Eagle Talon

P

Phil the SP

Joined
Aug 7, 2001
Messages
139
Ok guys, what's the scoop?

I've searched the site, read what's been posted..

Good deal.

Now, who's got one, who's put it through its paces, and what do you think about it??

Phil
 
I don't have one, but seeing as how in a full day no one has replied, I will say some probably useless BS while you wait for someone who OWNS an Eagle Talon to reply...

I have talked to a few people who own one of these hawks and they gave nothing but A+ marks on this tool/weapon. From what I hear its as tough as nails and as efficient as delta force. Probably not the most fun hawk to take throwing but definitely a kick ass tool and one of the top CQB hawks out there. Again, I don't know Ryan and have not done personal business with him but from every single person I have heard from who HAS done business with him it has been nothing but GREAT. I have not heard one negative or even neutral thing about RMJ Forge or the Eagle Talon; it has all been very positive and very encouraging feedback... let's see if any Eagle Talon owners decide to get off their butts and reply... :D
 
Well you sure have a way of getting someone to say something. I had one in Afghanistan this year. It was a very good weapon and tool. The sheath is good and attaches easily to a ruck. It can also be easily extracted from the sheath while mounted on a ruck. Having it made of one piece of metal gives it a very solid feel and you do not have to worry about the handle breaking. It is a good piece of kit and is worth the money. I found the handle small in my hand so I added some more wrap to it. I recommend it.

Jeff
 
What's up with the nude pictures Van Gundy? You decide to join the navy?
 
ooo I'm sorry :eek: seeing a guy's shoulders is just too much for ya huh... Maybe its jealousy :D Funny of you to notice... no one else has. ;) If it would please you I will change it from PG to G :p
 
I have one:D

Well, lets see... I haven't had a chance to play with it yet, but it feels great in the hand, and it's the best feeling hawk I've handled. I picked mine up from Ryan at Blade, played with some of the ATC's there, and no offence to Andy or ATC, but the plastic handled hawks they make felt like toys in comparison. Please don't take that the wrong way, I still have an ATC vietnam tactical on my list of stuff to acquire, but it's for the lighter weight aspect, and it's a cool hawk as well.

Everyone I have shown the Eagle Talon to has loved it. I also played with the RMJ crash axe at Blade, and will add one of those to my arsenal as soon as I can do so. I've carried mine a few times, and agree that it has a well done sheath with it. Hopefully I can get some time out in the woods to play with it, but it's been nearly a year since the last time I went camping:(
 
As you know I have said good things about the Eagle Talon already in this thread and I'm sure its one of the best hawks out there! But as for ATC and the ACETAL handles; since when is light a NEGATIVE aspect? I have 3 ATC hawks (another on the way), 2 with the "plastic" handles and I would put them up against anything. Solid construction is great but I have beat the living shtuff out of one of the "plastic" handle hawks and have had not the SLIGHTEST problem with it at all. It works! Very well. I like the feel of lightness and better grip as long as the hawk gets the job done; and does it ever. I would also not put anything down I hadn't used; and the Eagle Talon is on my list; I have heard enough great things about it by now to know it has to be good at least and can't wait until I save enough money for one.
 
I didn't mean to sound negative on the ATC hawks. I was just saying that to me the Eagle Talon feels tons better. I also mentioned that I wanted one of the ATC's for the lightness factor. I rarely make a gear decision based on weight, but there are times where the acetal, which is fancy plastic, ATC Vietnam Hawk would be nicer than the big all steel Eagle Talon.

Sorry if I came off as negative, I'm not... just giving my opinion. If you don't like said opinion, skip it next time.
 
Well as we were on the side of a mountain it didn't get to see much wood but I did open a couple of ammo boxes when I helped a 60mm crew get set up. It made short work of opening cases of rations especially when they were pallet loaded from the resupply. I used my shovel to dig in. I normally carried a machete when in the field on my rucksack but decided it was useless so the hawk went instead. I think in normal bush it would fit in nicely. For that matter, my RR Spike, soon to come NG Ranger, Vietnam Tactical or Light Infantry Hawk could cover the duty as well.

The only negative thing that happened with the talon was I had it attached to the outside of my ruck on the side in the Afghani sun and it heated up. I grabbed it with my bare hands and gave myself a little burn. After that I added some more 550 on the handle and covered the hawk with a triangular bandage. Problem solved. My own fault not the hawk's....makes a good story anyway.

Jeff
 
Ok guys, I don't want to turn this into yet another ATC vs RMJ post. Let's just keep it to the Talon, ok?

C'mon, there has to be more people out there who own these things...

Phil
 
Hi, this is my first post and i have a talon. I recieved one from one of the first runs. I pretty much beat the crap out of it. Overall it performed greatly except for when i bent the spike. I also bent the handle. I sent it back to Ryan and he explained to me about the steel types and everything. Right now i'm waiting for a new one. i don't know if this really helps but if you have any questions i'll asnwer them. By the way i am simply just an "outdorist", i'm not in the military or anything. Michael
 
I bent the handle by driving it into an old pine stump and prying loose pine ladder. I bent the spike by throwing it...b/c of the heat treat and steel it bent and later, after continual use, part of the spike broke off. I would def. not recomend throwing the talon if you have one from one of the earlier batches, as they were not intended to be thrown. For anyone getting a talon, i recomend you consider what you're gonna use it for and climate when considering which handle you want. I had the micarta scales and didn't use it w/ gloves in a real wet area and it tore my hands up, so i would recomend if you don't intend, or even if you do, to wear gloves go w/ the cord wrap. That is just my personal experience and the new one i'm getting in will have cord wrap instead of micarta scales. The hardness and all the specs. on the talon are on ryan's site (www.rmjforge.com). Despite what happened i thought it was an awesome tool. I do have some comments about what was previously said about atc and rmj. I think that weight is a major factor, especially when considering who these hawks are designed for. I mean the special forces have to carry alot of stuff and weight is a major factor. I think ryan's major advantage over atc is its tuffness and spike design, while atc's is light weight and w/ light weight comes speed not only in carrying but in use as a weapon as well. Both are great, though i do not own an atc, i have gotten to handle one. Hepe this helps, Michael
 
Based on my experience with my Talon, I found it to be more of a "battle axe" in terms of weight and controllability...rather than a "tomahawk". To me, for it to be called a 'hawk, is should be about a pound less & have a more neutral balance. This would allow the user to recover & change the direction of his/her swing faster....kind of like you can with an ATC VT. ;) That being said, if you ever did "connect" with a Talon....you'd inflict some serious damage indeed...
 
I agree with warriorsociologist. Whenever that spike hits kevlar, it will def. devestate it. Which was it's main design purpose.
 
AFLAC003 :

I bent the handle by driving it into an old pine stump and prying loose pine ladder. I bent the spike by throwing it...b/c of the heat treat and steel it bent and later, after continual use, part of the spike broke off.
Click to expand...

Could you clarify the "b/c of the heat treat and steel" part?

I had the micarta scales and didn't use it w/ gloves in a real wet area and it tore my hands up, so i would recomend if you don't intend, or even if you do, to wear gloves go w/ the cord wrap.
Click to expand...

Based on the pictures :

http://www.rmjforge.com/eagle_talon_special_forces_tomah.htm

and working with micarta grips and cord wrap, I have always found cord wrap to be vastly more abrasive. On the Talon is the micarta finished very rough, or was it vibration or what?

-Cliff
 
Ryan changed the heat treat he was currently doing as well as the type of steel he was using. He just explained that the hawks from this batch were not supposed to be thrown because the special forces would never throw them. I threw mine so that's why the spike bent and the tip would later break off.

The hawk vibrated based on what material was being chopped and how far down the handle you hold the hawk to chop. The higher up you hold it the less it vibrates. Whenever i was on the creeks or in the swamp areas, i would get wet. After a while the micarta left black on the areas of skin where it touched, i dont' know what this was from. It also tore up my hands. I think this was due to a combo. of vibration and grip. I have found that the cord wrap seems to grip better in some situations especially when wet, it was just a suggestion based on my experience. I must emphasize that this is a great tool despite any of my complaints.

Michael
 
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