Can I ask you Hawk guys a question? Input please..

Kentucky

Kentucky

Joined
Dec 13, 2008
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You all know we have been selling hawks for a while but its always been on a "as made" basis..Well Lisa has come up with the idea of selling at least one affordable standard tomahawk that will be on hand and a standard model..It will be a wrap&weld style, a traditional style hawk with a 1018 body and a full length bit of 1075 high carbon steel..1075 is an excellent Axe steel and to be honest is easy to temper correctly to have a tough blade with no "chippiness"..It will have a straight grain hickory handle and we are thinking of making it stained and oiled standard..Then give an option for a affordable edge cover..
Cutting edge of about 3 1/4"-3 1/2" wide..The head would likely be about 5 1/4" long..Forge finish but the spine and belly will be cleaned up..Will be sharpened nicely with a buffed edge...Thinking of pricing them at $50 plus shipping..What do you guys think? Thanks for any input:)
 
Sounds interesting. I would need to see it first. Also, what kind of weight are they going to be coming in at?
 
Sounds like a lot of high-quality, hand-made, traditional 'hawk for the price. Great from the buyer's point of view.
Are you concerned at all that a routine generic 'hawk might take all your time from more interesting projects and bore you to death?
 
Will the edge be ground with wood chopping in mind? Cause, it sounds like an awesome price.
 
Kentucky said:
What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

I think I want one....badly. Wondering about making the finish work such as staining and oiling being an option, though. The thing is, I would want to take something like what you describe and dress it up in the manner that some of us do in the "Mod'ing CS trailhawk thread". Do our own staining, a little decorative metal and leather work, etc.
 
Sounds pretty interesting - and pretty irresistable at that price!
 
I would pick one of these up in a heartbeat without any further info. A relatively cheap hawk from a custom forge that knows what their doing, which will work great and not be so pretty I'll cry using it. Though I'd be curious about the rough weight and length.
 
Thanks guys...
The handle is easily an option..Plain or stained..The edge, it can be ground pretty much anyway..I was thinking fairly thin but not overt thin convex edge..Should make a good chopper but if anyone has some pics of edges they want to suggest Id love to see it :)
The head weight, Id say about a pound(maybe a few ounces less) but of course Id have to weigh one...
Also its not like we plan on churning these things out by the dozenbs :D It is too easy to get bored and burnt out like that but it would be nice to keep some on hand and offer a few up every week..It seems people are always looking for something like this that they can buy "Now" and I understand that..Its a work in progress plan and its nice to get feedback that way it can be changed accordingly..The steel wont be here until next week ;)
Also the length, they would have standard 19" hickory hafts..Im sorry but that is as long as we can get without a major special order..If someone wants a shorter haft thats no problem at all..
 
I think Lisa has an excellent idea, There will always be those who want the outstanding product you and Lisa turn out, I have one of your hawks and love it, It was a little pricey by some standards but worth it to me to have a quality product. But there are the masses that just can't see spending over a certain amount for a hawk or knife for that matter, Just look at the success of less expsensive products like the Cold Steel hawk line for example, And in a different product line all together, McDonalds made hundreds of millions selling real cheap burgers, And with the proposed idea being economically viable, What do you have to lose? Just my opinion of course.:)
 
I would suggest they would sell very well.

That is about the price range I pay for beater hawks from CS.

A hand forged hawk for that price I think should sell well. Especially with your already established fan base on here.
 
As a "hawk stalker" of your work (not yet an owner), I would be extremely interested in this. I think an entry level hawk is a great idea and might bring more folks in to jump on some of your other work. That's my two cents.
 
Sounds like a really interesting venture. I'll certainly look forward to seeing a prototype or such like.
I could do with a true hawk to add to the inventory.
 
Kentucky, I have been a fan of yours for a long time. I love your work, Robin's work, and Randy's work. I would love to have one from each of you, but can not afford them right now. If you produce this hawk, I will order one immediately and hope to have one of the first you produce. I mod CS hawks, but would have to have my haft finished by Lisa since she does such great work.

Howard
 
Thanks for the input and kind words guys..We ordered the bit steel today..We buy almost all our steel from Aldo because I trust the quaility..His 1075 is great stuff..
 
Where's the sign up list?????

I've been wanting to try out a hawk, never had one. But I don't want to "try out" at $150+ hawk, nor do I want to send a dime to Cold Steel. $50 for your work would be a steal, IMO.
 
Maybe I'm odd, but I look at many of the forged hawks, and think that I don't need something that nice or expensive for camping. I have categories that I put my blades into, and for the basic tools, I like to keep it simple. I'll pay more for a specialized weapon, but I don't think I need a full tang Dan Winkler hawk, his level of artistry, or price to have a good wood chopping tool. I'm sure they are great, but overbuilt for my backpacking needs.
I have held off buying a backpacking tomahawk, I see some for $100 and up, and I may drool over them, want them, but have yet to put down the money. For me, this $50 hawk fits the requirements and the price, and I haven't even seen it yet. I like spike hawks, but not for camping, I don't like to see that spike pointed at me when I'm so far from a hospital.
I need something that keeps an edge, has the right amount of weight, strong haft, and yet I won't mind if someone else uses it.
 
Yes, I agree with everyone here that $50 plus shipping is a heck of a deal for a forged hand made hawk. I think at the price, you'll have quite a demand. Plus, you won't feel bad about giving it a good thrashing, because it is made for it.
 
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