My hands are so bloody tired right now it hurts to type! But to be fair, it was a fun ride to get where I am. I got the 5.11 Tactical Operator’s Axe in for testing and have been ripping through my local flora. The Operator Axe is designed by legendary soldier Kyle Lamb. Mr. Lamb is a former Delta Force commando, fought in the Black Hawk Down scenario, and owner of Viking Tactics. The man may know a thing or two about equipment that works.
The Operator Axe is more than just an ax. It’s a multi-use tool that’s part ax, part tomahawk, part hammer, and part crowbar. On top of that, the Operator Ax has 24 tools and functions including metric and standard hex drivers, small and large socket drives, a 1/4 bit driver, sheet metal cutter, and a nail remover. The Operator Axe comes with an ambidextrous Kydex sheath that is MOLLE compatible and designed for multiple methods of carry.
Size Matters and So Do Ergos
It sounds like this tool should be massive, However, it only weighs 1 pound 10 ounces. Lightweight gear is a must-have and the Operator ax is quite light. It’s also only 15 inches long so it can be easily stashed and stored on the body or attached to a pack. The sheath makes it easy to attach to most modern gear.
The Operator Axe has a very flat grip on it. It’s just a straight bar that is textured for a good grip. This thin, flat, rectangular grip isn’t very comfortable. It’s certainly designed to be lightweight and easy to pack rather than comfortable. With every slash and smash you feel that handle shake your hand. It’s the low point of this tool, to be honest. As an ax and a hammer can be painful to use, especially with the ax portion.
However, the Operator Axe is comfortable as a wrench, or as a pry bar. It should be noted that it’s not designed for splitting wood, but for breaching, or for a crash and smash rescue. You’d be pumped with adrenaline, and not working for hours or even tens of minutes at a time.
Where It Rocks
The three big features of the Operator Ax are slicing, smashing and prying and in those three roles this thing rocks.
It’s superbly sharp cutting through numerous small trees with just a little effort. The blade also has a nice beard that allows you to choke up and use the blade for finer slicing tasks.
The hammer drives nails without issue and will smash with a lot of power for such a small hammer. The little hammer will certainly break or drive nails when needed.
Speaking of, the prybar can sink right into a door frame or under any kind of lip and jettison whatever is in your way up.
This thing would certainly make its way through cheap safes, lockboxes, unsecured residential doors, and the shitty tin doors found throughout the middle east. It will also pull nails, so that’s neat.
It does all this with a single hand. One hand can remain on your weapon while the other hand can wield the Operator Axe. It’s designed for simple one-handed use and that’s exactly how I used it. It’s well balanced and light enough to crash, smash, and slice without needing two hands and I can really appreciate that.
The Operator Axe might not be for chopping wood for a fireplace, but it has a role in the military and law enforcement communities as well as preppers and prepared citizens. The 5.11 Operator Axe doesn’t mess around.
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine gunner who served with 2nd Bn 2nd Marines for 5 years. He deployed in 2009 to Afghanistan and again in 2011 with the 22nd MEU(SOC) during a record setting 11 months at sea. He’s trained with the Romanian Army, the Spanish Marines, the Emirate Marines and the Afghan National Army. He serves as an NRA certified pistol instructor and teaches concealed carry classes.
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