Axe Vs. Tomahawk ... hopefully another take on the debate

Dunner

Dunner

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Ok... I, like many of you LOVE axes and tomahawks. I have generally preferred the tomahawk because they are light and fun for me. I also like that they are (or at least to my thinking) an American hallmark of sorts. I feel a well made axe out performs a well made tomahawk in nearly any task. Being one who likes to have the best I went for a GB when I decided on getting an axe for heavier backcountry chores. I chose the Scandinavian Forest Axe (SFA) despite it's slight disadvantage in portability to the runner up the Small Forest Axe. I have had a bunch of hawks over the years including the Ranger Knives "Renegade" (which I cut the spike off of), ATC Rainier Scouts, Cold Steel Norsehawk and a couple others.

Playing with what I thought would be a toy tomahawk... a friend's Trailhawk I couldn't get over how light and fun AND effective it was. Reading through the modification thread has given me the bug BAD.

All this said... where do you guys draw the line in form, function, fun, portability and so on as to which tool you choose? I have been looking at hawks and the Wildlife Hatchet and even though I have no trouble spending the money for another GB axe AND acknowledge it would be a more effective tool I feel like I *might have more fun with several tomahawks (as tools/projects) than having the finest axe of its kind. I suppose the question is about shear enjoyment of the tools rather than strictly their performance. I am not sure if it warrants a new conversation here but I am tired of talking to myself about it so I thought I would throw it out there...

Thanks for all your great posts around here... another great BF community.
 
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Well I generally don't need anything beyond a trail hawk. I've debated getting an axe but I just don't need it. The two things I really like about hawks is there use as a potential weapon but more importantly, the ability to easily replace the haft. Thinking of getting a Vec hawk for the longer handle. I noticed I have to bend over to do limbing. Something my back isn't fond of.
 
while i too agree that the axe is a more effective tool the hawk does a fine job and is so much easier to carry. If you are one to never set up a camp this could be a huge plus.

On another note i think i'm in the same boat too when i choose my tools for the outdoors. I choose largely on what i enjoy more than what is most effective. Over the past year i have really went traditional with my gear choices. For instance i take a pocket knife now instead of a SAK. I believe the SAK to be the better knife overall but my stockman just has that feel to it. Maybe it is from being handmade instead of produced on a machine.
 
I'm from the practical school of thought.Give me the GB axe or hatchet anyday.Yes,I also carry a Vic Sak or two.:D
 
I definitely want to get the GB Wilderness Hatchet and Small Forest Axe at some point but as far as filling in the small axe chore role I am leanin' a little towards the tomahawks for now. I have to add that as a new step dad to three boys, the project tomahawks are part of the appeal. I gave each of the boys a tomahawk and a small knife from makers in the forums here (The oldest got a Siegle S&R4 and my Ranger Renegade hawk. The middle one got a Ed White/Shadow Knives Model IX and ATC Rainier Scout 'hawk and the youngest got a Koster Bushcraft and ATC Rainier Scout). I think I HAVE to be carrying a 'hawk!!!

I suppose some of the fun is carrying what they are carrying, teaching them why I picked those pieces of kit and showing them how to use them.

...But I can teach them how to use their 'hawks while I use a top notch little axe right?!

But then there are those fun Trailhawk mods..... Ahhhhhhhhh!!!
 
Dunner, for me its 95% about what's fun. Hawks look cool, they are fun to mod, fun to look at and handle, and people get a real kick when I gift them with one.

I camp and hike, a lot, and a small knife has always met all my needs. For the emergencies that I've been trained to prepare for, I dont think of an axe/hawk as a necessary tool. I am not concerned about self defense. just my way of doing things.

The 5% that isnt fun has to do with the few times a year I use an axe or hawk in my suburban yard to deal with some branches or brush. I could use a saw or other cutter tools for those jobs but the hawk is there, so.....
 
I have both the GB Wildlife Hatchet and the Cold Steel Trailhawk. The Trailhawk I've only had for a week, but I can give my brief impressions on both.

I love both. They are both fun as hell to use. The hawk is obviously designed to be a little more useful for combat, and the straight handle is ideal for releasing when throwing. It does a pretty good job at bushcraft applications though, and is no slouch when it comes to chopping, etc. It is a lot of fun to take in the wilderness and use, and throwing it is a blast as well. A very fun tool.

The GB Wildlife Hatchet is not designed to be thrown or for combat, but is probably the single most useful piece of gear that I own. It can chop, split, shave, slice, dice, anything. It can do just about anything that you would need a tool with an edge for. There are several different grips you can use for different applications, and it does pretty well at most of them.

I own one 4" Bark River STS-3 which is my Bushcraft knife, and a 5.5" Fehrman Last chance for a larger survival blade, and an Izula and a Murray Carter under 3" for EDC blades. I also own a 10" Junglas. The GB Wildlife Hatchet is better at making feather sticks and other kindling than all of them. My 4" Bark River is a great tool for bushcraft, but the design and weight of the Hatchet just make any sort of carving task absolutely effortless. The hatchet can also perform much better at most chopping food prep type tasks, because when you are choked up on the blade, you have plenty of finger clearance for up and down movement and can chop very quickly. In this area it outperforms all the other knives I mentioned, because all lack the finger clearance under the handle to chop effectively.

Please keep in mind that I still only have minimal experience with the Trailhawk, but my final thoughts on both are this...

Trailhawk is a blast to use, fun to throw, effective in bushcraft tasks, and inexpensive. A great all around tool.

The GB Wildlife Hatchet offers more utility than almost any other tool I own, and I won't be going in the woods without it any time soon. If I had to choose between the two, I'd choose the GB Wildlife Hatchet.

I would highly recommend either, and I love both, and for the money the CS Trailhawk is a steal and a great buy. I think the Small Forest Axe might be able to do all of the smaller detail tasks that the Hatchet can, but perform better at the larger chopping/splitting tasks as well. That might be the best buy of them all, and will most likely be my next purchase.

Thanks,

JGON
 
I much prefer an axe as a tool accompanied by other tools but i do think a good hawk is a bit more versatile as a single tool in a survival situation, but I still prefer to carry an axe while camping or when prosesing wood
 
A tomahawk is an axe with a straight handle that friction mounts to the head (barring the CS set screw or the Vec mods).

IMO neither is more fun that the other. Neither is more useful. Both are axes, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both styles that will make one or the other better for one task, while the other tool will be better at the next task.

Now, as cheap as Cold Steel hawks are, why not get a few to mod? Once you've gotten good at it, there's NO reason you can't do some of the mods on a GB axe. You probably won't drive brass tacks into a GB haft, or sharpen the beard, but there's no reason not to do a fancy rawhide wrap under the head and a nice wood burning design on the haft.
 
Yeah - for the money, trail hawks are enjoyable to mess around with. They also make great tools, though it does require some work to get them usable. I completely re-profiled mine and also had to reshape the haft to get the head on good, tight and properly aligned (mine came wobbly and slightly off center). I also stripped and pantina'd the head and sanded the handle before applying a thin coat of Tru-Oil. I lost the screw in the process, but it's not really a big deal as hawks don't really need those to begin with.

All that said, when it comes down to an axe for general usage, I prefer a more traditional one simply because I like having a more weighty head to do the work for me. It also makes splitting and other chores much easier.

Cpl Punishment said:
Now, as cheap as Cold Steel hawks are, why not get a few to mod? Once you've gotten good at it, there's NO reason you can't do some of the mods on a GB axe. You probably won't drive brass tacks into a GB haft, or sharpen the beard, but there's no reason not to do a fancy rawhide wrap under the head and a nice wood burning design on the haft.
Click to expand...

Funny you mention this as playing with my trail hawk has made me consider mods for my GB Scandi. I couldn't bring myself to do any permanent modifications though - even to the handle. I'm definitely going to make a better sheath for it, definitely hand stitched (hate the look of the rivets) and perhaps tooled with a floral design. I've also been thinking about making a removable leather collar for it just to protect the handles from nicks while splitting wood. We'll see how it all goes :p
 
I have the SFA, and a Norse 'hawk. I really like both of them, but if I knew I would need an axe, the SFA would win every time. If I just needed a chopper of some sort, then the Norse starts looking really good. I think I like it just for the utility of it, even if it couldn't chop... Walking with it in your hand through brush, you can use the long handle to push branches out of the way, if you down a small tree, you can hook it and drag it behind you, if it sits next to you in camp, the handle can help you reach things... :D
 
i think you should have both.

if an axe can ride in a canoe, on a mule, or in a car or plane, i will usually welcome it.

that's the biggest factor to me - the weight.

weight kills you on foot - save the weight on your chopper and bring more ammo, sez i....

with a little patience and some technique, it's very hard to beat what a humble Trail Hawk can do - especially if your outdoor experience is expanded to include butchering large game in the field, building shelters in the tops of trees, running with your tools, swimming with them, and fighting with them. i have done all of those in the field.

if those are within your realm of possibility, then it's a proper hawk.

- every time, for me.

EOM.

vec
 
I appreciate everyone's take on this. I think I am going for a batch of TrailHawks in the near term. I need to try to lighten my load for a day out. I have a real tendency to carry too much gear and often it is heavier gear because I want the capabilities those items bring. Working on a project and ending up with something that has my "mark" on it will definitely add to the enjoyment.

The argument for the Wildlife Hatchet was a movement toward the smaller and lighter actually because the Small Forest Axe REALLY appeals to me too. I have really appreciated everyone's comments on that conversation in other threads.
 
Here's the key, collect hawks, collect hatchets, collect single bit axes and double bit axes and buy good ones at yard sales for cheap.:D

Best regards

Robin
 
Funny how our interests can dove tail and intertwine eh? I am into the outdoors, cutting tools, hunting\fishing, metal detecting for fur trade era relics, on and on......... I have two Cold Steel hawks, the Rifleman and the New Frontier. I have stripped them and applied gun blue (cold blue) to them. Well actually I still have to do the New Frontier bluing. It gives them that old period look to a certain extent. I also use them as I do with ALL my cutting tools. I also have a cheap large Axe in my trunk. I don't use the Axe much, but frequently make use of the hawks, particularly the New Frontier. I like hawks because they are way, way lighter and still reasonably effective, except in extreme cold weather here, then I can't afford to take time or chances. I recently took a Becker Brute out along with the Frontier hawk for a bit of a comparison. The hawk had a slight edge for me in real world use. I am on the fence but will likely pull the trigger on a small forest Axe, hard to say, I need them in hand before I buy. I would feel quite ready for most anything short term, with a hawk, a BK-2, multiple fire starting systems, a tarp, a few tins of chow and a canteen of water.:) I have an original french style trade hawk from the late 1700's found while metal detecting and I frequently find axe heads out here dated roughly turn of the century to the thirties. I've only found one double head though. I have little interest in them and leave them on site, most are well worn as this area had multiple mills up to the 20's-30's. I'm only interested in the fur trade axes\hawks. Actually my fur trade find was a ''belt axe'', medium to smallish, and a prized find for me.:thumbup: Ya, I like hawks.:)

Scroll down to were you see the hawk\Brute thumbnails at the bottom of the page.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=601650&page=11
 
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I sorta view a hawk as a weapon that makes a good tool, and an axe as a tool that makes a good weapon. I have a very small belt axe replica that I started carying deer hunting this year, and I don't know how I ever managed with out one all these years! I like'm all, and I like'm all SHARPE!
 
Cpl Punishment said:
A tomahawk is an axe with a straight handle that friction mounts to the head (barring the CS set screw or the Vec mods).

IMO neither is more fun that the other. Neither is more useful. Both are axes, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both styles that will make one or the other better for one task, while the other tool will be better at the next task.

Now, as cheap as Cold Steel hawks are, why not get a few to mod? Once you've gotten good at it, there's NO reason you can't do some of the mods on a GB axe. You probably won't drive brass tacks into a GB haft, or sharpen the beard, but there's no reason not to do a fancy rawhide wrap under the head and a nice wood burning design on the haft.
Click to expand...

Careful doing any haft burning on gb's. I believe they do a bees wax dip.
 
Yeah, to clarify, I meant by using a soldering iron type woodburner with a stylus.

Actual burning then sanding is probably just going to set the whole thing on fire.

Good catch.

(Still be careful, even with the stylus).
 
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