Hardcore Hardware Australia? Anyone owned one?

Rat Finkenstein said:
Since they don't say who makes the blades, or rather what country, you have to assume China. (not that china can't do good work, it's just cheaper)

Nothing affordable about a paracord handled knife for $300.
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Rat, yes it is for sure always best to be skeptical. Safe than sorry kind of thing. I am def NOT going to order the paracord version if I ever get one of those knives. The G10 handled one is actually cheaper and if I ever want to wrap it I can do it myself.
 
marcinek said:
Welcome. But it certainly sounds like you may, at some point in the future, be selling their products...affiliated or not. One might get the impression given your eBay presence and that you have taken this topic to other knife discussion sites that you might be attempting to drum up some interest in the product.

Of course that could be way off base.

That said, that BFK screams Strider (or Cold Steel Strider copy). And also, if they are so forthcoming and "no b.s."...then why are they unwilling to state where their knife is manufactured?

I do look forward to your review, maybe it will change my opinion of sawbacks (silly) and 'hawks (designed as weapons, not camping tools). :thumbup:
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Ahaha! Marcinek you kill me. Yeah I can see why you would think that. For one, I do NOT use ebay. I don't know where that came from? :confused: I have never used ebay in my life. Seems like to much trouble/ too many things can go wrong. Further, what I meant by no b.s. and forthcoming is in their response to another guy on knife forum is that they addressed each issue he brought up and did not make an excuse for not telling. Rather, they just said they are protecting their proprietary knowledge. Being a business man in the martial arts and knife making/distribution business I COMPLETELY respect that. I was even hesitant to post it, only reason I did is because I was getting private messages asking for info so I wanted to be clear.

Yeah I for sure see the strider look, though like I said I feel like any fixed blade serrated knife with a paracord handle looks like that? Not a negative to me I kinda like the look of Striders? Am I alone on this? :p

As far as me wanting to sell them... well I do this for a living? Not on a large scale though so I try and make the right choices. Most of my income is from teaching locally and from instructing M/P personnel. This is just something I like doing because so many good conventions and blade shows are around in the Midwest. I do a lot of question asking and research before any big big purchase and my friend Aaron is going oversees. I want him to get a quality product not something crappy. Joe suggested the HHA that he liked so much but I knew nothing on it so did not want to jump at it. Hence all the searching and bugging both HHA and aussies on their forums. (they are probably sick of me by now)

Would I sell these if I could? Only if it made 100% sense AND if I loved the product. As I said, if I ever did it would be in the appropriate avenues. More than anything I wanted information but came up with nothing online that made much sense. Being a blade forum (bladeforums.com@!!) I assumed someone might have first hand knowledge rather than conjecture. Since no one did I figure I should just go for it! Marcinek special thanks for jut coming out and saying what you were thinking so I could address it. In the martial arts/MMA world too many people come to their own conclusion then spread it around as if it was gospel. Thanks for just asking!

Yeah marcinek I am excited to review the knife! MFK03 not the BFK saw back. Bladegurl could you test the CRAP out of that back saw? Dunno how to feel about it. ONE tip. I saw is that all other "respected" reviewers on the BFK seemed to love the chopping and cutting power and penetration power on the blade but said the saw on wood sucked. In the aussie forums I was told the knife was not developed as a survival/camp knife but as a combat knife. The HHA website does not even make it sound like a camp knife so testing it as such makes no sense. The saw was then made to saw light weight ceramics and aluminums etc. Could you go to town on some? Kills me that these "respected" reviewers loved the knife but then went away from its expressed purpose to say they disliked something about it. Well no crap?! If I buy regular toothpaste instead of whitening toothpaste why should I get mad when my teeth don't sparkle??? :confused: (sorry for the crappy example. wife is a dentist)

Please if any of you have requests for the hawk or for the MFK03 testing let me know! I want this to be a comprehensive review since there is nothing on here and it it still and unknown product and bottom line have a good time doing it! I am thinking freezing it over night to stress test then immediately batoning several types of wood, a cardboard cutting test I like to do, leather cutting and denim then stabbing test on the same (leather over wood, denim over wood). Finish with a test on a pig carcass we are roasting at our camp site. Thinking rib cutting, head stabbing and a general "berzerker" slash stab extravaganza to see its fighting potential. Should be fun!

Thanks all!
Werewolf
 
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I don't see the saw back lasting to long when sawing ceramics. Might as well try to saw a sharpening stone in half.

I feel the whole "protect their IP" line is bs talk for "we don't want people to stop buying our $300 Chinese knives". Maybe they are Taiwanese, who knows.

And I am wondering how much control they have over the manufacturing, including their special heat treat.

I'm a skeptic, but I look forward to a review and I'll hold my full judgement until then at least.
 
I have (and have carried) the LFT01 for the last year or so. It's underutilised compared to what it could be doing, but it's never felt anything less than sturdy in my experience. I've not attacked cinder blocks, but I've cut and spiked helmets (for fun) and gone through branches and 2x4s for actual need.

It's a little heavy, and the full tang doesn't lend itself to snap cuts with power generated by the wrist. It's definitely capable of breaking things by pommel beating, as well as the cutting edge and spike. It bothers me slightly that the beard isn't sharpened, and that the sculpted handles 'encourage' certain holds, but I have to admit that they do work to keep the 'hawk from moving around in the hand.

One thing I found was that the kydex sheath packaged with mine was a bit crap; point of the beard protruded due to slop in the fit. Bought a Platypus sheath (apparently HH copied their design for their own) and it fits much better. Of course the fully enclosed nylon and MOLLE-compatible sheath is just about useless.

Crash axe in an urban environment doesn't have as much value as a dedicated cutter. Contemplating getting a Winkler next.

Hope this helps~!
 
Thanks for that Darkangel, honest review. I guess I for sure want to see what it CAN do though. yeah heard the sleeve thing was a temporary fix but when the kydex came out it was given to past customers for free? Kind a cool. The sleeve was designed for transport, still I don't know if I would even use it for that. Looks like crap. I do like the "snap cut" of a "top heavy" type of hawk but more so for a camp hawk.

Guess for a weapon I am not sure how that will play in but am looking forward to it. I will review the kydex, guess in my mind a kydex sheath should not let anything hang out. Does the snap closure help? Yeah I can see the sculpted handle lending itself to its expressed purpose. May be a positive but I will wait to see. So you would call it a crash axe for urban in your opinion? Thanks again my man. (if you are a man. If not just thanks!)
 
Thanks for that Darkangel, honest review. I guess I for sure want to see what it CAN do though. yeah heard about the sleeve thing but when the kydex came out it was given to past customers for free after it came out? Kind a cool. The sleeve was designed for transport, still I don't know if I would even use it for that. Looks like crap. I do like the "snap cut" of a "top heavy" type of hawk but more so for a camp hawk.

Guess for a weapon I am not sure how that will play in but am looking forward to it. I will review the kydex, guess in my mind a kydex sheath should not let anything hang out. Does the snap closure help? Yeah I can see the sculpted handle lending itself to its expressed purpose. May be a positive but I will wait to see. So you would call it a crash axe for urban in your opinion? Been looking for commentary from actual owners, appreciated. Thanks again my man. (if you are a man. If not just thanks!)

-werewolf
 
On the topic of hawks would anyone be interested in a 2hawks review or an rmj? Picked both up at a knife show. Put them through the paces. Also did one for cheaper production hawks as a comparison (SOG, M48, and cold steel though I am sure it has been done).
 
I have all three sheaths, and the Platypus one is far superior. It had better retention new, it still has a snug fit, and with the rubber strap snapped it actually doesn't budge, and has full coverage of all sharpened edges.

One thing that annoys me is that I haven't been able to remove the tek-lok from either kydex sheath.

Yes I am a dude.

For cutting, it isn't amazing; the bevels are cut fairly severe, so it definitely won't slice and it doesn't chop particularly deep. From the apex it gets fat fast, then it's the flat, full-thickness stock the rest of the way. The spike isn't sharp either, but a stretched hexagonal flat at the end of the taper. It'll do if you put enough force behind it, but the general impression is durability and edge stability over cutting and piercing.

From the design and the company philosophies on their website, I'd say it's intended for the sandbox. Remember the K2 by Killian? It's fairly reminiscent of that, though even more "hard-use" oriented in my opinion. I'll do a comparison when I get my Kestrel Feather.

Let me know if you have any more questions, I'm happy to share my experiences with this axe.
 
Roger that Darkangel! And thanks. Review is done and went a little crazy on it. Will have it up in the review section soon and link it to here. Based on my reviews my company I work for actually started carrying the HHA, 2hawks and a few other higher end products. I will likely just purchase from them to take advantage of my discount! And yes from my review I can for sure see that the sandbox was the aim.

Have to say that for the role it was intended it is top notch. I feel like it fits perfectly for my friend Aaron deploying to the middle east. I gave it a 9/10 on it's role intended and a 8/10 as an overall. I feel like overall vs. role gives a better idea of who might want to get such a tool and provides a more comprehensive review.

I might get myself one? I have the 2hawks warbeast for my camping backpack. The LFT from HHA is not something I am going to carry daily or in my camping backpack, but it is pretty awesome for my tac pack or the courses I teach in Indiana. While I do like the hawk for my needs I still am scratching my head over that damned sleeve sheath? :confused:

I will refrain from product placement any further :thumbup: and stick to what I am good at: Reviews and teaching people to fight. I will let the boss do his own product placement and sales if he wants to get on here and pay for a gold membership or whatever.

Cheers guys! And thanks for your help!
 
WereWolf185 said:
Roger that Darkangel! And thanks. Review is done and went a little crazy on it. Will have it up in the review section soon and link it to here. Based on my reviews my company I work for actually started carrying the HHA, 2hawks and a few other higher end products. I will likely just purchase from them to take advantage of my discount! And yes from my review I can for sure see that the sandbox was the aim.
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Well who woulda seen that coming. :cool:

marcinek said:
Welcome. But it certainly sounds like you may, at some point in the future, be selling their products...affiliated or not. One might get the impression given ... that you have taken this topic to other knife discussion sites that you might be attempting to drum up some interest in the product.
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I look forward to your reviews. Though keep in mind the inherent danger in selling a product and reviewing it. One might get the impression that it is ad copy.
 
Nonono I will make it clear I work for a company who sells products to M/P. They only like high end products so as such want to make sure that they are good stuff because of price. I reviewed THIS product for Sgt Aaron Johnson who is going to be deploying in a month. A good friend and wrestling coach in the area. In the process of review I obviously took my team along and they liked it. Notice my review score was not a review to try and sell the product. I was honest and that will reflect in the review as you will see. Further, at the MSRP the ONLY reason I went for this one over a few others is *cough* my employee discount. So it worked out.

Naturally they wanted to look into selling it. Something I said in an earlier post might happen. I was fully transparent that it was a possibility. My purposes are still to teach and review as well as writing articles for them in the areas of bushcraft, product review, tac gear and seminars with local PD. So I am staying WAAAAAAAY clear of the selling. Notice I did not even name the company. I fully understand how things seem fishy or maybe even underhanded online sometimes even if the writer did not mean it like this so I want to make that clear. I recently upgraded to Gold member so I can support this awesome forum since I appreciated the feed back and info I got on here. I told the company itself that if he wanted to pimp his ware and our services he can pay $25 himself!

It even makes sense professionally from the stance that on this site there is a wealth of knowledge. If in the future I am looking into product review for them, have questions on product or for a product for MYSELF (as is the case with this one) I will always be sure to put that out there right here to see what you gents might have for me. If in the future the boss wants to get on here I will make my involvement with him clear to steer clear of any misunderstanding. However, my reviews are brutally honest as is my team. We don't believe in B.S. reviewing (like that ridiculous review where a guy split a cinder block acting like that was awesome?). Why? Because, like I said, we cater to higher end product and M/P. The last thing I want is to recommend a product and it fail in its purpose when a serviceman needed it most.

Sorry if I come off in this post as a little aggressive. I just want to make sure everyone understands my roll in this and my stance within my company (still to remain unnamed). I hope you guys find my reviews and posts helpful and look forward to being on the forum for a long time!

-Werewolf
 
WereWolf185 said:
Nonono I will make it clear I work for a company who sells products to M/P. They only like high end products so as such want to make sure that they are good stuff because of price. I reviewed THIS product for Sgt Aaron Johnson who is going to be deploying in a month. A good friend and wrestling coach in the area. In the process of review I obviously took my team along and they liked it. Notice my review score was not a review to try and sell the product. I was honest and that will reflect in the review as you will see. Further, at the MSRP the ONLY reason I went for this one over a few others is *cough* my employee discount. So it worked out.
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Well. I'm confused. You work for a company that sells to M/P or do you sell?

WereWolf185 said:
Hello all, a few questions on sales on here. Haven't been on the forum much since I have been focusing on teaching defensive tactics to local M/P and running a martial arts school. Have been selling various gear and customs made knives as well as higher end production knives on a private basis and was wondering what the etiquette is for sales on the forum?
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WereWolf185 said:
Being a business man in the martial arts and knife making/distribution business I COMPLETELY respect that. I was even hesitant to post it, only reason I did is because I was getting private messages asking for info so I wanted to be clear.

...
As far as me wanting to sell them... well I do this for a living? Not on a large scale though so I try and make the right choices. Most of my income is from teaching locally and from instructing M/P personnel. This is just something I like doing because so many good conventions and blade shows are around in the Midwest.
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And do you make knives or are you starting to learn how to make knives?


WereWolf185 said:
I have had a few good knives and made a few good ones out of D2 so I am VERY excited about the knife despite my misgivings about the hawk.
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WereWolf185 said:
So I've been reading the forums for quite some time and finally decided to join. I've loved steel since my first swiss army pocket knife my dad gave me when I turned twelve. Now twelve years later I am ready to get into actual blade making. I know there is a lot to it but being in Indiana can not find anyone who knows enough and is willing to teach.

I guess my question is what do you guys recommend for a first time knife maker? What steps should I take to learn the craft and find my own style etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance gentlemen.
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Prices are in Aussie dollars. Everything is more expensive is Australia, but their minimum wage is also like 16 AUD.

So yeah, cost of living is high, dollar is worth a little less than USD, and everyone gets paid more. Looking at the prices from across the pond might make your jaw drop, but there are many factors at play here.

I think it's a little unfair to straight up call it a $300 China made knife when it's not made for the American market. From reading all the posts it seems the China-made part isn't even accurate.
 
Well, I'm with you on that front. I would assume the same thing, but see post #15 for more details.
 
Well it must be somewhere nearby China. One would think they would give a straight answer if it were a reputable place of origin considering the cost of the item.
 
Cutting and materials = Europe and USA
Heat treat and finish = Australia

They plan to move all operations to Aussie some time soon.

That's the TLDR of post #15.
 
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