BK9 vs CS Trailhawk chop-off

[GingivitisKahn]

Hunting this year has been largely meatless and today -- last day of rabbit season for me -- was no different. Accordingly, I decided to take a couple more big limbs from a dead tree to use to help bridge a section of flooded trail. Here are the contestants...

First cuts (well sort of - first cuts with both blades were sloppy and didn't stick right off in their limbs)...

Took a progress shot at 40 lashes with a BK9...

And done at 61 - kind of alot but in my defense both target limbs are at inconvenient angles and this tree is seasoning nicely...

I was planning to take a progress shot at 40 lashes with the Trailhawk but it completed its limb at 39 swats...

Hrm...

Ever have a preconceived notion busted? I realize this isn't scientific by any stretch but I have to admit to being *very* impressed with the trail hawk as a chopper. There are guys out there that are wizards with these things and use them for all sorts of tasks, but I'm not one of them. For me BK9 is still a more versatile tool but I can see now that I will be taking the Trailhawk for many more walks.

I was so disconsolate, I had to go home and use the BK9 to slice an orange (after cleaning it, of course)...

Tried the same thing with the Trailhawk but now I have to buy a new desk... and a new orange.


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Beckerhead #42

 

[BRL]

Yep, my trailhawk impressed me too. They're good tools and amazingly cheap and light. Everyone should have one. Good photos!

 

[The Warrior]

The 9 is a chopping machine. Really like my trail hawk.

 

[gmoneyluv]

Tried the same thing with the Trailhawk but now I have to buy a new desk... and a new orange.

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Beckerhead #42

That's very funny! Nice report.

 

[Skystorm]

Those hawks are nice, 25-30 is cheap for what you get. About as sharp as my mother in law out of the box but that is easily fixed. Unlike her.

 

[gmoneyluv]

Those hawks are nice, 25-30 is cheap for what you get. About as sharp as my mother in law out of the box but that is easily fixed. Unlike her.

OMG! You guys are on fire. VERY funny! Now back to our regular programming.

 

[Psyop]

Nice demo thanks.

 

[Wolf_1989]

I bought a Trail Hawk a few years back and it didn't impress me. I put a longer haft on it and modded it up nice, and it still doesn't impress me. Too tiny. Oh it's plenty light and quick, but... meh...

After that I tried the CS Norse Hawk and really liked it. After modding two of them, I searched for a better version of that trumpet shaped bit and got a Ft Turner "Buck Hawk". Perfection. Light, quick, agile, and with a nice wide curved edge which cuts like the dickens. And made in USA.

 

[wasatchdan]

I love the Trail Hawk. Nice to see it works so well.

But hey, Khan; when you gonna strip that bad boy down and do some fun mods to it like the guys in the axe forum do to their TH's? It's too plain out of the box. That tommyhawk wants some modding love.

 

[MikeyJ]

The trailhawk is a great little tool. They're fairly lightweight and they take a pretty good edge. Yours has a really nice looking grain on the haft!

 

[Psyop]

I love the Trail Hawk. Nice to see it works so well.

But hey, Khan; when you gonna strip that bad boy down and do some fun mods to it like the guys in the axe forum do to their TH's? It's too plain out of the box. That tommyhawk wants some modding love.

LOL yeah mine got stripped and a patina right away. I sanded the haft and put a few coats of BLO and burned a few rings in it. Oh and a lanyard.

 

[The Warrior]

I love the Trail Hawk. Nice to see it works so well.

But hey, Khan; when you gonna strip that bad boy down and do some fun mods to it like the guys in the axe forum do to their TH's? It's too plain out of the box. That tommyhawk wants some modding love.

Mod? Someone say mod?

 

[Wolf_1989]

 

[GingivitisKahn]

Those hawks are nice, 25-30 is cheap for what you get. About as sharp as my mother in law out of the box but that is easily fixed. Unlike her.

Lol - love it!

I love the Trail Hawk. Nice to see it works so well.

But hey, Khan; when you gonna strip that bad boy down and do some fun mods to it like the guys in the axe forum do to their TH's? It's too plain out of the box. That tommyhawk wants some modding love.

I know, I know... I was almost embarrassed to be seen in public with an unmodded Trailhawk. On the plus side, I may be the only one with a Trailhawk that actually looks like that. Lazy man's customization!

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Beckerhead #42

 

[trailbum]

That is a interesting review.
I like the trailhawk and they a fun to throw.
Great tool cheap money.

 

[scouter27]

Ever have a preconceived notion busted?

I'm glad you said it. Too many people underestimate instruments designed for chopping in favor of a large knife. There's a lot you can do with a large knife, don't get me wrong. But you have to realize that almost the entire mass of the hawk is set right behind the chopping edge. On the BK9 and others like it, the majority of the mass is behind the segment where you're doing the majority of the chopping. It's doing nothing but slowing you down!

 

[abrasion]

After using a large knife to do my chopping goodness it was really an eye opener how much more accurate a hawk is. May be my poor technique but it is a huge difference.

 

[Guineaman]

I carry a small polished up norlund and it chops real well.the control of the bk9 for splitting kindling for fires is super.

 

[David_Parker03]

While the chop may do it more quickly, the BK9 is still more versatile in my opinion. However, still to large to only carry. I do think that with a smaller, stout folder, or even just a smaller fixed blade, you'd still be in the clear with those and CS Trail Hawk.

 

[ocnLogan]

Sweet post man, I love comparisons like this.

I couldn't help but notice that they were not cutting the same piece of wood, but I'm also sure they were pretty similar in size. But how similar were they?

And yea, I don't think I like the BK9 soley for its place as a great chopper. As you pointed out it also does other things well, and its that versatility that makes me love it.

And finally, because I'm still learnding, what exactly makes a hawk so much different than a hatchet? Because my BK9 out chops my hatchet by quite a margin, and is lighter and more useful so of course it is the one that I carry. But just from looking at the hawks in here, it looks like they just have a longer handle and a "funny" head? Anyone care to point out more of the differences for me and I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks again for the great thread .