RMJ Forge expensive

BlueFlintHawk

BlueFlintHawk

Joined
Jan 5, 2002
Messages
232
I've been looking over some RMJ Forge hawks and I have heard Ryan is a great blacksmith as well as a nice guy. I noticed that good looking RMJ forge hawks costs over $300. The kind of hawk I like, the Pappy Hawk is almost $400. With the scabbard its almost $500. At ATC I can get a nice looking Roger's Ranger Spike Hawk for $150. I KNOW they are very strong and well built because I have used one before. They are tough, perfect throwers, come with a warranty, great cusomer service and can be used for quite a number of utilitarian uses.

I wondered if there was something magical about RMJ forge hawks for them to be so much or if their expense is just for the historical value and accuracy of the hawk? As beautiful as they are, for a few of those hawks I could get a car!

The most expensive regular (non commemorative or collective) ATC hawk is $330 (the NG Ranger). However, they promise that the HANDLE itself won't even loosen! If it does within a year, they replace it free! Along with that the hawk is AMAZING. A perfect throwing, chopper, digger, climber, pry-er and the company also promises no head breakage or they replace it. Even their collector grade hawks are cheaper than many RMJ Forge Hawks.

I am NOT trying to insult RMJ Forge in any way, I am very honestly wondering why they are so expensive. I compare them to ATC because ATC is top quality (and assuming RMJ Forge is too the comparison is valid).
 
...well, I might be able to answer this one Rob! ;) I normally don't post on this forum, but after too much coffee and anxiety, I find myself staying up all night!

Ryan's standard finish work spanks ours on our Field Grade products, period.

Even though our Rogers' Rangers Hawks are hand forged and hand finished, they are priced relative to their finish grade. Now our Collector Grade products are priced accordingly, but we do not afford a great deal of custom options, as does Ryan.

If we did a Pipe Hawk like Ryan, our pricing would be similar. But, Ryan is and has been, THE Custom Pipe Tomahawk Man in our industry for quite some time, ranked with the likes of Joe Szilaski, Bobby Branton, Danny Winkler, Dan Dennehy, and a few others.

I own a Rasp Hawk by Ryan and like it very much. It was fairly priced. I ordered a custom Spike Hawk some time ago from Ryan, but forgot I ordered it and never brough it up again! :eek: Hope he's not mad! ;) I'll still take it BTW, Ryan. :)

Hope this helps.
 
Hey Andy, Thanks for the info. Just wanted an informative honest answer from an experienced hawk-o-maniac, which is what you gave me. I guess quality custom stuff in EVERYTHING will cost ya. Ryan's hawks are nice looking and I have heard some good reviews on them. The price just makes my heart sink :eek: Maybe when I'm older :) Thanks again, Andy.
 
If I ever needed another reason to buy an ATC hawk to go with my RMJ hawks...it would have to be Andy's thoughtful comments about another fellow hawk maker. Thanks Andy for showing so much class...this time around, and always.
wat6.gif
 
I agree; it was quite sporty of Andy to point out all the wonderful things about someone else's products. With the exception of the recent trouble Andy has had, the tomahawk industry seems so friendly.
 
Wow! If anyone ever questions Andy's integrity I'm going to hunt him down and rip his lungs out through his nose. What an amazing guy.
That's the kind of man whose products you can trust absolutely.
 
Maybe I can shed some additional light on pricing...
First, let me apologize for not showing up on the forums much. We've had a lot going on here at RMJ Forge, and I'm spending most of my time now working on military orders. My web time has dwindled significantly...
You can go about pricing a product several ways:
1. What the market will bare
2. Time invested, skill invested, and materials invested
3. What you as an individual craftsman value it at
Typically, a little of each is used to price something in the knife/tomahawk world.
Well, what will the market bare? You can buy a tomahawk from Atlanta Cutlery that is made in India for about $15. What a bargain! (?) You can buy a similar style from two hawks for under $100. (that is a real bargain) You can buy a an ATC hawk in the $150 - $300 range. You can buy an RMJ Forge hawk in the $300 - $400 range. You can buy a Skalaski hawk in the $500 - $1500 range, Winkler $700 - $1500, and so on. Which one is the best deal? That totally depends on which you like the best. I have a good customer and friend in Hong Kong who displays one of our hawks right next to a Winkler hawk. He probably paid a little over twice as much for the Winkler - they were both good deals. Why? Because he liked them both, and they were worth the price to him. I cannot make a Winkler hawk - period. Daniel can't make an RMJ Forge hawk. They are both good hawks, the differences though are night and day. Are RMJ Forge tomahawks expensive? Not really. I price our tomahawks according to the time and effort involved in making them. Andy hits the nail on the head when he brings up the point that comparing a Pappy hawk to the Ranger hawk is comparing apples and oranges. Yes, both are tomahawks. Both are handmade. Both are great pieces to own. But they are very different. It all comes down to what you want in a tomahawk.
I'm not trying to be snooty - I hope that I'm not coming across that way. I think our hawks are a bargain. Before long the Pappy hawk will go up in price again...
There is a book that I would reccomend reading that hits a lot of points on the subject of Art and it's purpose and value to the Artist. Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead". It changed my perspective on what I do and why I do it. Check it out. I probably won't get a chance to check the forum again this week - if anyone would like to ask me a question, please feel free to email me or call.
Ryan Johnson
ryan@rmjforge.com 423-842-9323
p.s. - Thanks Andy for the kind words.
RMJ
 
No one better to hear the answer from than you. I don't know as much about tomahawks as most everyone here because I am somewhat new to them. I do think many of your hawks are very good looking and everyone that has one says they are tough. Within the next couple of years I hope to be able to get one. Thanks for taking the time out to explain it :) I'm glad to hear Bob is doing better now! It sincerely made me sad to visit your site and all of a sudden see Bob had complications - its so nice to see a father/son team these days... hope everything goes as planned... Thanks again!
 
Thanks to both Andy and Ryan! It's refreshing to see the compliments from each of you to the other, when you are obviously competitors. And to add to that, you give honorable mention and credit to a host of other craftsman as well! I've often admired your work Ryan, and would love to afford one of your Mohawk Spike 'Hawks. I'd also like to have one of the Roger's Rangers spike 'hawks,Andy. I have been a customer of Two Hawks and own 3 of his competition hawks and a Hudson Bay Canoe axe with the rawhide wrap. My money was well spent and I've also gained a good friend. I hope and pray that his health improves. Ryan, Two Hawks has always spoken well of you in this forum also. It's refreshing and truly remarkable the comaradarie in the knife and hawk community. I hope your father is feeling better Ryan, Two Hawks can also use some prayers now. Thanks, Mike Kerr
 
Yo! I just got my RMJ Frontiersman hawk yesterday it's a beautiful piece. I don't
think I would dare throw it. The head fit
is perfect, the handle is inlayed with
pewter. I paid $300 for it and it's worth every penny. I waited almost 8 months to
get it but that's not bad considering all
the happenings at RMJ. My motto has always
been "Buy cheap buy twice"
Take care
Ray Smith
 
Shrike9 - Amen to one of the truest statements there is.
Wish more people realized that!
Ryan makes some of the most nicely finished hawks available anywhere in the world, and they are well researched and historically accurate in form and function (as well as being excellent field tools).
Andy's company makes excellent military "tools" and has introduced the use of space-age materials to the very traditional field of tomahawk design and manufacture ... for durability and long life they would be very hard to beat.
Both of them have to price their work based on what it costs them to produce it. The finer the finish and the more hand work involved, the higher the price has to go (unless you live in Pakistan and are happy to work for 40 cents a day).
TWO HAWKS
http://www.2hawks.net
 
I now understand with all the customer praise for RMJ Forge that their hawks must be excellent... but you don't always get what you pay for; I've bought some GREAT stuff for cheap prices and I've bought junk for way too much! That's the reason I posed this question in the first place. Apparently, you guys love RMJ Forge... everyone who has their hawks loves them and that is enough for me. It makes me even more anxious to save up enough to get one.

Hope your new hawk serves you well. It is a beautiful lookin.
 
BFH and others,

I have a "special" RMJ Talon on the way to me as we speak ;) :cool: I'll post pictures and my impressions of it ASAP.
 
Special huh? Can't wait to see the pics of this special Eagle Talon... does Ryan like you or did you pay for a custom job...? The regular Eagle Talon is a beauty; I'd like to see what a special one looks like! I will be waitin to see this thing! :cool:

Hope it gets to ya soon.
 
The Talon I asked for will have extra deep & heavy knurling all the way up the handle and it will be stamped with my name on the steel below the head. This knurling is supposed to be VERY aggressive and afford NO slippage. Thus, it will seriously detract from the 'throwability' of the hawk...but while I enjoy throwing hawks, I am having this one made this way since I will never want to loose my grip on it...no matter what kind of blood/oil/etc. is on my hands. This hawk is going to be my secondary CQB weapon for urban ops. Dropping this hawk will not be an option.

The closest thing on Ryan's website to it is this - only the texturing will much more aggressive and extend up much higher... I hope this is a cool enough modification to consider it a "special" hawk ;) :cool:
 
Sounds like a SPECIAL custom hawk to me :cool: Can't wait to see some pictures and you're review:D :D
 
Originally posted by BlueFlintHawk
I now understand with all the customer praise for RMJ Forge that their hawks must be excellent... but you don't always get what you pay for; I've bought some GREAT stuff for cheap prices and I've bought junk for way too much! That's the reason I posed this question in the first place. Apparently, you guys love RMJ Forge... everyone who has their hawks loves them and that is enough for me. It makes me even more anxious to save up enough to get one.

Hope your new hawk serves you well. It is a beautiful lookin.
Click to expand...

Blue, from my experciences dealing with the world of gear, blades and tools to keep you alive and well you get what you pay for. Thing is you have to do some research to find out what/who offers you the best bang for you're buck. I've broken/trashed several top name knives in my line of work and ended up paying for a Randall made knife. Now the randall #14 was 3-4 times more expensive than my other "quality" blades but the randall has never broken and it's been around the world with me several times. I've now retired the Randall and replaced it with a Strider blade. I've also upgraded my kit to all SOE gear and while it aint cheap it's the best kit money can buy.

We are far from rich and some months barley scrape by on a single enlisted military income However, I don't want to die or get hurt due to cheap equipement leaving the wife and kids without a Father/Dad/Husband. Good thing the wife understands!!!!!!!!!!!!

How valuable is you're life???

Bottom line is you do get what you pay for.
 
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