cold steel trail hawk

S

siguy

Joined
Aug 26, 2006
Messages
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i am looking at getting a cold steel trail hawk, and i was wondering what you guys think about it. i asked this question over at the blade review area, not realizing this area was here before. all i got back over there was that cold steel no longer carries the trail hawk, even though they do.

anyways, i am looking at the trail hawk because it is light, it is cheap, and i like the design. on the video i saw them stick it into a cow skull and punch both ends through a car hood repeatedly, without even scratching the paint. and i admit i am impressed with this tool. but, i would like to know what a third party thinks of this, and if it worth the money. it is not so much a matter of cost, but i want to know if i should spend any money on something that will not hold up to tough conditions and that i cannot depend on.

thanks ahead of time for the help
 
Trailhawk is an OK starter. It is light and cheap. I bought two a year ago. My adult son and I found their limitations quickly. Both are long since retired. I figure I paid $25 apiece when shipping is figured in. We moved on to traditional style forged hawks from Fort Turner mostly. What stands out in my mind is that spending twice as much on a Fort Turner gets you much more than 2 times the tomahawk compared to the trailhawk. I would suggest you skip the $25 introductory lesson and invest $50 in a product that will hold up to plenty of hard use. Get a couple replacement handles though.
 
well i mostly want to get a really light tomahawk, and it is one of the lightest i have found measurements for. i also am planning on using it for small chopping and camp chores, not throwing, so from what i understand it might not take so much abuse as it might. at the moment it will be about $35 with shipping figured in, and i don't really want to spend much more at the moment. i have not used tomahawks before, just traditional hatchets and the like, but the design of the hawk intrigues me and i want to see if i feel comfortable using that style of blade.

if you wouldn't mind, could you please tell me the limitations that stick in your mind. i would like to know if they will be a problem for me or not, because different people have different expectations and requirements for thier tools, and they also use them differently.

thanks for the advice though. anyone else with any adivce for me?
 
I've got the Trailhawk and love it. I put a new edge on it and it's razor sharp, nice and light, and an extremely handy tool. Enjoy !
 
You are so right about people having different requirements for their tools. Our requirements differ I am sure. You asked for specifics We trim branches, throw them, use them around the campfire and carry them as woodsman's companions. We now have over a dozen hawks between us so we select the tool for the job. We put the trailhawk to all the uses mentioned and experienced severe chipping and even bending of the blade with uses we consider normal. The handle to head fit was poor from the factory. The thing is too small and too light for chopping branches more than a couple inches in diameter. Too much effort for too little return. The trailhawk is drop forged and poorly heatreated non spectacular steel. It's got a tiny hammer poll and scant cutting edge. Too delicate for my requirements. Your mileage may vary.
 
I bought one inexpensively, it turns out to be a fun thrower and reasonably good and lightweight tool.
 
hmmm...well it sounds like the pros outweight the cons from what i have heard and based on what i would be using it for (mostly cutting small saplings no more than a few inches in diameter, and as a general woodsman's aid). i think i will go ahead and get one (maybe one for cheaper off of ebay as someone suggested elsewhere...)

thanks for the advice everyone.

this is really a great forum. it is pretty much exactly what i was looking for. now i can find out for real what a knife (or in this case tomahawk) will do based on more than the company's description.
 
Have fun siguy. I truly enjoyed learning my way into the world of tomahawks. The trailhawk was my introduction. It has some positive attributes. The big handle absorbs some of the rebound energy from chopping and you can put a pretty keen edge on it, not to mention it swings pretty fast. I'm sure you'll have a good trip. Welcome to the forums.
ptn
 
These are the 3 that I use most often. The middle one is a Ft. Turner Camp Hawk and is very handy for trimming branches and splitting wood for the campfire. It takes a good edge and the hammer poll makes it a good general camp tool.

The top one is a Trail Hawk and is a cheap starter but the Turner is only 20 bucks more and as PTN says, you get more than twice as much hawk for the money.

I thought to post a side by side so you can see both. I cut the TH handle down to about 15" for throwing.

Hope this helps.

hatchet-

P1010505.jpg
 
For the record...a thankyou to hatchetjack. Over a year ago hatchetjack's tomahawk pictures helped get me to act on a lifelong fascination with tomahawks. I started with the trailhawk, which I badmouth a bit, but it wasn't a mistake. It's the reason I appreciate the better qualities of the hawks I prefer now.
 
hatchetjack thanks you!

I've wanted a 'hawk ever since Fess Parker (Daniel Boone) split the tree each week at the intro to his show. Maybe I'm dating myself here...

My son and I attend a Mt. Man gun show in Monroe, Washington every March and it was there that my son also got to throw a hawk and his fascination started too.

I also started out with a Trail Hawk and have graduated up in quality and quantity like any blade collector. I think when it comes to blades and flashlights, we all are kids at heart.

hatchet-

1597e61d.jpg


th002.jpg
 
I got a CS rifleman's hawk last summer and used it several times camping. It will take a file and a bit of elbow grease to put a decent bevel on it; after I did that, it's easy to touch it up with a cheap stone. (I would guess the other Cold Steel hawks are shipped in a similar condition.) The hammer poll is the same size as a regular carpenter's hammer, works great for driving tent pegs and whatever else you would want a hammer for.
I like the Rifleman very much; does everything I need it to in camp. I don't think it's what siguy is looking for, because he mentioned wanting something lightweight; the Rifleman is one of the heaviest hawks on the market, I think.
 
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