GOING THE

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GOING THE
DISTANCE
PRO TOOL’S LONG REACH IS THE ULTIMATE
OUTDOOR TOOL
STORY BY JIM WEISS AND MICKEY DAVIS
PHOTOS BY P. J. RYAN AND JIM WEISS
“LONG REACH” could describe not only the design
of this tool, but also its ties to history.
A product of Pro Tool Industries, this chopper is part of
the Woodman’s Pal family, which originated with a sicklehook brush cutter issued to the U.S. miltary during World
War II. Since then, Woodman’s Pal tools have continued to
serve as an asset to soldiers abroad, but also to everday
outdoorsmen.
The double-edged Long Reach model updates a classic
design both with length and a more lightweight build, making it an effective cutter for nearly any brush-related task.
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“THE DOUBLEEDGED LONG REACH
MODEL UPDATES A
CLASSIC DESIGN.”
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The Long Reach measures 22 inches overall—7 inches longer than its predecessor, the Classic.
Custom Knife Maker’s Review
Custom knife maker Paul Granger evaluated the Long Reach for its design, construction and feel in hand.
Handle: The Woodman’s Pal Long
Reach has a light-colored, hardwood ash
handle. For a long time, hickory was considered the best chopping tool handle,
but now it’s considered too heavy, although it is slightly more resilient than
ash. Historically, ash has been used in
baseball bats and the lances of medieval
knights.
The Long Reach is built with a onepiece handle on a two-piece blade. In this
case, the wooden handle has a five-inch
groove or slot into which the tang fits.
Four hole-rivets go through both the
tang, where it fits into the handle groove,
ABOUT PAUL GRANGER
Paul Granger specializes in making fixedblade knives of his own unique design, as
well as in traditional patterns. He has
created a line of lightweight, non-metallic,
non-ceramic knives currently in use by the
American and Canadian militaries, multiple
police departments, and the FBI and CIA.
“THINNER BLADE MATERIAL LIGHTENS THE LONG REACH AND
GIVES GREATER MOMENTUM TO THE TOOL’S SWING.”
and the wood. These rivets fix the tang
securely into place. According to Pro
Tool’s president, Mark G. Scheifley, “Pro
Tool takes this attachment of the tang
into the handle groove one step further;
both sides of the tang are coated with an
adhesive. Extra steps like this prevent failure in the field.”
While Granger has used his fair share of
tools whose wood handles eventually
splintered, he stresses that this is not true
of Pro Tool, thanks to the pride and workmanship they put into their products.
Granger particularly appreciated the
bird’s beak butt on the handle, which
closes up to the tool user’s pinky finger
when chopping or pulling down vines. The
side of the Long Reach handle opposite
the bird’s beak slides up comfortably with
the heel of the user’s hand. When the tool
is used with the arm raised, the bird beak
butt characteristics of the handle are
pretty darn clever. A lot of thought went
into the Long Reach’s design, as a straight
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The edge opposite the sickle hook can be sharpened for use
as a machete.
FAST FACTS
•
•
•
•
Lightweight ash handle
Double-edged blade of 1075 carbon steel
Ideal design for overhead brush clearing
Includes carrying case and sharpening stone
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The Long Reach bears the stamp of Woodman’s Pal, which outfitted the
U.S. military with a similar tool during World War II.
Custom knife maker Paul Granger uses the Long Reach to trim a bush.
handle could be pulled out of the user’s hand
when reaching to strike or pull an overhead branch
or vine.
The Long Reach’s handle is about seven inches
longer than that of the Classic model, making it
much better suited to chopping vines and thinning
brush.
Blade: The Long Reach’s combination sickle
hook and machete-like cutting edge have a thinner, lighter blade than the Woodman’s Pal Classic.
In fact, the Long Reach blade is half the thickness
and weight of the Classic. Thinner blade material
lightens the Long Reach and gives greater momentum to the tool’s swing, propelling it better through
the air.
The blade’s steel 1075 carbon steel, which is
made up of 98 percent iron, with carbon, manganese, sulfur and phosphorous alloys. (This is the
same steel used in the original 1941 Pro Tool sickle
hook.) The carbon may be prone to rust, so
Granger recommends cleaning the blade after
each use.
As a finishing touch, the blade is stamped with a
fine-looking logo.
Law Enforcement Field Evaluation
The Long Reach’s handle
is made of lightweight
ash, while the blade is
1075 carbon steel.
The Long Reach arrived at the castle late in the
spring. It was the ideal time because I could strap
it to my pack and take it with me on a wilderness
survival course I was teaching at the National
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ABOUT
MARK ALLEN PRINCE
Mark Allen Prince is a professor of law
enforcement technology/special
operations at Central Ohio Technical
College; a former USDOE SRT operator;
and spent 20 years in local law
enforcement special operations and
training. He has developed and teaches
courses in homeland security and special
operations for military, state, and local
special operations personnel and
organizations, and is an instructor-trainer
certified by the late Colonel Rex Applegate.
Ranger Training Institute at Hocking College.
The field part of the course was taught
in a rather austere environment deep in
southern Ohio that was full of flora and
fauna, a place screaming to have the Long
Reach put to the test.
The Long Reach is not a survival tool
per se, but is designed for “slashing
SPECIFICATIONS
LENGTH: 22 inches
HANDLE: 11 inches; ash hardwood, Long Wood Grip
BLADE: 1/16 inch thick, 11 inches long
STEEL: 1075 HC
A machinist puts the finishing touches on a sickle hook blade.
through springy leafy vegetation.” As the
lab site was full of this, I felt it appropriate
to take it along.
The Long Reach performed well for its
intended purpose of cutting stubborn
weeds and briars and the like. I also found
it performed well at hacking through
small limbs of dry pine for the fire. I tested
its metal against the tough and twisted
fiber of the cantankerous black locust and
found it to shine. It actually made a loud
“ping” sound when whacking through this
wood; I referred to it as the “singing” Long
Reach.
I also used the Long Reach around the
castle grounds and found it to be an excellent resource for cutting small branches, trimming bushes, and removing the
A vintage Woodman’s Pal tool with sharpening stone.
INTO THE PAST
We spoke with Mark G. Scheifley, President Pro Tool Industries, about
the historic background of the Woodman’s Pal:
“The steel we use today is very similar to the steel used during WWII. It
is, first of all, made in the USA and is 1075 cold-rolled, high-carbon spring
steel which, can accept a hard tempering, yet retain flexibility for
grinding without brittleness. This steel is very similar to the original steel
specified in the 1942 tool plans, which called for ‘cold rolled standard
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steel of uniform thickness and high carbon content, the general
thickness being 1/8 inch.’
“In the archives here at Pro Tool, we have the original 1943 Woodman’s
Pal patent. Detailed in this document is the extensive description and
technical explanation of this hook feature by the Woodman’s Pal inventor
Frederick Ehrsam: ‘In general, the implement of my invention comprises a
substantially L-shaped body having at one end a hand grip member and
hand guard. At the other end of the body is provided an integral lateral
extension in which is formed an offset relatively thinner cutting blade
section of substantially crescent-shaped configuration having a chisel
cutting edge. The outer end of the latter is protected by a rounded portion
of a rim.’
“This historical information and other research indicating no other
similar type device incorporated into one tool as of that date leads us to
conclude that yes, in fact, the Woodman’s Pal invented the sickle hook,
which is still an important and useful feature today.”
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A Woodman’s Pal sickle hook is ground at the Pro Tool Industries factory.
“I FOUND [THE LONG REACH] TO BE AN EXCELLENT RESOURCE
FOR CUTTING SMALL BRANCHES AND TRIMMING BUSHES.”
—MARK ALLEN PRINCE
A Pro Tool worker sands the handle of the Military Premium,
another tool in the Woodman’s Pal line.
CONTACT
Pro Tool Industries
www.ProToolIndustries.net
(800) 708-5191
The Long Reach is designed for maximum momentum when in use.
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nefarious multi-flower rose bushes that
erupt every spring in the “bush” areas of
the property.
As it is 22 inches overall, it is a bit ungainly to carry as a survival tool. However,
the tough ashen handle, coupled with the
1/16-inch high carbon steel blade and the
effective hook on the end, provide an excellent tool for field work if desired. And
at $86.95 (including nylon carry case and
sharpening stone) this Woodsman’s Pal
Long Reach is not too far out of reach for
the average Joe. KI
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