good tomahawk

S

SkaerE

Joined
Sep 9, 2001
Messages
428
ok, im thinkin about getting a tomahawk for general camp use and some throwing just for havin fun.

heres what im lookin at so far...any ideas would be appreciated

two hawks longhunter hawk
" " competition thrower

cold steel plainsman (if i can find one)
cold steel frontier

thats about all i know of...(i dont want to spend more than $100 at the VERY maximum)

thanks all
 
You can't go wrong with any of the 'hawks offered by Two Hawks. Currently I have three of his competition Hawks, a rawhide wrapped Voyageur ,three of the large Cold Steel throwers (CarbonV)and a French Trade scalper Knife with a period sheath. The Scalper could be used as a scalpel! Everything he offers is top-shelf. Two Hawks is not only an artist and a craftsman, he's a professional that takes great pride in his work. The finish on all of my 'hawks is nothing short of phenomenal. Everything comes with a razor sharp edge. There is nothing that you need to do when you receive your order. Of course , maintaining your tools and keeping the edge is your responsibility, but, I've received many differant products from other sources that were either not "finished" or needed an edge applied. Not so with anything ordered from Mr Thalmann. You can't go wrong, I'm very satisfied with the products AND the service provided by Two Hawks!, Mike Kerr
 
The Cold Steel tomahawks do not come with a functional edge and I don't simply mean they are not sharp but that the bevels don't actually meet. You will want to take a file to them to create an edge and then sharpen it. As well the handles don't come attached, and the taper of the handle does not match the taper of the head. It was very easy for mine to come off until I took a file to the inside of the eye and worked on it a little.

That being said I was quite surprised at the durablity. Maybe I just got an exceptional one but the one I have has an excellent combination of a high enough hardness to resist excessive edge impaction on miss throws, but not that high that the head itself is fragile. I have used it as a hammer driving nails (all sides of the eye look) with no problems. I would say that the best way to view these 'hawks is that you can make a good tool out of them if you put in some work.

Andy Prisco, of ATC, also offers top grade tomahawks, I have used the Rogers Ranger Spike tomahawk from ATC and it has all the features you want in a tomahawk, and the product line is steadily improving. However the price is a bit higher than what you noted - but it is a once in a lifetime purchase. It is not like you need to buy a replacement.

-Cliff
 
I recently picked up one of th H&B forge tomahawks, and I purchased one of the cold steel hawks about 6 months ago. Both of these hawks are easily within your price range (under $40 delivered). I compared the cold steel hawk to a Canadian drop forged hawk I've had for a few years, since I didn't have the H&B at the time.

CS: Unlike Cliff's, mine came with the handle fairly tightly fitted. The wood is a light colored and finished rather shiny. The blade has a shiny black paint finish. The factory edge was poor, but a few minutes with a dremel followed by file and stone put a decent edge on it. This is the lightest full size hawk of the three I own. I did some light chopping with it, and it seemed to cut fine, though it doesn't have a lot of oomph. My initial impression was that this particular hawk is configured more as a thrower/fighter than a worker. To test the durability, I placed some wood on a patio paver and on the second cut, intentionally missed the wood, striking the paver with a 3/4 swing. This was to simulate a miss while cutting wood and striking stone. (Cliff's rubbing off on me, I guess :D) There was no severe damage to the blade. The resulting ding was easily steeled to say 1mm deep by 3 long and a few minutes with a file totally removed it. Nails hammered with the poll left scratches in the paint, but no dings.

Canadian forged thrower: This hawk is far heavier than the CS hawk. I believe I've seen them at blackpowder events in the $30-40 range. The hawk has a flat black paint finish, and the raised, forged lettering gives it a slightly too modern look for me. Kind of reminds me of a pipe wrench. There is a roughly finished narrow poll that looks almoost like the cutoff of a sprue. The handle is slightly darker and satiny finished, though this may be the result of wear. The heavier weight of this hawk made it work far better than the CS. The impact test results were about the same, but more metal had to be removed to get rid of the ding since the blade is thicker. I struck the poll quite hard with the back of a Barteaux machete and there was no damage.

H&B: Wood appears to be stained with no other finish applied. It could use a good steel wooling when I have the time. Overall the length is similar to the other two hawks I've described, but the weight is closer to the Canadian hawk. The blade is handforged and has what appears to be thin varnish or linseed oil applied to protect the blade from rust. Very traditional looking. Ther is a small burr or ding at the top of the blade that may have occurred during shipping, and some grind marks are visible along the bottom edge of the blade. I haven't had the time to test this one yet, but it balances well and the heavier weight should make it a good worker. If you search the forums, you should find a full review someone did of the H&B hawk a few weeks back.

Hope that helps,
Patrick
 
Outdoors :

I did some light chopping with it, and it seemed to cut fine, though it doesn't have a lot of oomph.
Click to expand...

Yes, my Norse hawk has the exact same feel. I have dropped the edge profile down significantly by reaming it out with a belt sander, but even with a very acute edge profile it doesn't chop as well as the Gransfors Bruks hatchet, which has a much shorter handle. The weight is a little low which is probably the major reason for the difference although the straight handle is a disadvantage as well, how much so I am not sure. I think I will eventually put a straight handle on one of the hatchets and see how much it effects the performance. Also the thinner tomahawk profile will bind readily in the wood, much more so than the hatchet.

Cliff's rubbing off on me, I guess
Click to expand...

There are pills you can take for that before it gets out of hand.



There was no severe damage to the blade. The resulting ding was easily steeled to say 1mm deep by 3 long and a few minutes with a file totally removed it. Nails hammered with the poll left scratches in the paint, but no dings.
Click to expand...

That mirrors my experience as well. My only reservation is with long term impact shock resistance. I have only used mine for a few months. However even if you had to replace them every couple of years, at the price they are it is not like that would be a major setback. However concerning the price of the Bruks hatchet and the quality, if you don't want to throw it, I don't see the Cold Steels as being a viable product considering the level of competition. But, if you do want to throw it, the Bruks hatchet is not a functional piece, however considering that there are other tomahawks not much more expensive, I would much rather spend a few more dollars and go there. I have no experience with the H&B products, however they are not much more expensive than Cold Steel and I would bet strongly the performance is much greater.


Concerning the handle attachment, the official word from Cold Steel is that they are supposed to come firmly attached and that they should be able to withstand throwing (you don't need much of an attachment to take chopping). However mine came seperate as well as a few others I have heard from in email. Also I know of one person who sent them back to Cold Steel to have them attached and they quickly worked off while throwing. It could be simply that the QC for the eye/handle taper is poor.


-Cliff
 
The Cold Steel 'hawks are great for the money. Everything stated thus far, is about right. Out of all the CS hawks that I have ordered for customers, only a handfull actually came with the heads attached to the handles. This really is not an issue, though. All you need to do to attach even the most stubborn of CS heads is to repeatedly yank the head onto the handle. Little by little this will scrape the wood until the head fits perfectly. I have had my CS hawks for quite some time now and they are in the same condition they were in about a week after I got them. They hold up GREAT. Everything said about the factory edge is correct, although the poorness is in varying degrees. I have seen some that I have fixed good enough on just a diamond stone. They honestly are great throwers. A friend of mine works at the local Ren. Festival and the axes they use at the axe throw game are put to shame by the CS hawks, IMHO.

Now if you are willing to spend some extra money, I highly recommend the products from The American Tomahawk Company. The Spike 'hawk, although much heaver than the CS hawks, practically throws itself. Quality and durability on these 'hawks is incredible. During my first attempt at long distance throwing, I sent my ATC Spike 'hawk sailing over 50' HARD! right into a GIANT stone that is in the ground near my target. The noise that the impact made nearly made me sick it was so loud and horrible. When I ran over and retrieved the 'hawk, I was absolutely amazed to see that it merely rolled the edge over and was fixed in a minute on a diamond stone. After a TON of abuse I finally sent the head in to ATC to have it refurbished and it came back good as new!

If you are just starting off and don't want to spend a lot of money, get the CS 'hawk(assuming that you have at least a little ability to reprofile an edge)

If you want to start of with a pure BAD A$$, get the ATC 'hawk.
 
Cliff,
Originally posted by Cliff Stamp
There are pills you can take for that before it gets out of hand.
[/B]
Click to expand...
Probably too late. I'm dreaming of a belt sander and side by side ax vs khukuri tests ;)

I'd agree the CS hawk is decent deal for the money, assuming you don't need to do any serious cutting with it. If I wanted a hawk that can do some chopping as well as be thrown, the H&B definitely feels better to me, and is only a few $US more. I'm hoping to run a few tests soon on mine soon.

For a pure (non-throwing) tool the Bruks sounds great, but I would like to see how the swedish Wetterlings compare. I have a toddler, so cash is somewhat hard to come by :rolleyes::D

Patrick
 
Outdoors :

Probably too late. I'm dreaming of a belt sander and side by side ax vs khukuri tests
Click to expand...

Sounds terminal to me.

I would like to see how the swedish Wetterlings compare.
Click to expand...

Yes, I was curious as well. I ordered one some time ago, based on emails I have exchanged, I expect very high performance.

-Cliff
 
Here's a pic of 2 H&B Forge hawks:
The Seneca and the small spike hawk.
(I like their products, but the pics
on their website are useless)
Doc
 
arent the H&B forge hawks pretty heavy?
i would like one under about 1 1/2 pounds at the max

thanks guys
 
SKaerE
I think most of H&B hawks come in full-size
and small or "squaw" size.
I have the small spike hawk and I think it would
be around 1.5 lbs.
For utility, stay away from the "spike hawk".
I still haven't gotten used to that spike coming so
close to my eye.
In fact, very soon I think I'm going to de-spike it.
Give them a call, Will Barber is very helpful and down to earth.
Doc
 
anyone have any experience with the thunder ridge tomahawk?
it is cast spring steel aparantly...doesnt Two Hawks use castings as well? (obviously strength depends on quality of metal etc...)

http://cap-n-ball.com/thunder/hawk_99.htm

and its cheap...that makes me wonder if it has any quality at all...
i called to ask some things about it...he said they werent tempered because they were spring steel and didnt need to be...any truth to that?

thanks again
 
Casting produces a directly inferior product as opposed to forging / stock removal followed by a a full heat treat. Yes, you will pay a lot less for cast products (not just knives), but as always you get what you pay for. The critical question becomes how much durability is lost via a cast, and does this make the product not functional. I don't have any experience with those specific tomahawks, but considering the cost is it really going to be that much of a loss. They would be valuable in any case if you have never thrown and want to beat on a low grade tomahawk while you are getting your hits to center on the target.

-Cliff
 
Thanks Patrick for your reply on the Canadian Hawk. I think Cliff answered the question pretty good with his last reply. I found out the Canadian Hawk comes from Mountain Top Trading Co., it's cast steel/alloy and sells for $20.00. I paid $2.00 for this one but without a handle, its never had a handle in it. I was going to make a handle for it, but Mountain Top sells replacement handles for $3.50. I guess it will be good enough to learn on, and if it doesn't last I won't be out that much. Mountain Top say's they're garanteed for life against breakage. "Keep 'em Running" Mike
 
Mike,
I've only dealt woth the folks at Mountain Top once, but found them to be good folks. Glad the review helped you out, and Cliff usually has the good info on durabilty, etc.

Patrick
 
SkaerE:

Like you, was looking for a general-purpose camp tool that I could throw for fun.

I bought a full-size H&B Tomahawk with "fancy" cover. I can't imagine better value for the money. Sturdy, well-forged, good edge (easy to "tune" also). The finishing isn't perfect, but you can't expect that at this price. The full-size is a bit heavy. If you're backpacking, get the "squaw". I'd never thrown a hawk before, but I set up a slab of tree trunk end grain, paced back about 20' and stuck the first throw with a satisfying "thunk". Great feeliing, worth the price of the H&B by itself.
If I had it to do over, I'd probably go with the plain cover, the fancy having extra hide lacing that gives the thing a frontier look but also adds to the weight/bulk.

If what you're really looking for is the best light chopping tool for camp use, I'd recommend the Gransfors-Bruks hunter's ax. I have the Gransfors carpenter's axe, and it's as sharp as any edged tool I have, including some very sharp knives. These axes have gotten great reviews everywhere I've seen. They're hand forged, have great fit and finish, just the right cutting bevel, scary sharp, as noted above. I probably wouldn't throw the Bruks, just because it's such a fine tool.
 
how about the "track of the wolf" forged hawks?

does anyone know how much the head of one of the HB forge Shawnee hawks weighs?

thanks
 
Shawnee hawk total weight (incl handle) 3 lbs. Handle is long (19", which is nice to generate head speed when chopping)- probably at least a pound, so head's around 2lbs. If you get the polled version, it's 4lbs. Squaw, 2 lbs.
 
really? the guy who makes them said that total the weight of the Shawnee was 1.8 lbs...

strange

thanks again
 
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