I just received my Shrike as well. I have had their Eagle Talon for about 5 years (and a tour to Iraq). The Shrike is drop forged and the other models are CNC machined. There's a nice FAQ on Ryan's website, but he basically said the drop forge is considered stronger, but customers continued to request the Eagle Talon and setting up a new drop forge was cost prohibitive. Needless to say, I've been the crap out of my Eagle and it's a beast of a hawk.
These designs are great as urban breaching tools but they suck in the woods compared to a good Gransfors or Wetterlings. I did a little limbing with the Shrike and it's good for smaller branches, but I had a hell of time trying to chop through a 6" limb of seasoned maple (actually I didn't finish); the edge is more robust and has less bite in wood. The Shrike's spike is pretty effective...I put a few extra vent holes in my burn barrel and it easily punched through without a scratch.
The Shrike is lighter than the Eagle Talon and I much prefer the insulated handle (I usually around power lines and buried commo lines when deployed). I know Mistwalker over on the WSS sub-forum has put one through a decent test from a "bushcraft" perspective and it goes to show skill can overcome design for certain uses. It's a good piece for what it is:thumbup:
ROCK6
