if you say you never need an axe:

"a) You never go out.
b) You use something else as an axe, like a batoning knife.
c) You go out to a desert where there are no trees.

When everything is soaking whet, you can't get a fire going without a splitting tool, even if you have a saw.

If you have a knife, you can make wooden wedges and a baton, but a real tool is always better than an improvised one.

In a pinch an axe can do what a saw and a knife can do. It's practically unbreakable and it can be resharpened, unlike a saw.

>If an axe is the most crucial piece of equipment why have I never needed one?
It could be that they mean 'in a survival situation'. At least in the north an axe and a firestarter are the two most important tools when it comes to survival. If it's cold enough you need both to survive, but if I had to choose one, I'd choose the axe. That's because making a fire with a bic, matches or a firesteel without an axe is impossible in bad conditions anyway."

- A. Nony Mous

Whats a good and affordable broadaxe? I need to hew me some beams