knife length to accompany a tomahawk

S

shinoi

Joined
Nov 13, 2009
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I have a little knife with a 3 3/8" blade. What is a good blade length to accompany the tomahawk when being used together? Is there a formula or anything? Keep in mind the knife will also be used alone as a fighter when it's impractical to wield the tomahawk as well.

I've read one of the custom knife makers requests certain dimensions of one's body when building some one a knife. What are the parameters and formula used for this? Does this apply to the former question regarding use of a blade with a tomahawk?
 
There's no real formula to go by. Use what you need to to get the work done.

Historically, the tomahawk was accompanied by a long knife. Even the smaller one-handed type of axe used by vikings and celts were accompanied by a long blade like a seax or dirk, and may or may not have been further accompanied by a small knife.

Since you're talking using the long knife for fighting in addition to just woods work, I'd say make 6-8" the minimum. Possible examples being a Ka-Bar USMC, SOG Tigershark, ESEE-6, or Busse Hellrazor. Personally, I prefer a longer blade in the 10-12" range, good examples being an ESEE Junglas, Ron Hoold Hoodlum, or the Busse Battle Mistress (particularly the Bushwhacker Mistress). Some guys carry machetes and I've carried kukri along with a hawk.

Take a hawk, a long knife, and a Swiss Army Knife, and there isn't much you can't do.
 
I would say it is personal preference...

Mess around with several in the field, find out what you like best. I like my VTAC and my Glock Model 81 Survival Knife best.

Perhaps we should all start posting pictures of hawk and knife combos??? I feel a new post coming...
 
I've used my hawk for general camping. Very useful.

I have a little hunting knife, 3 3/8", that I've been practicing with it in a more defensive, non-utilitarian use. Doing so, I feel a bit shortchanged by little "pokey". Like the crab with one big claw and one small one. That got me wondering, historically, what is combination that works best.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
Personally, I prefer a longer blade in the 10-12" range, good examples being an ESEE Junglas, Ron Hoold Hoodlum, or the Busse Battle Mistress (particularly the Bushwhacker Mistress)
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Those blades seem to all be on the heavy side. What do you think of lighter, thinner, and quicker knives?
 
Glock17JHP said:
Perhaps we should all start posting pictures of hawk and knife combos??? I feel a new post coming...
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Sounds cool. :)

....I find the CS Larado to be very fast and light in the hand. :thumbup:

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Something like a Bagwell Hells Bell would be a great compliment to a fighting hawk too, I think.
 
Knife length is purely a matter of personal preference. I prefer 7 to 9 inch blades for bush bumming. If I had to get into a fight with a knife and tomahawk on the other hand I would want something in the 14 inch range. But, of course, I don't plan on getting into a fight...
 
If you plan on 'fighting' with one implement in each hand, I would feel more comfortable if they are near the same length. Think of them as an extension to your arms, it would be hard to fight if one arm is longer/shorter. That said, I don't like the idea of 'fighting' with both hands full. I want one free to block, grab, shove, etc. You would be close enough for it to become a grappling/wrestling event. The hawk is best at arms length, the knife can be better in a grapple.
 
If you're close enough to use the knife (which should be a bit shorter than the hawk for fighting, IMO, then you use the hawk to grapple. Remember, you don't have to grip the haft at the end.
 
I know about hooking and such with the hawk... I would rather use the hawk for slicing and chopping in a fight, and I would use my free hand to do the rest. If someone knocks you over while you have a weapon in each hand, you can't very easily grab them as you go down with both hands already full. And if they are in a grapple with you on the ground, the hawk will be more awkward to use one-handed if the other hand is not free. I am learned in street fighting, wrestling and Tae Kwon Do... and have used all of these in real confrontations. I would rather have one free hand... that is the way I am wired. Think of the end (in football) who has the ball in one hand/arm and has the other free to use as he runs through the offense. I want the weapon in my strong hand, and the other hand I want free.
 
Use what works for you, as always.

Just keep in mind, you can "grapple from the inside" with hawks and knives, and you can't with your hands (examples: The blade-down-between-the-clavicles technique, stabbing into/cutting through the tendons and ligaments of a joint and using the metal-to-bone contact to manipulate the opponent schtick, etc).

Some people can't do some maneuvers well with knives and hawks. Some barehand maneuvers I can't do well due to injuries and use implements to compensate.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
Those are lighter, thinner knives (Junglas Hoodlum and BWM are all .187" thick).

Of course Bowies would be a natural.

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I still consider that to be on the heavy side.
I meant something like this Karud. I have a 30 year old rosewood Victorinox cooks knife that ended up the same profile through sharpening.

It is very instinctive, which helps if your weak hand is dumb like mine

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i like one of my bowies best like a Hells Belle. This one has a 11" blade and balances at the choil area. It isn't heavy.
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Cpl Punishment said:
Use what works for you, as always.

Just keep in mind, you can "grapple from the inside" with hawks and knives, and you can't with your hands (examples: The blade-down-between-the-clavicles technique, stabbing into/cutting through the tendons and ligaments of a joint and using the metal-to-bone contact to manipulate the opponent schtick, etc).

Some people can't do some maneuvers well with knives and hawks. Some barehand maneuvers I can't do well due to injuries and use implements to compensate.
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OUCH!!! That would totally be painfull!!!

I learned a long time ago to keep enough distance to prevent most such attacks. I will also admit right now that when walking in the actual widerness or forest I actually prefer my 'walking spear'. It is a 6' long all-wood spear 1 1/2" in diameter and sharpened to a point by burning and abrading. The entire 'staff' is poly coated, too. I also Like to use canes (CS's City Stick in varied head materials) in the 'urban jungle', which are just a hair over 3' long and virtually unbreakable. I mostly carry a hawk or knife on my belt along with the spear in my hands while hiking, or when I go shooting one may be on my belt... so hawks and knives are not typically my primary weapon, more like a back-up.

Your method is definitely interesting to me, though!!!
 
Just for the sake of conversation...

Why not a short light knife, since the hawk provides reach and has a fair amount of inertia?
 
For utility sake.

A hawk typically has a very short edge, there's uses for a long knife beyond that of a weapomn, such as butchering, use as a drawknife, "machete" type uses, etc.
 
I perfer to use the cs trail hawk along with a 12" bladed seax that I made. Plenty of parying room with that much blade. I will try to get a pic up.
 
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