This is a good question Ron. BTW...the Hawks will be shipping late this weekend or early next week.
We have found that handles longer than 20" afford great leverage for chopping and cutting, but put the thrower further from the target, and reduce control in a throw.
The best combination of good distance to target, chopping/cutting leverage, and control in throwing is a handle between 16 to 19". What is nice about our hickory handles is that they can be cut down by the owner from the bottom, to allow "customized" flight characteristics for your personal throwing style.
This method is totally used by most Mountain Man Rendezvous Reenactors, who throw regularly, have a developed throwing style, and want to establish a distance to target within contest guidelines that afford them the most accuracy.
Peter LaGana's handles on the original Vietnam Tomahawk were 14", as they had to be small enough for the equipment harnesses of servicemen, but the head was light enough to still give the Hawk good flight characteristics with such a short handle.
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Andy Prisco,
Co-Founder, Manager
American Tomahawk Company
877-557-5200
http://www.americantomahawk.com
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