i think the Cold Steel VN Hawk absolutely sucks with the handle that is on it.
i would go so far as to say it is dangerous and a liability. - the eye is too small, the wood is too weak.
if you must go with a VN-style hawk - i would go with the SOG, which i don't have experience with, but i consider the VN hawks to all be absolute pigs until you mod them.
that said, for perhaps a small amount more, Coal Creek Forge and a few others will make you a perfectly-serviceable spike hawk that will be more reliable and versatile IMHO. the heartburn you will avoiid will be worth it, if nothing else.
i respectfully disagree with a lot of the other advice here, about hawks being melee weapons and all that - they simply haven't owned a real, balanced, lightweight hawk, which will out-transport, out-work and out-fight any knife out there that is shorter than a machete.
again; respectfully! - in a similar vain, a lot of folks think spikes are only for tactical applications - that tells me a lot about their bush skills. - a spike can dig into wet logs and penetrate frozen or rocky ground faster than any bit or poll can, and it saves the bit for other work while making a chisel an unnecessaary hawk accesory for advanced field applications in most instances.
this is why we made the Penetrator Poll on the BUG hawk modifications that we do - the face of the poll is small enough to be a good compromise for a spike modality, while still allowing you to hook and hammer with the poll.
good luck on your decision, brother.
HTH.
vec