Paul Chen tomohawks? Quality?

[the possum]

Hi all.
I've recently become aware that Paul Chen is offering a few different hatchets & tomohawks, including this nifty looking pipe tomohawk.

I was just wondering if anyone here has any experience with them. I keep hearing their newer sword offerings are decent "bang for the buck"- not exactly top of the line, but good considering the price. Do these hatchets represent about the same? Or are they too soft to hold an edge?

I'd really love a pipe hawk, but with our first baby on the way, I can't justify several hundred bucks on a good custom like I really want. I was hoping this one would at least be good enough to last until that day. Any thoughts?

Oh yeah, this one is advertised for around $60.

 

[norca]

I have a chen set of three throwing hawks, and they are cast heads [not a bad thing]
The bit is quite thick and the wood used is akin to "balsa" wood all but one snapped on the first throw.
Now with new hafts and a re-grind they are ok for the £?$

 

[the possum]

Well, I had a feeling the hafts weren't walnut, at least. The cast heads bother me a little. I realize they may be fine, or they may be junk depending on whether they knew what they were doing. Last time I took a chance on buying a pipe hawk online, the friggin head broke in half the first time I used it, and I was even being gentle so I wouldn't break that soft wood handle.
Does it seem like it was hardened pretty well? Is the edge hard, while the thicker areas around the poll are still soft? Or is the entire head the same hardness?

 

[Brian Jones]

possum,

weird. I was just looking at this hawk yesterday and wondering the exact same thing. I was doing research on pipe hawks in the past, and they became themost traded and popular hawks in the old days. Many of the originals even looked like they were more ceremonial for smoking than for real use. It sounded like their primary purpose was, in fact, for smoking. I have always wondered if a modern pipe hawk handle could be made strong enough (hollowed out) for real use, because the structure of the wood weakens. I was thinking maybe putting a .223 barrel with a 1:9 twist inside might do the trick!

~B.

 

[Willard P]

Possum , I ordered that tomahawk about a year ago. Very dissapointed. It is very small, more like a model of a tomahawk. I have it stored somewhere but I think the head is only 4" long(cutting edge to end of bowl), the cutting edge is only an 1 1/2 " wide,tiny. The handle is 18" long but it is a little smaller than a drumstick in it's diameter. It is drilled and is smokeable. The mouthpiece is glued on with hot melt,mine fell off. The bowl is small,it's what I knew as a kid as a "one hitter" .

It's actually a miniature of the real thing. I think those things are selling for about $50,$60 ,not worth it