Demko Hawk in Afghanistan

[Longtrang]

Part 1
Well I have been carrying this bad boy on duty for a few weeks now and I think I am finally ready to give an good review. First I just want to start by thanking Andrew for his extremely generous donation of his new hawk for this review. The picture sharing sites are mostly blocked here so you guys will have to make do with the thumbnails until I get that sorted out.

Specs From Demko:
S7 Tool Steel
Differential Heat Treatment
57RC Blade 40RC Handle
Powder Coat Finish
Hand Ground Blade and Spike
Custom Shaped G-10 Scales
JRE Industries Leather Sheath
Weight - 1lb 10oz
Blade Length - 2 7/8"
Overall Length - 16"
Spike Length - 3 1/2"
Head Width - 7"
Thickness - .280"

Fit and finish:
Hands down some of the most comfortable scales I have every felt. The grooves add a great deal to the overall appearance while giving good solid grip traction when swinging, with or without gloves. Surprisingly I haven't had any hotspots on my hands while using it. Haven't made use of the lanyard hole yet but I think i may jus put a loop of 550 cord through it in the not too distant future.

Balance:
It's not as top heavy as you might think. The balance point is just above the scales, making it extremely quick. However hawk is heafty enough for some serious chopping if need be.

Design:
I would have to say the main reason a lot of us carry hawks has more to do with armored vehicles and less to do with 'ghosting tangos'. The vehicles we travel in have doors that can weigh up to 400lbs and are extremely prone to rollover. Pretty much if you do rollover and can't get out through the turret, some cases the vehicles don't even have them, then you are just stuck until someone can come and get you out. The glass is over two inches thick so kicking out the windshield is not an option. You can, however pick and chop your way out if you have a decent hawk with a spike. The spike on the Demko Hawk seems almost designed with that task in mind. It still makes for a devastating weapon, I have no doubt it can puncture kevlar helmets with ease.

I am limited on time so I will have to post Part 2 tomorrow.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/977959-Demko-Hawk - stateside pics
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/974289-Demko-Knives-All-Steel-Tomahawks

 

[jwaj]

Looking forward to part 2.

I tried a lanyard on my hawk and it got hung up on stuff so I ditched the lanyard. I probably should have coiled and taped it or made a non-loop slip knot style one. Just an idea. Stay safe.

 

[d.weglarz13]

Yes, im am also looking forward to part 2. thanks for the review, i think i need one of these now..

 

[JParanee]

Great Hawk

Thx for taking the time

 

[shortwinger]

Longtrang,

Nice review and let's hope you never have to use it for the reasons you described. Good luck over there and come back safely!

 

[rustyrazor]

Don't take this the wrong way but i don't think the main reason anyone carries a hawk is to hack their way out of a vehicle... if that's the case you would be better off getting a solid prybar or a bottle jack. Most guys carry them because they look cool hanging off your gear and have visions of "whatever" awesome thing they could do with it... ghosting tangos for instance. That being said, the hawk has developed into a valuable tool for chores like breaching locked doors and accessing almost anything needing accessed and this one looks like a real winner and I hope you get to put it through the paces over there and come back safe.

 

[jbmonkey]

Good review and nice tomahawk. Looking forward to the next part of the review.

Stay safe over there.

 

[jwaj]

rusty, hawks are a compromise to full sized breaching tools for sure. The positives are portability and immediate access. Often times, you only get to use what you have.

 

[Longtrang]

Don't take this the wrong way but i don't think the main reason anyone carries a hawk is to hack their way out of a vehicle... if that's the case you would be better off getting a solid prybar or a bottle jack. Most guys carry them because they look cool hanging off your gear and have visions of "whatever" awesome thing they could do with it... ghosting tangos for instance. That being said, the hawk has developed into a valuable tool for chores like breaching locked doors and accessing almost anything needing accessed and this one looks like a real winner and I hope you get to put it through the paces over there and come back safe.

Trust me, a pry bar won't do a thing to ballistic glass. The cool factor has always affected what troops carry, however I was sold on the idea of the tactical hawk watching one be used to chop through the glass on an up-armored vehicle. I view the hawk as a sort of a multi-tool. It makes a great weapon, it can aid with vehicle egress, it can fill a breaching roll, it can preform camp chores in a SERE situation or if say you are not on an established base. They are popular with troops because of their versatility.

 

[JayGoliath]

We can all appreciate the leverage of the hawk, especially at 16" or longer. My long sold RMJ Talon gave me that feel.
My comfort zone is 12- 15".

 

[Longtrang]

Part 2

Sorry it took so long to get part 2 up. I am compiling the pics I took and will add them to this thread soon

Sheath:

Again excellent quality and craftsmanship. High grade leather that is surprisingly resistant to scuffing. The over the shoulder design is very comfortable to wear and can easliy be thrown behind my back when I have to work on the ground. My only complaint is mostly about the difficulty carrying a hawk period not specific to this particular tool. The sheath is great for outdoors activities and the retention snap closes with authority. In the future I am going to have a kydex sheath made so I can attach it to my gear a little easier. But as far as leather sheaths go the one included with the hawk is top shelf.

Summary:

Overall the Demko hawk is my new favorite piece of equipment. The versatility of the design makes it useful for such a large number of situations, I would say it's a must have for anyone in harms way or even just collectors and enthusiasts.
Last word about that spike. I dropped it by accident and the damn thing went throught the carpet and stuck in the cement. Not chipped the cement floor, not dinged it and fell over, the freaking thing stuck. Not sure how far it went in but it was far enough to hold the hawk up. Only damage done to the hawk was a little bit of paint missing at the point, other than that the tip is still perfect.

 

[Longtrang]

 

[JParanee]

Can you please post up picks of the leather sheath front back etc.

Thx

 

[Longtrang]

 

[Longtrang]

Can you please post up picks of the leather sheath front back etc.

Thx

Sure thing.

 

[rustyrazor]

rusty, hawks are a compromise to full sized breaching tools for sure. The positives are portability and immediate access. Often times, you only get to use what you have.

fully agree... was just playing devils advocate in your very same thought line in that Hawks are extremely useful compromises to a lot of other tools you just cannot carry on your person at all times, as opposed to when you are in a vehicle when you can carry a boat load of other gear. and that the "main" reason for a tomahawk isnt vehicle egress, but one of the hundred other uses they are good for when you can only take what you carry.

 

[JParanee]

Thx for the photos of the leather. It looks great

Why would you prefer a kydex scabbard over he leather one ?

 

[tiburon]

Thanks for taking the time to take and post photos Longtrang! :thumbup:

 

[Longtrang]

Thx for the photos of the leather. It looks great

Why would you prefer a kydex scabbard over he leather one ?

Only reason is the ability to put it on my Molle gear.

 

[Longtrang]

I have been taking more pics, I'll post some soon.