Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Trekking: 5.11 Tactical’s Operator is an axe of all trades

Man isn’t meant to stay indoors — our weekly “Trekking” column can attest to that. It’s a column dedicated to the adventurer inside of all of us, the one pining to ditch the office humdrum for a quick surf session or seven-week jaunt in the Tetons. One day we may highlight an ultra-light stove and the next a set of handmade canoe paddles. Life doesn’t just happen inside the workplace, so get outside and live it.

Axes are the sharped-edged fundamental of any tool collection — mostly because they can wreak havoc on a variety of mediums with little to no force. And although they’ve been used for millennia as a convenient means of shaping and splitting wood, we rarely think of them as anything other than implement for doing just that. The folks at 5.11 Tactical may not be looking to reinvent the wheel, but they are looking to broaden that shallow mindset with the introduction of the Operator Axe ($160).

Recommended Videos

Related: At 1½ pounds, the Hults Bruk Jonaker is a backpacker’s delight

Screen Shot 2016-07-27 at 2.35.56 PMLike similar utility axes, the Operator is made for more than a single purpose. The company designed the stainless-steel instrument in conjunction with Kyle Lamb of Viking Tactics — a reputable North Carolinan manufacturer of high-quality tactical gear — and as such, it’s meant to be as industrious as it is durable. The bearded axe’s frame sports a black oxide finish and features a basic ruler on one side, which accompany a multitude of components that allow the axe to carry out 24 different functions without the need of an additional toolkit.

The sleek, ambidextrous axe features a hammer for bludgeoning nails and stakes, a pry bar for opening doors and windows, and both standard and metric markings and wrench openings. The jimped shaft and handle ensure stability, too, while the two-piece sheath and rubberized retention strap make sure you can safely carry the 15-inch utensil from your shed to the backyard, and to the woods and beyond. Now, if only learning to throw it were that easy…

Check out 5.11 Tactical online to make a purchase, or for a closer look at the company’s extensive collection of tactical apparel and accessories.

Brandon Widder
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brandon Widder is a journalist and a staff writer for the Manual and its brother site, Digital Trends, where he covers tech…
Topics
Don’t ruin your cigars: here’s how to properly season a new humidor
Seasoning secrets every cigar lover could use
faceless man presenting a cigar humidor with cigars inside with gloved hands

If you're a newcomer to the world of cigars or just bought a brand-new humidor, you'll need to season it. And no, I'm not saying to add salt and pepper to it. If you've never heard of it, you might ask, "What is seasoning for a humidor?"

Don't think you need to flavor the box or anything — seasoning is really about getting the wood inside your humidor so as not to rob your cigars of precious moisture. Easy to understand, and getting it done is relatively straightforward as well. The trick is figuring out the "why," and we'll get into that in a bit. But let's first discuss seasoning a humidor.

Read more
The NBA’s ultimate celebration tool: The victory cigar
A look at the players and coaches who smoke to celebrate
Jordan smoking a cigar image on a bag

Sports are synonymous with celebration. After winning the biggest trophy of their lives, athletes want to indulge in the payoff that comes with seeing their dreams realized. Teams go into the locker room, where a waterfall of champagne hits them in the eyes, and swimming goggles seem to be a requirement, lest you walk around on the best night of your life half blind. While drinking is often the activity of choice after winning a championship, the NBA has an alternative symbol of greatness that other sports don't use nearly enough: the victory cigar.

Basketball is a team game, but it's also an individual canvas for solo superstardom. After winning an NBA championship, the coaches and players who sit atop the throne have long smoked a cigar in the locker room, during the parade, or even on the bench before the clock has hit zero. There's nothing quite like a good stogie to signify the ultimate win over the rest of the league, but how did the victory cigar get so ingrained in NBA championship celebrations? We want to take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical moments and people who made the cigar what it is within the NBA today.
Red Auerbach's victory cigar on the bench
Red Auerbach: The Story Behind the Victory Cigar + His Disdain of NBA Officials - Red on Roundball

Read more
The best medical shows of all time to binge now
From ER to The Pitt, these are the best medical shows ever made
Noah Wyle in the Pitt

Throughout TV's long history, the medical drama has occupied a somewhat unique place in the landscape. Medical shows are often some of the most reliable on TV precisely because there's so much drama built in to working in a hospital.

Personally, I've found the medical drama to be deeply comforting for years, even if I have no desire to be a doctor myself. Understanding the stress of people in the healthcare profession is fascinating in and of itself.

Read more