BK-9 or Hawk

MassiveGorillaz

MassiveGorillaz

Joined
Jan 18, 2010
Messages
134
Hey guys and galls,

Do any of y'all carry a hawk or hatchet with you when hiking or camping?

Do you carry it in addition too or substitute for a big knife (BK-9)?

If you do use one, what are the pros and cons of a hawk compared to your large Becker?

I just found myself checking the cold steel trail hawk and trail boss out alot and I was curious to hear anyone else's take on them.

Thanks,
Charles
 
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I have a gerber pack axe and it's a great tool but it can only do one thing. The BK9 won't out-chop a decent axe/hatchet but it is lighter and can do lots of other tasks. It's light enough that you can press it into service for smaller small things and it's as close to a "if you could only have one" knife/tool as you're gonna find and is one of the best large chopper knives on the market.
 
Tomahawks are just fun to throw.
I do not see them as a substitute to a large knife.
 
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I have a good hawk, but I feel like the BK9 is more than enough for my needs.
 
Try only taking a hawk and using it for everything, then do the same with the BK9. It's kind of fun actually and you'll learn things about the tool you wouldn't otherwise. I like both, but the king wins in my book.
 
I don't own a 'hawk, but that's mostly because I feel like the Machax kinda gives me the best of both worlds. If any task is too big for the Machax, I get my axe.
 
Thanks Guys! I guess if I want one 31 bucks is a small price to pay to just mess around and throw some! Great input!
 
I'll take the opposing viewpoint, I started out using a cold steel trail hawk before I'd ever had my first Becker. It was an Ontario RAT 5 and a cold steel Trail Hawk that I took everywhere in the woods and I hardly ever used the RAT 5. I think the Hawk bites deeper per stroke when chopping but you have a smaller blade surface so you have to be more accurate than if you were using a BK9. I think they are both great at processing wood for fire with neither one having an advantage over the other in the hands of equally experienced people. The hawk is terrible for fine carving and the nine is not good, I did carve a fork once with my nine. The nine is better for clearing brush. I find myself gravitating back to the Trail Hawk and a medium sized Blade like the BK16 and a BK14 these days. It's not so much the particular tool but how you use it.
I should say that the BK9 was my first becker and I like it a bunch but I like the BK4 better.
 
I'll throw a hawk head in my pack if I don't want to bring the 9. I've never needed the hawk as I just as well beat the snot out of my 16 to make sticks smaller.
 
Thanks Fal'er! I think I will eventually get a trail hawk just because they look good and I might have to try one out to see how it compares to a BK-9!

Thanks tincan, I might just pull the trigger!
 
I really like the Trailhawk, its small and light, and straps to a pack easily. If you are on the fence about buying one, check out IA Woodsmans video on youtube about them. He will cover nearly everything regarding its use in that video.

I have only recently begun to take the BK9 out and do some serious chopping with it. Its a different tool than a hawk, therefore requiring different skills. Spend a weekend with just one of them, and then spend a weekend with the other. You will see the pros and cons of both tools, and have a better understanding of what you are looking for in a chopper. You might even like both, then at that point the choice may be what you decide to carry on any given hike taking into consideration the environment, season, or the amount of wood processing you may need to do.
 
For me anyway, the only function in which the CS Trailhawk is superior to the BK9 is chopping. In all other respects, the BK9 far out-performs my trailhawk. The TH is tons of fun but if I get to choose just the one, it's a no-brainer - BK9 all the way.


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Beckerhead #42
 
As an axe freak I'd like to say hatchet or hawk but big knives are a lot more versatile. Personally I can work wonders with an axe or a hatchet, but I'm garbage with a big blade by comparison, so I default to my axemanship a lot (you can do just about anything with a wetterlings with some practice) but knowing how to really handle an axe takes some doing, Its not very hard to get good at chopping with a big blade I'm just lazy. I'd say go with the 9 for practicality, the hawk for fun :D
 
You could also confuse yourself even more and throw a khukuri in the mix. Kinda like a big knife, kinda like a hawk. Yeah, I went there.

9 is my favorite Becker, but I've got the CS Pipe and Spike Hawks. Fun to throw, and dirt cheap. I'm a crappy outdoorsman though, so don't take my word for anything.
 
GingivitisKahn said:
For me anyway, the only function in which the CS Trailhawk is superior to the BK9 is chopping. In all other respects, the BK9 far out-performs my trailhawk. The TH is tons of fun but if I get to choose just the one, it's a no-brainer - BK9 all the way.


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Beckerhead #42
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Thanks Kahn, I think Ill just suck it up and carry both... if I get to make it to the woods any time soon!




TheWambo said:
As an axe freak I'd like to say hatchet or hawk but big knives are a lot more versatile. Personally I can work wonders with an axe or a hatchet, but I'm garbage with a big blade by comparison, so I default to my axemanship a lot (you can do just about anything with a wetterlings with some practice) but knowing how to really handle an axe takes some doing, Its not very hard to get good at chopping with a big blade I'm just lazy. I'd say go with the 9 for practicality, the hawk for fun :D
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Thanks Wambo, when you talk about handling an axe, are you just talking about aiming your swings for efficient chopping? (like not missing the v knotch)



crimsonfalcon07 said:
You could also confuse yourself even more and throw a khukuri in the mix. Kinda like a big knife, kinda like a hawk. Yeah, I went there.

9 is my favorite Becker, but I've got the CS Pipe and Spike Hawks. Fun to throw, and dirt cheap. I'm a crappy outdoorsman though, so don't take my word for anything.
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Thanks Falcon, I've never really handled a khukuri, and I believe I will definitely bite the bullet and get a hawk. What's your favorite hawk model? Doesn't have to be a CS
 
MassiveGorillaz said:
Thanks Wambo, when you talk about handling an axe, are you just talking about aiming your swings for efficient chopping? (like not missing the v knotch)
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well a lot of it is getting a clean wedge, also efficiency of motion (not clubbing the cut etc.), versatility with the tool. but yeah getting a smooth sided wedge is a good start (like as clean of a v as you can get). I did collegiate level woodsman's competition for a while (even better with a crosscut saw than an axe :D ) and it takes a while to get competitive with an axe.
 
Thanks Wambo! I bet that was fun stuff! That brought back memories of watching those lumberjack competitions with my dad on espn. We were always in awe! The springboard was my favorite.
 
MassiveGorillaz said:
Thanks Falcon, I've never really handled a khukuri, and I believe I will definitely bite the bullet and get a hawk. What's your favorite hawk model? Doesn't have to be a CS
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Honestly, I've only ever used the pair of Cold Steel ones I've got. They're both good buys. Spike hawk obviously more for fighting than for woods use. I got the pipe hawk because I wanted to have the hammer on the other side. Trail hawk is probably your best bet for a woods hawk for right now. At some point, I'd like to get an RMJ. Will probably have the wife buy it when she goes on active duty again.

2010-12-23170901.jpg
 
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