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Entry level tomahawk opinions?

B

BobJones567

Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
30
Hey everybody,

I lurk here more than post, but blade forums has never steered me wrong. I have some gift cards to Amazon and have been thinking about trying an entry level tomahawk in the 30 to 40 dollar range. Something to play around with, but I want it functional if needed. So far i have been eyeing the following:
- Cold steel trench hawk
- SOG Tactical hawk
- United Cutlery M48
- Estwing Tomahawk

As you can tell, I have my eye on something more "tactical", maybe to try some throwing as well, but I would like something to possibly keep in the car trunk for "just in case" situations. Anybody have any opinions or other options? I've been looking through the forums for reviews & comparisons, but I haven't really seen anything to help me make up my mind yet. Thanks in advance for your help!
 
For the price range your looking at, you can find one of the models you listed to give you a decent idea for how a tomahawk behaves and feels in the hand. If you plan on using it for much more than very light use.....I would personally avoid the SOG and M48.

The Cold Steel and Estwing both have very good reputations as users. I have an Estwing, and it's a very durable piece.

You didn't really say too much about what you plan to do with it, but if you were to up your budget to around the $100 mark, your possibilities open up to some very nice higher end hawks.
 
Ummmm!!! I have owned an M48 since they first came out, and guess what it is still going. My brother in law has the same one, as does his cousin. They have been thrown many times, used on numerous camping trips, and still all are fully functional. IMHO they are a pretty good bang for the buck. I can't say much for Cold Steel and Sog except I refuse to give either company ANY of my money. However if you want a REAL Hawk save up a few hundred and look into Swamp Rat or Benchmade.
 
@snakebreaker: My budget is pretty much set at this point. As far as purpose, I am into sharp, pointy things as are most posters here. ;) I have a decent variety of knives, some Tramotina machetes, a Kabar Cutlass machete, etc. I had some gift card money and realized I have never really handled a tomahawk before. So I really want something that will give me a feel for one, but will be functional as well (I don't want wall hangers). So maybe beating around in the woods, attempting to throw it a little, and Zombie preparedness of course. I figure a tactical hawk with a spike would actually get the most use out of me for demolition purposes. My only hesitation with the Estwing is that I get the impression it seems more like a hammer than say the trench hawk. Of course I could be wrong, but I haven't found one locally I could handle. Does that help? Thanks for all the replies!
 
I'm betting the Eastwing's the toughest of the group-It is rather hammerlike- I'd choose it.
 
Firestrike said:
Ummmm!!! I have owned an M48 since they first came out, and guess what it is still going. My brother in law has the same one, as does his cousin. They have been thrown many times, used on numerous camping trips, and still all are fully functional. IMHO they are a pretty good bang for the buck. I can't say much for Cold Steel and Sog except I refuse to give either company ANY of my money. However if you want a REAL Hawk save up a few hundred and look into Swamp Rat or Benchmade.
Click to expand...

I have two SOGs that have held up to a ton of abuse as well, but these kinds of hawks have a proven history of failure. There are countless reports of breakages you can find online......I've had several fail, and I personally know several people who have had them fail as well.

In my opinion.....avoid these hawks.
 
I've owned a CS Trench Hawk for several years. It handles abuse well. I have broken a handle once, replacements are about $8 and easily installed. A couple of my friends have the SOG and M48 models. They have broken the handles multiple times. I've been looking at the Estwing my self. Estwing hammers are very durable. There tomahawks should be just as good.
 
The Cold Steel Frontier is super light weight if that is a consideration for you, for a pack etc. And because it has so little mass it isn't the best chopper in the world. It's ok for light work. The Cold Steel Rifleman has serious mass and bites deep, unfortunately it's as buttfugly as a baboons arse.
 
I have the Trench Hawk. It could be viewed as a problem, but maybe not, that the bit can't be buried into a target very deeply because it gets stopped by the handle. (The handle wraps around the head, rather than the head wrapping around the handle as in a more traditional construction.)

I know it's not on your list, but if you're considering other options, I much prefer the Husqvarna carpenter's axe as an all-purpose tool, and it's also available on Amazon.
 
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