Beginner tomahawk?

[Kunai]

I'm looking for a decent beginner's tomahawk that I can chuck around and use to chop, preferably with a good spike. I like the M48 tactical tomahawk a lot, so has anyone ever used one? If you have, does it hold an edge well and chop/throw well?

 

[Snakebreaker]

Not only are they junk......they are a liability. I used to think these entry level hawks like the M48 and even SOGs were ok to get a "feel" for tomahawks before you decided on a more expensive model, but lately I've seen a rash of failures on these models that could inflict serious damage to the user. One on an M48 failure was just posted here the other day. I've seen about 4 others in just the past month. I've changed my mind on them completely. Unless you plan on strictly throwing them......I would avoid them completely.

I personally don't like wooden handled hawks, but they are time tested. Your probably best off starting with a Cold Steel model and go from there. You can pick up one of their traditional style hawks for $30 to $40. Once you get into the $100 price range, your tomahawk choices start to greatly open up and the safety factor greatly increases.

 

[tirod3]

The entry level hawks in traditional style are ok - the wood handles are replaceable, the fiberglass ones are solid. Hawks with any sort of bolt together design are inherently weak, but they are cheap to make and have a high profit margin, which is why they are out there.

Remember, it's an interesting situation, some makers offer products because they can be sold, not because they are any good. Hawks with lots of Gothic styling have that problem, they might look cool, but you can't choke up on the handle, and the eccentric shaping doesn't relate to being versatile - just "awesome" looking.

If you stick to plain and simple, with a lot of the looks of a tool, not a weapon, you do better. Same for the graphic descriptions - if its a hawk, what need to mention it's combat capability? Terms like "operators," references to the "sand box," etc are just playing to that age group - the sand box lot. If it's pictured as a renaissance battle weapon, pass on that, too.

Hawks are light weight EDC tools for woodcraft - not heavy choppers. The spike is really more for prying and digging, not destroying car doors or dynamic entry. Learning how to use a hawk outdoors in temperate zone wilderness is their ancestry and best strength, they handle the tougher wood and more difficult conditions of mountainous terrain than a large bushcraft blade. While tropical zone users might have to constantly battle the encroaching vegetation with long blades, the slow growth of hardwoods responds more permanently to the use of a hawk, where it excels.

I used my steel integral hawk yesterday dressing a large limb that my son and I pulled out of a tree, about 35 feet long, 12" at the butt. The chain saws held up long enough to cut it up, but they weren't running well. The hawk did a lot of trimming down and got it done quickly, with a lot less concern about where the whirling teeth of the saw were going. In the thick of it, it handled better than the Estwing long camp axe in the tight quarters.

Get one with an oval shaped handle, pay attention to your direction of swing - don't go all apey messing with these, any more than you can wildly beat on stuff with a framing hammer or rock pick. It needs space on the back swing like many other tools, the nice part is that you don't have to haul it back quickly - just position it over your head at the level you need to get the amount of force on the downswing you need. It's a light lift up, not combat speed, or you waste effort.

I say that because a lot of guys out there are all worried about spiking their head - which is normal if you have no skills or accumulated experience with striking tools, a common situation now in young adults. They also don't know how to "dial" a phone, or in many cases, shift a manual transmission with clutch. Take your time with it, go slowly in a controlled manner, and you won't get banged up. In small town high school classes on construction, the first six weeks swinging a hammer nets most of the mistakes. Amazingly, humans are more hard headed than we think, and we also learn very quickly. Driving a car is far more dangerous, and yet we treat the spike hawk as if it was on a short fuse ready to bite someone at the first opportunity. As for that, consider how much of a point you really need if it's grubbing rocks and roots out of the ground. A blunter tip is more likely to put up with it, and have more strength, too.

 

[Tomahawk Rob]

Cold Steel Tomahawks. They are all in the $30-$40 range.