SOG tactical hawk question

HeavyHanded

HeavyHanded

Joined
Jun 4, 2010
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Hello all, hope Xmas was a good time for folks! I rec'd a SOG tactical hawk - seems like a good build but is a bit heavy for my 46 yr old twice rebuilt wrists, though overall dimensions are fine. Am wondering if the head from the SOG Fasthawk is interchangeable with the larger tactical hawk? Could make a nice fast hawk with better reach (and more energy). Could also make a shorter heavier hawk that's easier to control.

Martin
 
Found a video comparison side by side and the mounting hardware appears to have the exact same pattern. Will give it a try and update when I know for sure.
 
WJC01 said:
Post pics when the swap is made
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Back to it, picked up a Fasthawk to see if the lighter head on a longer haft might not fit my tastes and physical limitations a little better. As mentioned, I likely wouldn't have bought a hawk for myself, but since I rec'd one for Xmas figured I'd make the best of it. The regular hawk and Fasthawk share identical hardware configurations. Takedown was straightforward - remove Torx bits, tap down the ferrule 1/4" and off it comes. The head on the fasthawk weighs 5oz less than the standard. Not a plus for breaching but a big help for CQ in my hands. The heavier head on the shorter haft from the Fasthawk is another plus IMHO. In my hands it makes it much easier to handle and gain the benefit of the increased mass. The grips, though heavily textured, could stand to be a bit larger and have a surface with more grab, will be wrapping them at some point in the near future.

Not a big fan of the made in China or the 420HC of dubious origin that the head is made from. Looking at the overall build I have to imagine these will hold together pretty well under punishment and will be testing mine soon. Have read plenty good and bad about this item, am sure there's truth to both opinions.



SOG_1_zps2eb01a34.jpg


SOG_2_zpscbbad032.jpg
 
I got my kids fasthawks for Christmas and they hold up well to throwing and even punctured a 55 gallon steel drum!
 
WJC01 said:
I got my kids fasthawks for Christmas and they hold up well to throwing and even punctured a 55 gallon steel drum!
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It (they) seem pretty stout. I have to imagine the lighter head on the fasthawk might help it hold together better too. Throwing them is a quick way to find out how tough one is!

Nice gift!
 
The 420 steel that SOG uses with the hawks are remarkably tough. I've taken my fast hawk and the larger fusion up against some very unforgiving materials and the edge and spike both hold up great. Sure the edge chips a little when abused, but nothing terrible. It's the head/handle connection and the handle material that is the real weak link.

They are great to throw....but when used for prying or if you over strike on a chop or slash......they will break, at least at some point sooner than later. I've had it happen more than once and I know of several people personally it's happened to along with a number of people online.

I love the heads design (save for the cheesy two holes!) and they make for a great thrower.....just watch out for the break.

Hey WJC01......you finally got around to throwing that bad boy!! ;-)
 
Snakebreaker said:
The 420 steel that SOG uses with the hawks are remarkably tough. I've taken my fast hawk and the larger fusion up against some very unforgiving materials and the edge and spike both hold up great. Sure the edge chips a little when abused, but nothing terrible. It's the head/handle connection and the handle material that is the real weak link.

They are great to throw....but when used for prying or if you over strike on a chop or slash......they will break, at least at some point sooner than later. I've had it happen more than once and I know of several people personally it's happened to along with a number of people online.

I love the heads design (save for the cheesy two holes!) and they make for a great thrower.....just watch out for the break.

Hey WJC01......you finally got around to throwing that bad boy!! ;-)
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In your opinion would it be worth making a new one out of hickory and upsizing the ferrule? I cannot imagine me destroying it anyway as I backpack/clear brush etc with other gear, but for a project piece might be a fun job.
 
I don't have much experience with wood handles but I can't imagine they would hold up any better than the synthetic SOG uses. Tomahawks of this nature are supposed to be designed as "impact tools". I know that the wooden handle proponents enjoy the idea of being able to make a new handle in the feild.....which is fine but it negates the intended tools design, which is a breaching/prying/impact type tool.

I suppose aesthetically speaking, the wooden handle would look pretty cool and would probably hold up as well as the synthetic for the purpose your mentioning. Its just going to be tough to attach the head so its really any more durable or capable than it already is, which in my experience is questionable at best.
 
Give it a go. I've seen them modified before like your mentioning. I don't think you can go too far wrong with this particular hawk. It does lend itself pretty well to some mods.
 
Wow, what a great idea! Got to get a FastHawk head to swap out! BTW, I've had mine for at least two years now and punished it with plenty of bad throws and lots of limb splitting, still holds-up well, no complaints - that metal band near the top of the shaft is what makes the SOG better than than the M48; adds a lot to longevity! Also, those "silly" whistler holes are for pulling loose the 'hawk at the head rather than prying it from the shaft, which will save the threading on your screws...

image link: https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fb....10151924072013178&source=47&__user=597303177

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You can experiment with different handles and they should be easy to swap out.
I may have to pick up a Fasthawk next time I see one at Walmart for $20
 
Critical J said:
Also, those "silly" whistler holes are for prying loose the 'hawk from the head rather than the shaft, which will save the threading on your screws...

photo.php
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No they're not. They are for weight reduction and they are inefficient. Ask Giovanni at SOG what they are for. The design is an after thought and begs for the head to get hung up on material the hawk is marketed to "breach". If it's such a well thought out design on a tactical hawk why is it that the industry leaders in quality tomahawks like RMJ, VTAC, Swamp Rat, Tracker Dan and Winkler (just off the top of my head) not do the same? If those holes were used to pry the hawk loose to save the threading on your screws.......wouldn't that alone tell you how fragile the head/handle attachment really is and how likely the hawks integrity is to fail? If one was to take your statement at face value, it would only support the fact that the SOG tomahawks are of lesser quality and WILL fail when used for applications that a tomahawk of this nature is designed for.
 
@ Snakebreaker

...not really, mechanically speaking, it would just refer to the integrity the screws. anyway, if you say that the holes are for weight reduction then I'm not going to argue, but that doesn't mean using them for saving screws isn't a bad idea - the whole design of the 'hawk is fundamentally flawed by their very presence, it's the worst choice for designing this sort of tool, really, of your 3 primary options; traditional retention, full tang, and fastener system
 
just please don't ever throw at anything live.including trees and animals.per the father of recreational knife throwing in the United States Harry McEvoy.

I own the fasthawk as well as the tactical.they make great throwers.
enjoy.
 
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