Looking for a reasonable Tomahawk or hand Axe

J

Joseph Loveland

Joined
Jul 9, 2013
Messages
134
KalEl recommended I check this out for I'm new to this and I'm looking for a Tomahawk or hand Axe to go with my BOB gear. So far I'm still looking at various Tomahawks plus others and since I'm on a fixed income, I have to be very careful with my funds. Anyone with ideas will be greatly appreciated.
 
If you can offer more details about what size, materials, price and uses you have in mind, we can help narrow down the choices. What are the most important features?

Something from Wolf Creek Forge would be a great starting point, affordable quality.
 
A vintage camp hatchet like a boy scout hatchet would serve well in that role. Great steel in those old tools and they can be had for a fair price at the online auction site or at yard sales and estate sales. Another option is an Estwing riggers hatchet. Good solid tool - American made. Vintage carpenters hatchets are great for a BOB, too. My current favorite is a claw hatchet. I like having a functional nail puller and hammer attached to my hatchet. A Tommy Axe wouldn't be a bad choice though the nail puller isn't as good as the claw hatchet's.
 
I second the estwing as well if you are looking for an all metal axe. Also what kind of budget and what is the primary use gonna be? Are you looking for an axe for the woods or urban environment or as a weapon possible.? All this would help us help you. If you really have limited funds cold steel makes some pretty user friendly hawks at a cheap price.
 
What I'm looking for is a Tomahawk/Hand Axe that can be used for defensive measures, if needed, as well as for chopping wood for camp fires and the such. I know I can't fell a tree with one, I'll need a full size axe for that. With my disability of not being able ta lift over 25 lbs. and not being able ta walk far nor able ta run or stand for periods of time. I'm just looking for a defensive weapon and gathering devise. I hope this is enough information. As I said I'm on a fixed income and I may have ta go with something around $35-$45 max.
 
I would personally look at the cold steel line of hawks. For your price range you could get some"tactical" hawks like the Sog fast hawk or united cutlery m48. As defensive weapons these work well but for woods stuff I would stay away from them. Like I said a cold steel frontier hawk or trail hawk. I have both the pipe hawk and the spike hawk. I love the pipe hawk out of all the CS lineup. But it is on the heavier side which makes it good for wood but kinda slow in a fight. Just my 2 cents
 
Hey Joseph. Glad to see you posting here! I would check out Wolf Creek Forge if you want a traditional hawk. I think they make the best hawks out there for the price. http://www.wolfcreekforge.com/ You can get an awesome hawk from wolf creek for under $100.

Ive never used a cold steel or SOG hawk but have handled them and have found the quality to be lacking. Low grade steel, uneven grinds, and poor ergonomics. I think its better to buy one good tool and use it with satisfaction for many years than to buy a cheap tool, wonder what you could have had, and end up ultimately upgrading. Lots of guys use SOG and cold steel hawks happily, but for most they are merely a stepping stone to a quality purchase.

If you are looking for a full tang hawk there are lots of options from maker here or production companies that make fantastic tools. Full tang hawks tend to cost more, and weigh more but they will never break and can have some features that traditional wooden handled hawks cannot.

If you are looking for just a defensive tool then a SOG hawk may be an excellent choice for you. Do some research, hang out on the forum and learn as much as you can before you decide to purchase. And most of all have fun with it!

Hope this helps!
 
I think that what you are looking for is a nice light hatchet like the Fiskars X7.

It is a light, inexpensve ($20 or under) hatchet that can chop, split small wood, hammer, and do all of these tasks well. It doesn't have to be the Fiskars, either. Previously mentioned small axes like a boy scout or a carpenter will work well too.

By comparision, a good tomahawk is generally lighter and faster in the hand. It makes for a better weapon, but is generally much less effective at camp chores, often by a pretty large margin. And you will not notice or be able to take advantage of many of the tomahawk's benefits over the hatchet as a weapon unless you have the skills and ability to use them.

Given the physical limitations that you have mentioned, I doubt that you would derive any real benefit of a tomahawk over a hatchet, and a hatchet would be less physically taxing for you to use in a survival situation.
 
Here's my Cold Steel Frontier Hawk. I like it! BTW, my sharpening technique in the first video is not to be emulated. I had a crappy file and not so much knowledge.
[video=youtube;AUtdoVCbLEk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUtdoVCbLEk[/video]
[video=youtube;5QLQaKUS7bA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QLQaKUS7bA[/video]
zat3.jpg


I have a Fiskars hatchet, too. It's also a good choice as already pointed out.
 
In that price range I would stick to a Cold Steel, something like the Trail Hawk, Pipe Hawk or Spike Hawk would be my recommendation.
 
Another vote for the CS lineup of the Gerber/Fiskars lines. All decent quality and should be great users for your needs. The Gerber/Fiskar hatchets would be easier to handle due to lighter weight materials, and will chop wood better, but the CS hawks look nicer and have more potential potential modifications that may allow you to customize the blade and handle to fit your needs.
 
Joseph Loveland said:
KalEl recommended I check this out for I'm new to this and I'm looking for a Tomahawk or hand Axe to go with my BOB gear. So far I'm still looking at various Tomahawks plus others and since I'm on a fixed income, I have to be very careful with my funds. Anyone with ideas will be greatly appreciated.
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Save your money and buy quality, that way you will have something you can depend on. I would get a gransfors burkes , of the size that works for you
 
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