Fiskars 18" Billhook Saw - Cut Shrubs, Hedges, Small Branches, and Woody Saplings - Lawn & Garden Tool

I do lots of riding on ATVs and also assist with "Extreme" 5K races... you know, where there are obstacles, mudpits, etc. During the prep for the last race my buddies were using the Gerber version of this tool. I was astounded by what a simple, effective tool this was for trimming branches and brush. I immediately set aside the hatchet and machete and loppers and used their tool whenever possible.Once home, I ordered this version from Amazon. It is identical to the Gerber version but costs $25 vs. $40. As for the Pros?- Simply perfect for quickly trimming branches/small trees up to 3 inches in diameter. It routinely "one-strokes" the branches 1.5" or smaller.- perfect size for carrying on an ATV or UTV or vehicle. It would be light enough to pack in on oneself, but check into securing it properly- handle is balanced well and provides a great amount of leverage- Construction was good and I saw no issues.Cons?- Only one... the blade shipped as is was very dull. I am sure that is a liability issue, but TAKE NOTE: If you purchase this I highly reccomend you sharpen it well. Like other cutting tools, if you do not sharpen this to a fine edge then you will wind up doing more work with it. It is designed to be very sharp and use its edge to cut, NOT YOUR BRUTE FORCE. I suspect from reading many of the reviews that people are using it as is and having to work waaaay to hard.Sharpen and oil regularly and I think you won't be disappointed.As it says above, if I could only take one cutting tool into the wild this would be it.====== 3 YEAR UPDATE ======So, this tool has been in my UTV now for 3 years. It gets sharpened a few times a year, sprayed with 3-1 Oil, and used around the house, at the hunting lease, and on the trails. Its been through the heat of 100F summers and single digits. Been up to the mountains of Colorado. I will say it again. I would not be without this tool.I also read many of the reviews on here and wonder if people understand the need to sharpen the axe out of the box. IT WILL ARRIVE TOO DULL TO USE. If you do not sharpen it then you will not use this tool properly and will be let down. Sharpen it to a fine edge and this tool will slice through small branches and vines with ease.Highly reccomended.

I really wasn't sure that I would like this but I had seen so many people using them and saying that they are better than a machete. So I finally broke down and decided to get one and I figured seeing as it's a Fiskars product I could easily return if I didn't like it. It turns out that I really like the Billhook and it works great in areas like South Florida where there are nothing but Palmettos, Vines and small scraggly little plants that are a pain. This helps when clearing paths to be able to get to the hunting trails and not make any noise when you're getting out to actually hunt. I also found this very useful for clearing out overgrown Palmetto's to be able to get to the root system and dig that out. Often the head of the Palmetto is so large and it makes it very difficult to dig out a palmetto bush but with the ease of just grabbing the palm fronds, hooking them and pulling they pop off with ease. Then I get to have the fun of digging up the base of the plant. They are a beast to get out of the ground.The biggest benefit though has been with getting rid of vines. Having many vines that love to try to take over my trees on the property, I am now able to simply hook onto the lowest portion of the vine, give a yank and it takes them a lot longer to grow back when you take them off at ground level. There is no more need to sit there and swing a machete when I can just hook the Vine and give a tug. And for the slightly larger stuff to decent-sized branches flip it over and use the saw part or the blade.The handle even though it is a hard plastic for the majority of it it is actually fairly comfortable. I wouldn't mind some extra rubber to make it a little bit easier when hitting harder stuff. But for the most part it's really not an issue because I find myself hooking and pulling on whatever needs to be cut the majority of the time. This really is a "jungle" friendly tool for Tropical Forest / Woodlands, it just makes short work of the little stuff that often gets in the way of your path in the woods. Give a path a couple of seasons and it's worked hard at taking back the forest.Again this really is a better tool than your typical machete especially if you are dealing with thin resilient materials that tend to just be difficult with a machete. Far less swinging involved and more just hooking what you need to cut and giving a light pull, done.