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Guild Knives & Tool “Heavy Ugly” Combat Tomahawk Review - Part 1
Introduction
Longwood, Florida based Brad Roe is a jack of all trades: US Navy vet, lifelong martial artist, trained fire fighter, and aircraft builder. Since 2005, he has also hand-made knives and edged tools. He had friends, family, and customers in the military and his knives and tools are built to handle military and law enforcement use. Mr. Roe was kind enough to set up a BladeForums pass around of one of his combat tomahawks here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/917155-Combat-Tomahawk-Pass-around.
Specifications
The one-piece steel tomahawk I received has a 7 3/16” wide fire-axe style head with a 2 3/8" cutting edge and a 3” spike. The integrated handle is 13 1/2” long, just under 1” wide at its widest point, and 3/8” thick. It weighs 1 lbs., 11 ozs. It sells for about $250. Discounts are available for active duty military.
The “Heavy Ugly” got its name from Mr. Roe’s early hawk making efforts torch-cutting rusted scrap 4140 steel. The finished results were rough, pitted, but effective. These days, Brad starts with laser cut surplus 3/8" armor plate steel with .95% carbon content. From there, he hand-grinds and flame-hardens the edges and heat treats the hawk for four hours, toughening the steel. The whole thing then receives a KG Gun Kote treatment in one of four color schemes and a paracord wrap.
It's hard to imagine breaking 3/8" thick hardened steel. It is 1/8" thicker than a dedicated pry bar. This video shows it holding up to small arms fire:
[youtube]2R7DXAcHOnY[/youtube]
Both the outer chopping edge and the inner cutting edge of the tomahawk's head are sharpened, making the hawk useful for both traditional tomahawk chops and Karambit-style pull cuts. While the edges arrived utility sharp, they weren't quite shaving sharp, though that might not be necessary for a tomahawk. The spike isn't overly sharp, but it is effective. The grinds are slightly uneven in places, consistent with what I would expect from a hand-ground tomahawk.
The handle reverse tapers to a non-sharpened point at the pommel. I thought at first that it might make a good pry bar, but the tip is too thick to wedge into anything small. A laser-cut channel down the middle lightens and balance the handle. It also helps with shock absorbance, and provides a place to thread the camouflage paracord handle wrap. The cord wrap is secured by two friction locks, including one that looks like a hand grenade.
The Kydex blade cover came in two parts: one for the broad head and one for the spike. They are tied together by a piece of paracord and stay on securely. A complete one-piece Kydex sheath with belt/pack straps is available for $25, but wasn't provided on the pass around.
Test #1 - Don't Make Me Cry
In setting up the pass around, Mr. Roe wanted to make sure his hawk got used and used hard. He asked me, however, to "...let people know what normal things it can do before trying to break it..." so I started small and chopped some onions. The profile of the hawk is too obtuse and the blade too dull to slice onions, plus the Gun Kote creates drag, but boy, the Heavy Ugly could chop!
Test #2 - Bringing the Wood
Another "normal" use of a tomahawk is chopping wood and clearing brush. Hunters often carry a hatchet or hawk to clear a shooting lane, so I took the Heavy Ugly to some elm tree branches and palm fronds, comparing its use with a Craftsman hatchet about the same size and weight. I found the traditional hatchet fit my hand better and provided a more secure grip, but compared to the hawk, it felt clownishly top-heavy. The new cord wrap on the Heavy Ugly was a little slick, but its weight balance made it feel like I had much more control than with the hatchet. The hawk cut through branches from 1/4" to 1" and 3-4" wide palm fronds easily. The spike end sinks into wood quite easily, too. It went 1/2" to 3/4" deep into old oak with a moderate swing.
Introduction
Longwood, Florida based Brad Roe is a jack of all trades: US Navy vet, lifelong martial artist, trained fire fighter, and aircraft builder. Since 2005, he has also hand-made knives and edged tools. He had friends, family, and customers in the military and his knives and tools are built to handle military and law enforcement use. Mr. Roe was kind enough to set up a BladeForums pass around of one of his combat tomahawks here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/917155-Combat-Tomahawk-Pass-around.
Specifications
The one-piece steel tomahawk I received has a 7 3/16” wide fire-axe style head with a 2 3/8" cutting edge and a 3” spike. The integrated handle is 13 1/2” long, just under 1” wide at its widest point, and 3/8” thick. It weighs 1 lbs., 11 ozs. It sells for about $250. Discounts are available for active duty military.
The “Heavy Ugly” got its name from Mr. Roe’s early hawk making efforts torch-cutting rusted scrap 4140 steel. The finished results were rough, pitted, but effective. These days, Brad starts with laser cut surplus 3/8" armor plate steel with .95% carbon content. From there, he hand-grinds and flame-hardens the edges and heat treats the hawk for four hours, toughening the steel. The whole thing then receives a KG Gun Kote treatment in one of four color schemes and a paracord wrap.
It's hard to imagine breaking 3/8" thick hardened steel. It is 1/8" thicker than a dedicated pry bar. This video shows it holding up to small arms fire:
[youtube]2R7DXAcHOnY[/youtube]
Both the outer chopping edge and the inner cutting edge of the tomahawk's head are sharpened, making the hawk useful for both traditional tomahawk chops and Karambit-style pull cuts. While the edges arrived utility sharp, they weren't quite shaving sharp, though that might not be necessary for a tomahawk. The spike isn't overly sharp, but it is effective. The grinds are slightly uneven in places, consistent with what I would expect from a hand-ground tomahawk.
The handle reverse tapers to a non-sharpened point at the pommel. I thought at first that it might make a good pry bar, but the tip is too thick to wedge into anything small. A laser-cut channel down the middle lightens and balance the handle. It also helps with shock absorbance, and provides a place to thread the camouflage paracord handle wrap. The cord wrap is secured by two friction locks, including one that looks like a hand grenade.
The Kydex blade cover came in two parts: one for the broad head and one for the spike. They are tied together by a piece of paracord and stay on securely. A complete one-piece Kydex sheath with belt/pack straps is available for $25, but wasn't provided on the pass around.
Test #1 - Don't Make Me Cry
In setting up the pass around, Mr. Roe wanted to make sure his hawk got used and used hard. He asked me, however, to "...let people know what normal things it can do before trying to break it..." so I started small and chopped some onions. The profile of the hawk is too obtuse and the blade too dull to slice onions, plus the Gun Kote creates drag, but boy, the Heavy Ugly could chop!
Test #2 - Bringing the Wood
Another "normal" use of a tomahawk is chopping wood and clearing brush. Hunters often carry a hatchet or hawk to clear a shooting lane, so I took the Heavy Ugly to some elm tree branches and palm fronds, comparing its use with a Craftsman hatchet about the same size and weight. I found the traditional hatchet fit my hand better and provided a more secure grip, but compared to the hawk, it felt clownishly top-heavy. The new cord wrap on the Heavy Ugly was a little slick, but its weight balance made it feel like I had much more control than with the hatchet. The hawk cut through branches from 1/4" to 1" and 3-4" wide palm fronds easily. The spike end sinks into wood quite easily, too. It went 1/2" to 3/4" deep into old oak with a moderate swing.
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