Cqc-t

D

Dwight McLemore

Joined
Aug 26, 2000
Messages
938
Well, I wanted to share this bit with everyone. My new Ernest Emerson CQC-T arrived yesterday. After a few hours of playing with it here are my initial impressions.

To begin with this is a very beautiful, functional tomahawk. It pretty much lives up to the description of being a 'battle tool'. It's sleek streamlined head that flows from a 3 inch primary edge to a descending back-spike that for all purposes is double edged. This is a really no-nonsense, mean, dirty back-spike that came VERY sharpe. Overall the hawk just scares-the-hell out of me. The balance point is about 1&1/2 inches along the handle from the head which gives it a very nice heft to accomplish light chopping for saplings and under brush. It will open an ammo box in a minute and successfully punch holes in most plywood doors. The nylon handle has a bit of minor flex to it and appears to be really very sturdy. The rubber O-Rings along the base of the handle really surprised me in terms of maintaining a stable grip. You can index your fingers in a variety of positions. The weight is just about right but it feels a bit heavier than the 16 ounces that has been advertized. While the weapon works well for the techniques that I written about, the shorter handle and overall design seems more suited to some of the methods that James Keating promotes. It is a close quarter weapon and that's good. During any flourishing action, the hawk's weight allows it to be recovered much more quickly than most of the heavier counterparts. The head appears ( I'm no technican ) to be attached by some sore of expansion nut recessed into the top of the head. Basically it can be replaced rather easily . While the hawk is sturdy and tough, it is not recommended for throwing.
On the down-side, you will pay for this quality product, however; if your looking for a modern hawk that you can pass on to the kids and grand-kids this is the one. The upcoming video shoot with Paladin Press had forced me to look for a current production model that truly represented what the modern tomahawk had evolved into. Guys, I think I just found it! Many thanks to Ernie Emerson and Andy Prisco for making this great hawk available.
Oh Yes ! I've been reminded that I was a not a big fan of the back-spike. Well, I'm working on it. To date I've only cut myself once with it and I'm learning an appreciation for that capability. You will probably want to make or have made your own sheath for this bad boy if your into quick draws and such. The CQC-T comes with a cargo sheath that both belt loops and strap options for attaching to yourself, cargo pack or duffel bag.

That's about it. This thing could become my favorite hawk.

All my best
Dwight
 
Dwight,
Thanks for the great review. I agree it is a very fine piece of work. Feels great in hand and also one of my favorites.
 
Dwight, I think it's cool that you're slowly warming up to the idea of the back-spike. From a purely weapon standpoint, a tomahawk with spike it just about the best you can get, in my opinion. Not only that, but from what I've heard the spike has apparently been pretty useful for miscellaneous tasks over in the sandbox. Tire deflation (for stability) and puncturing 55-gal. drums (to bleed the contents) could all be done with a knife, but the hawk spike really excels at this. I'll be VERY anxious to see what new techniques you may or may not come up with that utilize the back spike. Have you been approached about doing a second tomahawk book to go along with the video?

Incidentally, have you seen the Sayoc Sama Sama '03 clip they did with the tomahawk? Almost a fully half of their attack flow pattern utilizes the spike. It really drove home how vicious the tomahawk was and is intended to be!

-Ryan
 
i'll chime in and say that while i dont own the emerson hawk, i have a similar one with a backspike, nad that backspike has been VERY usefull for draining steel drums, old diesel tanks, breaking windows, and othe rduties.
 
Yep ! I figured you guys would get a kick out me working with a back spike. Right off the bat I did an Angle # 1 and recovery and nicked the back of my arm. As if the damn thing was telling me who was boss. Lesson, got to remember to push away from the body a bit on recovery and be aware of where that left arm is....
My wife said it was just poor technique and being sloppy. Women are hard arn't they. This spike is really more of a knife than a true spike. It has really a false edge on top and sharp edge underneath. I think it actually cuts it's way through when you punch a hole. (If I were still on active duty I think this is the hawk I would probably want to have on my pack. I'd carry a knife as back-up, not a hawk) My wife played with it the other day a bit and really likes it better than the traditional hawks I've got. I'm still more comfortable with the the hammer poll.

I've not seen the Sayou Sama Sama clip.....Is it on U-Tube?

Book with upcoming video? Yes, before John Ford retired at Paladin Press he had wanted one on the Southwest Tomahawk. I never got into that part of America that much so I did not feel qualified to talk intelligently about Western Plains tomahawk and Missouri War Hatchets. We decided to keep things for the video in the Eastern Woodland arena(and modern) arena where I am comfortable and I have my Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown Experts close to make sure I don't screw-up historically. The storyboards for the video have turned out so good that we decided to taylor them into a book that will expand a bit (and correct some of the technical errors) on what was in the original Fighting Tomahawk. Monday I meet with the Director to work out these details. We discussed selling both as a package. A comment was made to perhaps just publish the storyboards but these pencil sketches are in my personal drawing shorthand and may not be that clear to some people. That is about all to say in the way of tomahawk update. It's been very hard balancing surgery recovery, personal training, and putting the script and storyboard together. I've came close to overdoing a couple of times. That plus bouts with cabin fever have been a challange. Next month my old associates and I will start the train-up for the video....will be interesting to see how much my timing is off.
Keep your fingers cross for us and hope we turn out a worthwhile product.

All My Best
Dwight
 
survival sheath systems can make a speed draw kydex sheath for these.

i became cautious of spikes because if an opponent was to close the distance and grab the handle they could leverage it into you very easily. an off hand weapon would go a long ways to stopping that though. another reason is i find the hammer poll to be a much better tool so i have become more familiar with them over the last year.
 
crossada said:
i became cautious of spikes because if an opponent was to close the distance and grab the handle they could leverage it into you very easily. an off hand weapon would go a long ways to stopping that though. another reason is i find the hammer poll to be a much better tool so i have become more familiar with them over the last year.
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i'd like to see someone try that.

respectfully, brother - if you are worried about something like that with a superior weapon in your hands, then forget it, you are dead anyway in the real deal. - even if they did manage contact, there are so many deflections and parries that it is really nothing to be worried about IMHO.

i have been in deadly hand-to-hand with edged weapons BTW - it's not just a theoretical practice to me.

i like polls too, but spikes have more uses than just in combatives - they make great tools. - i use mine a lot for digging, and they are faster than a bit for chipping into wet logs to get to dry wood, among other tasks.

that said, i like hammer polls more as well, but spikes are certainly welcome - with technique in your head, the two types of hawks, poll and spike, are about a draw, advantage-wise. - so let's learn our sciences before we get too hasty with favorites, otherwise we are just one of those gear-freaks we make fun of when we are in the woods, right?


just trying to keep things in perspective, no offense meant.

:thumbup:

vec
 
that's cool Vec, no offense taken! i would like to think i'm open minded when it comes to this type of thing. i'm here to learn like everyone else;)
 
crossada said:
that's cool Vec, no offense taken! i would like to think i'm open minded when it comes to this type of thing. i'm here to learn like everyone else;)
Click to expand...

that attitude sets the standard, brother!

you are leading by example.

good on ya, mate!

:thumbup:

yer bud,

vec
 
respectfully, brother - if you are worried about something like that with a superior weapon in your hands, then forget it, you are dead anyway in the real deal. - even if they did manage contact, there are so many deflections and parries that it is really nothing to be worried about IMHO.
.....and hooks and pulls etc. This CQC-T will grab you-ass in a minute. Like I said its really sharpe on the bottom-side of the spike so it can cut you many ways. Bottom-line, just well designed weapon.
Vec. Tell me your rationale for these long, LONG handles, ...no ambush just curious. Besides I sort of like them too.

Best
Dwight
 
Dwight McLemore said:
Vec. Tell me your rationale for these long, LONG handles, ...no ambush just curious. Besides I sort of like them too.

Best
Dwight
Click to expand...

that's a good, big question to fit an answer on the end of, good-brother!

here's a few of many reasons i have, for long handles;

1) i can make them stronger than wood - self explanatory.

2) i can make them lighter than wood, or any composite handle on the market - by many degrees - self-explanatory again, probably.

3) more reach - self-explanatory....

4) two-handed functionality - self-explanatory...(did i say that already? :D:thumbup:).

5) though long (- as one of the options of a Standard Gen 1 Mk 3, we also make them diminutive lengths) our composite-handled hawks are still throwable - long hawks usually rule this out as a practicality - ours do not - as a matter of fact we can tune the hawks with ballast in the butt end to make them spin faster and with more control, if a brother wants... we encourage folks to beat the crap out of our hawks if they must, even if they don't usually throw their hawks - that's because of our Unconditional Warranty that we call the Happiness Guarantee - a hawk that can't take the rigors of combat should be gotten rid of IMHO.... - anyways, i would equate seeing a buzz-saw-like hawk moving downrange as a very scary thing - the bit hitting the target is just gravy, baby! - think of a boomerang in a straight profile with a man-eating hawk head on the end (or on both ends if you are as nuts as i get sometime...hehehehe...!)

6) more useful in a fight - the head on our hawks is just the warning. - while very kind on the hands, the radiussed edge of our Strike Plate will break your femur - i chop seasoned wood with the blanks before i finish them into a handle - this ain't no plastic pole, fellow-babies - while i prefer to think of our hawks as tools that also happen to be superlative weapons, the fact is that if you can break an unbraced human adult femur in combat, you can break anything else on the human body too - believe me, i know. - the handle saves energy in the swing because of the natural indexing that occurs in a multitude of bare and gloved hand sizes. - i had three hiking sticks at DirtTime 2008 that are based on the Gen 1 Mk 3 improved design - they had tool attachment points and ranging marks on them too, with some experimental materials and Kevlar in them ...anyways;

- one stick is in the Air Force now,

another is in Australia waiting for a brother stick we are going to make with some secret goodies in it...;

and the third is being used as a crevasse tool by an expert climber who told me yesterday that it is the best pull-up bar he has ever had - i tell ya! what is a vector to do with all these wookies as Investors?!!! - har! - they're killin' me. - the point is the handle alone is a weapon - a good one.

7) as mentioned with the crevasse tool concept (which i did not design them for, but as a designer i do not believe in limits for life-saving tools) - i really like the extra length of a proper long hawk, when i am running down the rocky tight little streams they have here in the San Diego back country - the hawk disappears in the arm even when running, because of the weight distribution of a proper long hawk - and with a stretch of the arm, you can make it between rock walls that are almost vertical, with a propping maneuver while you keep moving through the choke points - sort of like a cane that does other useful things too. - perhaps you see the value in such a humble field tool, brethren....

8) there's a whole lotta other reasons to have a long handle - especially when used as a tool - the Gen 1 Cross Section has been noted by a few expert carpenters among the Investors to allow one to be far away from a tiny nail, with a small Trail Hawk Poll, and still drive it home in one accurate, easy, shot, because of the indexing characteristics - you weaponeers can think of how that might come into play with a hawk in battle - imagine if you could always hit a man's temple, in a melee ...(!!!!) :cool::thumbup:... - don't worry i don't expect any buddy to believe it, that's why we do the Happiness Guarantee - we have had no returns and lots of re-orders to date - you don't get returns when you give folks a hammer that moves like a sjambok, recovers like a car antenna, and hits like a ton of bricks on dime-sized surfaces again, and again, and again - try that with wood or a heavy composite handle made of cheap moosh and non-aligned fibers BTW, and good luck... it's just a fact, i don't mean to piss in any buddy's Rice Krispies here, esteemed-brethren....

9) you can put more junk in the handles the longer they are - our handles are 90 percent space - ya can't do that with regular, moosh-composite handles and keep them strong enough for punishment, we intend to have capsules, reservoirs, knives, saws, spear gun spears and darts in ours, amongst other things... yes, i have a small needs/wants problem, thank you for not making fun of me too much, brother ...har...!


10) we are going to eventually make our composite handles sectional anyways, and they will be stronger than they are now too (NO COMPROMISES!!!) ...so you can have long and short in one package. :D - you will have long hawks when you want them (almost always, if we do our part right) and then be able to have a short little hawk when you want ( - Downtown L.A. suddenly comes to mind, i don't know why :D:thumbup:) - all in the same package.



did i just hear a pin drop...?


:cool::thumbup:

sorry to rant, as usual - i just love hawks too much....

hope i didn't bore ya - and that's just the short version....

don't get me started on all the offshoot designs....

i love these humble hawks.

vec
 
Vector: Nope you did not hear a pin drop! You heard me laughing because I'm impressed-as-hell that someone took the time to do some long awaited work with this thing called handles. Man, we got to talk sometime after the dust settles on other projects ...about more of your handle insights. I really understand what you mean about this thing being an extension, an aid...Wow. Good thoughts. Brother that was a good brief.. a really different perspective .

My Best
Dwight

My Best
Dwight
 
Dwight McLemore said:
Vector: Nope you did not hear a pin drop! You heard me laughing because I'm impressed-as-hell that someone took the time to do some long awaited work with this thing called handles. Man, we got to talk sometime after the dust settles on other projects ...about more of your handle insights. I really understand what you mean about this thing being an extension, an aid...Wow. Good thoughts. Brother that was a good brief.. a really different perspective .

My Best
Dwight

My Best
Dwight
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thank goodness!

some buddy understands my problem! - har...!

thanks for the kind thoughts, brother mclemore! - and i look forward to carrying on the conversation with you and the other cool cats here. - we are fortunate that such communities as this forum exist IMHO, full of good-hearted, knowledgeable folks.

your bud,

vec
 
Good to see all yalls smiling mugs again. I started out using an Eastwing some years back..because I like my stuff really..REALLY...really sharp,,I started using it to cut up whole chickens and veg for stir fry just to prove I could..more recently I use the spike on my hawk to loosen the soil around edible plants to pluck them whole from the ground. I used my Renegade last year to process deer..When I go about chopping in soil or thru bones I touch up the edge and they are always hair shaving next time I need them.
 
Darn it. I thought I was done buying blades for a bit. Now I see I have to get one or more of Vector's hawks;):eek:
 
Update. Ugh....so got to eat a bit of 'Crow' here......Over three weeks working with CQC-T. I'm putting more & more time in on the use of the back-spike and really getting more impressed each day. It seems to be the answer for recovering from a miss and handling any follow on attacks to an opponent's arm, elbow or even head. I'm still 'VERY EDGE AWARE' with this weapon but I think that has helped me over-come what my original concerns were. Got to explore more about the sheaths for these. Traditions ones just are not going to work. Will keep you guys posted.
Best
Dwight
 
Dwight McLemore said:
Update. Ugh....so got to eat a bit of 'Crow' here......Over three weeks working with CQC-T. I'm putting more & more time in on the use of the back-spike and really getting more impressed each day. It seems to be the answer for recovering from a miss and handling any follow on attacks to an opponent's arm, elbow or even head. I'm still 'VERY EDGE AWARE' with this weapon but I think that has helped me over-come what my original concerns were. Got to explore more about the sheaths for these. Traditions ones just are not going to work. Will keep you guys posted.
Best
Dwight
Click to expand...
Dwight, you've got me tickled just waiting to see what you come up with for use with the back-spike as far as new material goes. I figure there was a reason a lot of them old folks had spikes on their 'hawks. :D :thumbup:
 
I find the CQC-t too short in the handle. Shame it's not a bit longer.
 
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