- Joined
- Jul 7, 2014
- Messages
- 2,021
Well guys I am by no means an axe/hatchet guy. I have both, but nothing special and they only get used on occassion. I have kinda wanted a tomahawk type hatchet for a while for the cool factor. I got the seige because despite the alleged 3CR13 china steel, it was only about $45 and I couldnt justify more than that for a hawk (despite opening the package with my 0454... i cant explain it). Overall I was pleased.
Truth be told, I forgot about preordering this way back when. It arrived today to my surprise. I took it out back and swung at some wooden things for a bit.
Here it is!
First impressions were good for the price. Grips felt good. It certainly does not feel flimsy. The steel is full tang and about .22 inches thick. Much heavier than my smaller wooden handle hatchet.
Okay first complaint is the sheath. I had to STRUGGLE to snap the buttons to get this thing on. I cant imagine trying to do it with the sheath on my belt. The fabric on the fastener could have been a quarter inch longer.
Nail puller and "china" stamp. The nail puller did not work well on small headed nails.
Typical KAI, the edge is hair popping sharp out of the box. Will it last?
Fits the hand well. Easily room for a two handed swing.
The piercing side is very pointy sharp. I dont know what I would use this for.
I beat on and partially dismantled an old dog house with the piercing side of the hawk. It would penetrate through half inch plywood easily. After working for 10 minutes or so the point still seems in good shape. Slight markings on the oxide coating.
Next to test the edge I chopped through a 4 by 4 pressure treated post. It seems like this stuff does a great job at dulling my saw blades so why not try it. It cut about how I would imagine. Good sized chunks but nothing that blew my mind. The cooler thing was I could still pop a hair or two on the edge, but it had dulled slightly.
For practical purposes, I could still create shavings with the edge after this chopping.
Obligatory stuck in a tree pic
Found a standing dead tree out back. The outer inch or two was soft, but the core was hard and dry. Worked the tree down and then just chopped at the stump for a while.
Back inside - cant quite capture the edge. There are very small imperfections present and they are easier to feel or see in person that to photograph. For all practical purposes the edge is still sharp. I couldnt cleanly cut printer paper with it, but it is by no means rolled. If I had some firewood tinder to split I have no doubts it would do the job.
My takeway as a non woodsman and non axe guy is that it feels like a decent value for the money. I can tell that the ZT hawk is going to be insane with the Vanadis 4 steel on it considering how okay this chinese steel is doing. If you want a tomahawk to play around with or to do some occasional chopping I would think this tomahawk is a decent buy.
Truth be told, I forgot about preordering this way back when. It arrived today to my surprise. I took it out back and swung at some wooden things for a bit.
Here it is!
First impressions were good for the price. Grips felt good. It certainly does not feel flimsy. The steel is full tang and about .22 inches thick. Much heavier than my smaller wooden handle hatchet.
Okay first complaint is the sheath. I had to STRUGGLE to snap the buttons to get this thing on. I cant imagine trying to do it with the sheath on my belt. The fabric on the fastener could have been a quarter inch longer.
Nail puller and "china" stamp. The nail puller did not work well on small headed nails.
Typical KAI, the edge is hair popping sharp out of the box. Will it last?
Fits the hand well. Easily room for a two handed swing.
The piercing side is very pointy sharp. I dont know what I would use this for.
I beat on and partially dismantled an old dog house with the piercing side of the hawk. It would penetrate through half inch plywood easily. After working for 10 minutes or so the point still seems in good shape. Slight markings on the oxide coating.
Next to test the edge I chopped through a 4 by 4 pressure treated post. It seems like this stuff does a great job at dulling my saw blades so why not try it. It cut about how I would imagine. Good sized chunks but nothing that blew my mind. The cooler thing was I could still pop a hair or two on the edge, but it had dulled slightly.
For practical purposes, I could still create shavings with the edge after this chopping.
Obligatory stuck in a tree pic
Found a standing dead tree out back. The outer inch or two was soft, but the core was hard and dry. Worked the tree down and then just chopped at the stump for a while.
Back inside - cant quite capture the edge. There are very small imperfections present and they are easier to feel or see in person that to photograph. For all practical purposes the edge is still sharp. I couldnt cleanly cut printer paper with it, but it is by no means rolled. If I had some firewood tinder to split I have no doubts it would do the job.
My takeway as a non woodsman and non axe guy is that it feels like a decent value for the money. I can tell that the ZT hawk is going to be insane with the Vanadis 4 steel on it considering how okay this chinese steel is doing. If you want a tomahawk to play around with or to do some occasional chopping I would think this tomahawk is a decent buy.
