- Joined
- Jul 6, 2004
- Messages
- 10
Got the VTT from Botach, (firgive my infidelity, Andy) and it is, in a word, perfect.
I noticed right away that it's very light, and sharp! (I shaved my right thigh with two of the five edges)
After calling Robert at Survival Sheath to confirm that it's the "old" style, not the new handle, I went right to work testing this thing out.
Chopping: I had some pressure treated 6x6s in the shed, and started to cut them up. With moderate effort, I chopped two of them apart in maybe three minutes. (I'm 5'11" about 180 lbs, and not a weight lifter) I could still shave the hair on my leg, no problem.
Cutting: I hung a 3/4" hemp rope from the rafters in my garage, and tried to cut with a "swipe" one handed on free-hanging rope. I cut the rope about 1/4 of the way through. Note: this is the test I perform on large knives and swords. I use this as the comparison between them. This Tomahawk is definitely not designed for that kind of cutting. This was performed only to make a comparison.
I then went on to cut some cardboard and denim. About 30 slices on the cardboard and 10 on the denim, and I was no longer able to shave my leg. (this after all the chopping.)
I used an Arkansas stone at about a 30 degree angle and cleaned up the edge. Shaves again. Took five minutes.
Throwing: Ok, I'm a complete hack at this. That said, I have a dead willow tree in my yard that is usually the recipient of this kind of abuse. I shoot it with paintballs all the time when sighting in the red dots for the team, and I pitch the Gerber Tac-II into it pretty often. I broke the crap out of the cold steel tomahawk on this target, so it seemed fitting.
It took me a few throws to get the rotation down. I did have one of the scary angled hits that makes the hawk fly away over the neighbors' fence and cause me to have to trespass. Oh well, it's all in the name of training.
Once I got the rotation right, from 25 feet (not exactly arbitrary distance. Bowling pin shooting matches are at 25 feet, and I do that all the time. It's a comfortable distance for me.) this thing sticks like it was hammered into the wood. The head just buries itself into the tree like it's looking for truffles in there. Impressive.
Now, the spike: I saw the video clip on Andy's site of the guy driving the spike into a Kevlar helmet. Very cool, but I haven't got one of those at the house right now, and if I did I wouldn't put a hole in it. I DID, however, find a steel helmet (Vietnam era) in the shed, and decided to try it out.
Well, I placed the helmet on a 4x4 in the ground and took a good swing right on top of it. The spike went right through and buried all the way to the haft.
I took it out, (the hard part) and checked the edge. Sharp.
For less than 150 dollars delivered, this is one of the best purchases I have ever made. The haft didn't so much as wiggle after all that abuse. Not one iota. I will wrap the haft in 550 cord and see if I like it. It may make it too fat to grip properly, but I have pretty big hands (I can easily palm a basketball) and this may be the ticket for wet conditions.
The only weak point is the sheath, which was from London Bridge outfitters, right here in VA Beach. This sheath is a bit loose, and would be noisy at the worst moments. This came from Botach as well, and it looks as though Andy has solved this problem with the new sheath. I ordered a kydex rig from Survival Sheath, and will post my review when it arrives. I think that wrapping the haft in anything but the thinnest material would make the grip too fat to put in the sheath as is, and the kydex will solve that.
Buy this Tomahawk! It's truly perfect for the hard-use outdoor world, and from a tactical standpoint, I'll say this: If I brought a knife to a Tomahawk fight, I'd lose. (I know a thing or two about edged weapon combat.)
Steve.
I noticed right away that it's very light, and sharp! (I shaved my right thigh with two of the five edges)
After calling Robert at Survival Sheath to confirm that it's the "old" style, not the new handle, I went right to work testing this thing out.
Chopping: I had some pressure treated 6x6s in the shed, and started to cut them up. With moderate effort, I chopped two of them apart in maybe three minutes. (I'm 5'11" about 180 lbs, and not a weight lifter) I could still shave the hair on my leg, no problem.
Cutting: I hung a 3/4" hemp rope from the rafters in my garage, and tried to cut with a "swipe" one handed on free-hanging rope. I cut the rope about 1/4 of the way through. Note: this is the test I perform on large knives and swords. I use this as the comparison between them. This Tomahawk is definitely not designed for that kind of cutting. This was performed only to make a comparison.
I then went on to cut some cardboard and denim. About 30 slices on the cardboard and 10 on the denim, and I was no longer able to shave my leg. (this after all the chopping.)
I used an Arkansas stone at about a 30 degree angle and cleaned up the edge. Shaves again. Took five minutes.
Throwing: Ok, I'm a complete hack at this. That said, I have a dead willow tree in my yard that is usually the recipient of this kind of abuse. I shoot it with paintballs all the time when sighting in the red dots for the team, and I pitch the Gerber Tac-II into it pretty often. I broke the crap out of the cold steel tomahawk on this target, so it seemed fitting.
It took me a few throws to get the rotation down. I did have one of the scary angled hits that makes the hawk fly away over the neighbors' fence and cause me to have to trespass. Oh well, it's all in the name of training.
Once I got the rotation right, from 25 feet (not exactly arbitrary distance. Bowling pin shooting matches are at 25 feet, and I do that all the time. It's a comfortable distance for me.) this thing sticks like it was hammered into the wood. The head just buries itself into the tree like it's looking for truffles in there. Impressive.
Now, the spike: I saw the video clip on Andy's site of the guy driving the spike into a Kevlar helmet. Very cool, but I haven't got one of those at the house right now, and if I did I wouldn't put a hole in it. I DID, however, find a steel helmet (Vietnam era) in the shed, and decided to try it out.
Well, I placed the helmet on a 4x4 in the ground and took a good swing right on top of it. The spike went right through and buried all the way to the haft.
I took it out, (the hard part) and checked the edge. Sharp.
For less than 150 dollars delivered, this is one of the best purchases I have ever made. The haft didn't so much as wiggle after all that abuse. Not one iota. I will wrap the haft in 550 cord and see if I like it. It may make it too fat to grip properly, but I have pretty big hands (I can easily palm a basketball) and this may be the ticket for wet conditions.
The only weak point is the sheath, which was from London Bridge outfitters, right here in VA Beach. This sheath is a bit loose, and would be noisy at the worst moments. This came from Botach as well, and it looks as though Andy has solved this problem with the new sheath. I ordered a kydex rig from Survival Sheath, and will post my review when it arrives. I think that wrapping the haft in anything but the thinnest material would make the grip too fat to put in the sheath as is, and the kydex will solve that.
Buy this Tomahawk! It's truly perfect for the hard-use outdoor world, and from a tactical standpoint, I'll say this: If I brought a knife to a Tomahawk fight, I'd lose. (I know a thing or two about edged weapon combat.)
Steve.
.