So the vote here goes to the Juice.

The Awl/Reamer

Both awls are more or less the same size but the Juice’s awl is strangely blunt. The Huntsman has a sharpened edge to the awl which is handy, acting as a reamer. I would vote for the Huntsman’s awl here.

The Saw

Both saws are excellent. The Huntsman’s saw has a bi-directional cutting stroke while the Juice cuts on the pull stroke. I like the effortless style of the pull-stroke so I will go for the Juice here.

Corkscrew, Can and Bottle Opener

The Huntsman has a strange way of opening cans. You must push and cut instead of the expected pull and cut. The corkscrew and bottle opener are pretty standard. On the Juice, the can opener at least cuts the right way but isn’t really sharp or good enough to do the job. I’ve yet to sharpen it myself, which must make it at least functional.

The corkscrew on the Juice isn’t as solid as the Huntsman but it is advertised to be used in conjunction with the bottle opener to pull the cork from a bottle of wine. The can opener is meant to act as a lever. A good idea in theory. In practice, it’s difficult to make it work although it does work after a fashion. This part of the contest goes to the Huntsman.

Screwdriver

There’s a screwdriver of sorts on the Huntsman (on top of the bottle opener) but I’m afraid it’s more than useless. The Juice has four separate screwdrivers including a Philips head. They are pretty powerful screwdrivers as well. An interesting feature of the flat head screwdrivers is that they are wedge shaped so you could possible file them down to make a small chisel. The Juice is way ahead here on points.

Pliers/Wire Cutters

The Juice’s piece-de-résistance. Even though the tool is relatively small, these are undoubtedly very powerful pincers! The Huntsman of course does not have this feature.

Other Bits

The other bits are all on the Huntsman. There’s a toothpick, a small blade and tweezers. The small blade is a great little whittling knife and the tweezers are great for removing splinters. These are two big pluses for the Huntsman.

Verdict

The Leatherman Juice CS4 is more of a tool in the strict sense of the word i.e. it has pliers, wire cutters and screwdrivers. The Huntsman is more of a knife plus additional accessories. This gives you an idea of where you may wish to lean.

Of course price may well be a deciding factor. There’s a big difference between £75 and £30. Of course you can get cheaper versions of both the Juice and the Victorinox range and perhaps the Leatherman Squirt might be a better as a price comparison. It also depends on whether you want to use the Juice or Huntsman as a stand-alone EDC or use it with other kit you might take into the woods.

I had this dilemma when I had to choose between the two when I went to Namibia.  I decided that it was worth the extra weight to have a tool instead of another knife, so after taking that and all the above into consideration, I chose the Leatherman Juice CS4.

Drop into Mark’s on-line store to see his full range of Leatherman’s. Ask if it’s not there. Mark will always get it in for you.

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Gransfors Bruks Hand Hatchet

As a long time user and admirer of Gransfors Bruks axes, I was very pleased to get my hands on the new GFB Hand Hatchet and found it well up to the high standard I expected.

All of GFB’s axes are hand-forged by professional smiths in Sweden from a special high carbon Swedish “axe steel” and hardened to 57 Rockwell to give an axe that is robust with an edge that is not liable to chip and which is straight forward to re-sharpen to its original razor edge when it becomes dulled.

The axe handles are made, for reasons of strength, comfort in use and ecological reasons, of high quality American hickory that is soaked in hot linseed oil and then waxed for protection. The handles are double wedged (not glued) into the eye of the axe head and no “cosmetics” are applied to head or handle to hide shoddy workmanship (as with some cheaper axes!).

Master Craftmanship

Such is the belief in “showing it as it is”, each smith stamps his initials into every axe head he creates, showing pride in his craftsmanship.

Strangely enough, every GFB axe I have owned has been made by “MM” – Mattias Mattsson – although 12 smiths are listed in the GFB Axe Book.

GFB have been making axes since 1902 (so they have a very long history of excellence in manufacture) and each axe comes with a full grain leather mask, a 20 year guarantee and a copy of “The Axe Book” which tells you everything you really need to know about GFB, their history, their philosophy, their range of products, how to select an axe, how an axe is made, how to use an axe safely, how to store firewood, how to make a fire, axe throwing (!), care and sharpening of an axe and how to fit a new handle to an axe head!

Even more information is given on their website, www.gransfors.com, if you need it …

Gransfors Bruks Comparison

The new Hand Hatchet from GFB is designed to fill the perceived gap between their Wildlife Hatchet and their Mini Hatchet. The Wildlife Hatchet is intended for “camp chores”, trimming branches, splitting wood for a camp fire etc and is small enough to carry on a belt as it has a 1 lb head and a 13.5” handle. The Mini Hatchet weighs around 12oz and has a 19” handle and is great for lightweight tasks such as splitting firewood for the campfire, using as a knife, using to “rough out” carving projects etc and is ideal for the “ultra light” camper.

The GFB Hand Hatchet has a head similar to that of the Wildlife Hatchet, weighing about 1lb with a 3” cutting edge on a convex ground bit, a deep lugged, hand-forged head, with a squared poll. The head is double wedged onto a 9” handle that is textured for a non-slip grip and has a hanging eye above the end knob. The axe weighs around 1.5lb and sits comfortably on your belt.

The short handle makes the Hand Hatchet look a little odd at first, but when you start using it you find that this is a very well designed tool that feels “right” in use, and boy is it versatile!

Hand Hatchet in Use

I have used the Hand Hatchet for preparing kindling and “middle wood” for fires, roughing out carving projects, chopping, splitting, planning, draw knifing, carving etc on hard and soft woods and while it is not the ideal axe for felling trees more than a few inches across, it is comfortable for almost every other task.

With a grip taken right up by the head, it proved great at even quite fine work (even feather stick carving) and proved ideal when I roughed out spoon blanks and a new fire drill hearth, planing flat surfaces with ease.

Chopping even “middle wood” for the fire was straight forward while splitting logs was accomplished fairly easily (using a wooden mallet on the poll to push it through longer logs). I used wooden wedges (never use the axe on iron wedges – the poll is not hardened!) to split long logs using the hatchet as a hammer (I could have used a maul carved with the axe if I had the time) and was so able to reduce even big logs to firewood with just this small axe.

Surprising Conclusion

Previously I have always been sceptical of the practicality of small axes (having tried a few and been disappointed with their performance), but with the GFB Hand Axe I am a convert!

OK, it will not replace the GFB SFA in my affections for major camp chores, limbing and felling small trees, but I was surprised at how big a task could be completed with such a small axe and I was very pleased with how easy the Hand Hatchet made finer tasks from carving to splitting kindling (the Hand Hatchet is actually better shaped for splitting than the SFA). As it weighs so little, the Hand Hatchet is now going to be my “axe of choice” for lightweight trips where I do not expect to have to fell too many large trees!

Versatile, compact, comfortable to us, easy to maintain, the Gransfors Bruks Hand Hatchet does all I expected from a small axe and more and better.

Costing £44.95, the GFB Hand Hatchet would appear well priced and should prove popular!

Related posts:

1. John Fenna Reviews the Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet
2. John Fenna on the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe
3. John Fenna Reviews the Kelly Kettle

Outdoors writer John Fenna looks at the Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet.

Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet

Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet

Gransfors Bruks are a Swedish company that produces what are widely held to be the best axes and hatchets you can buy, and I recently decided to acquire one of their “Wildlife” hatchets to go with the Small Forest Axe I already own.

Of a traditional design with a 1lb head that has a 3” face and a 13 ½ ” top quality hickory handle, the Wildlife Hatchet can and is small enough to fit in a rucksack, or even clipped to your belt using the strap on the grain leather mask that it comes with. Ideal for lighter chopping tasks, the Wildlife Hatchet is well suited to backyard and field work.

The hatchet has oil-finished wood and a lanyard hole in the end knob. The head is forged from a special Swedish axe steel, (forged by one smith who stamps his initials into the head), and properly fitted and wedged onto the handle.

Each hatchet comes with a copy of “The Axe Book” which gives care and maintenance information, a history of the Gransfors Bruks company (from 1910), a guide to cutting and storing firewood, limbing logs, making a fire (indoors and in the field), axe throwing, making log cabin logs, and the company philosophy, as well as a 20-year guarantee.

The weight, heft, balance, shape – everything is just how a good hatchet or axe should be and the blade cuts deep, clean and accurately every time.

Related posts:

1. John Fenna Looks at the Gransfors Bruks Hand Hatchet
2. John Fenna on the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe
3. John Fenna Reviews the Kelly Kettle

Outdoors writer and survival expert John Fenna reviews the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe. This article first appeared in Gun Mart.

Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe

Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe

When I heard, from more than one source, that Gransfors Bruks’ axes were “the axes that all other are measured by”, “the top axes available”, “the only axes worth buying”, I became curious and decided to invest in one to see if they are as good as their reputation.

I chose the Small Forest Axes, an axe designed for splitting small sticks, cutting small diameter limb wood and general field work.

Of a traditional design with a 1.5lb head that has a 3.5” face and a 19” top quality hickory handle, the Small Forest Axe can be used one- or double-handed giving both control for fine cuts (such as starting a carving project) or powerful chopping (such as dropping small trees) and is small enough to fit in a rucksack, or even clipped to your belt using the strap on the grain leather mask that it comes with.

The quality of the axe is undeniable, the wood being oil-finished, not crudely varnished, and has a lanyard hole in the end knots. The head is forged from a special Swedish axe steel, forged by one smith who stamps his initials into the axe head (mine is by Mattias Mattson), and properly fitted and wedged onto the handle (no glue or resin used).

With no gluing, painting, grinding or other cosmetic work the craftsmanship in the construction of the axe can be seen, and the manufacturers are obviously proud of their products.

Each axe comes with a copy of “The Axe Book” which not only gives care and maintenance information, but a history of the Gransfors Bruks company (from 1910), a guide to cutting and storing firewood, limbing logs, making a fire (indoors and in the field), axe throwing, making log cabin logs, and the company philosophy (make it well, make it to last so as to reduce impact on the environment) as well as a 20-year guarantee.

Having tried the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe, is it as good as I was led to believe? It certainly is! The weight, heft, balance, shape – everything is just how a good axe should be and the blade cuts deep, clean and accurately every time. As close to perfection as you can get!

I think he likes it! In fact John still uses his Small Forest Axe, and given how many axes John has tried I think that says something.

Related posts:

1. John Fenna Reviews the Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet
2. John Fenna Looks at the Gransfors Bruks Hand Hatchet
3. John Fenna Reviews the Kelly Kettle