Spyderco Hatchethawk

S

Someone1

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Aug 15, 2018
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A lot of very knowledgeable people here. Anyone have opinions about the price vs quality of the spyderco hatchethawk? Seems good to go, 5160 drop forged and ground by council tools. I have a velvicut bad boys axe from CT and it's done very well for me. I think the price seems a little steep but the quality seems like it'll be top notch. I'm not a huge fan of the plastic/aluminum handle but who knows, it may last as long as the head. I'm also not a huge fan of the hole in the cheek which invites rust that's hard to remove.

Anyone have anything they can think of that would lead to a yea or nay decision?
 
$ 175 for a plastic handle production hatchet ?

I have a lot of Spyderco products, but this definitely won’t be one of them. IMO price vs utility is way outta whack on this one. - I’d apply that money towards a custom axe, hawk, or fixed blade knife first.
 
Square_peg said:
Does it offer anything over a vintage half hatchet available on ebay for less than $20?
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Don't know except that the head is made by council tools and council tools is pretty good at what they do. I guess it's like anything. You can buy old and used from questionable people for a lot less than buying new from known makers and distributors.
 
Pointshoot777 said:
$ 175 for a plastic handle production hatchet ?

I have a lot of Spyderco products, but this definitely won’t be one of them. IMO price vs utility is way outta whack on this one. - I’d apply that money towards a custom axe, hawk, or fixed blade knife first.
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Normally I'd agree but there aren't many people making hatchets that check every box, from the head to the handle. Usually something is off. If spyderco made the handle totally capable as compared to the head, i don't think I'll mind. My first though was that it should have a hickory or cherry handle but considering most axe makers cannot reliably obtain quality wood i don't mind spyderco using plastic/aluminum as long as it's truly durable.
 
Someone1 said:
You can buy old and used from questionable people for a lot less than buying new from known makers and distributors.
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You could find a very fine Plumb or True Temper or Vaughan for a fraction of that. In fact Vaughan still makes a half hatchet here in the US for about $25.
http://www.vaughanmfg.com/shopping/Products/SH2-22-oz-Standard-Half-Hatchet__20520.aspx

And Vaughan's Riggers axe is only $37.
http://www.vaughanmfg.com/shopping/Products/RB-28-oz-Rig-Builders-Hatchet__20420.aspx

But I guess the Vaughans aren't tacticool.

I would trust a Vaughan hammer face much more than I would trust Council hammer face. But if you can convince yourself that the Spyderco is worth 7 x more then have it at. It's your money.

Oh, and Vaughan has their own handle mill so no trouble for them to get top quality hickory handles.
 
Someone1 said:
Don't know except that the head is made by council tools and council tools is pretty good at what they do. I guess it's like anything. You can buy old and used from questionable people for a lot less than buying new from known makers and distributors.
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Hadn't heard that Council was making the heads. Have a link to verification?

At any rate, the price makes it overall a very poor value and I don't see the design offering anything particularly advantageous over other market offerings. It's just a weird lookin' 'hawk with a synthetic handle. Lots of folks make those these days. Good on them for opting for an eyed construction approach, though.
 
FWIW, photo of production sample from 2017 with "Waccamaw N.C. U.S.A. 5160" written on the head:

spyderco_amsterdammeet2017_hatchethawk_angle_1.jpg
 
Sounds like the OP has made his mind up already. And if you can afford it and like it, what the heck.

I confess to not always being ‘practical’ in my purchases either, at times. I have one of the Council double bit saddle axes. Got it just because I liked it.

I hate plastic handles on axes & hatchets. Even more so on a hawk. The spydie hole on it is silly IMO.
 
Pointshoot777 said:
Sounds like the OP has made his mind up already. And if you can afford it and like it, what the heck.

I confess to not always being ‘practical’ in my purchases either, at times. I have one of the Council double bit saddle axes. Got it just because I liked it.

I hate plastic handles on axes & hatchets. Even more so on a hawk. The spydie hole on it is silly IMO.
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I guess i have. I was on the fence and ordered it but was hoping to hear from people far more knowledgeable than me about whether this would be a good all around hatchet or not. I see a lot on here about vintage stuff or ridiculously high priced stuff or stuff from custom makers that don't heat treat correctly or use correctly grained handles or whatever. This seems like a good all around compromise. Was hoping to hear opinions from others who know the difference between quality and crap.
 
Probably if you went over to the Spyderco forum you would’ve heard what you were seeking.
I do have quite a few of their folders & a few of their fixed blade knives. Like with anything, some of their products meet my requirements, others don’t.
 
Pointshoot777 said:
$ 175 for a plastic handle production hatchet ?

I have a lot of Spyderco products, but this definitely won’t be one of them. IMO price vs utility is way outta whack on this one. - I’d apply that money towards a custom axe, hawk, or fixed blade knife first.
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Handle has a Aluminum core so it is made sort of like the Wilton B.A.S.H Sledge hammers and they are said to be very, very hard to break. Steel is 5160 and most likely being made by council tool. Hammer is said to be capable of driving nails so it has a different heat treat. It comes with a leather mask and protective case too. I have one on order.
 
Ask question seeking advice, receive advice with reasoned answers from people in the know, dispute answers and proceed with original intent regardless. Par for the course.
 
jblyttle said:
Ask question seeking advice, receive advice with reasoned answers from people in the know, dispute answers and proceed with original intent regardless. Par for the course.
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Except no advice was given except for the Vaughn's suggestions and i looked back and don't see where anything was disputed. As a matter of fact my initial reactions seem to mirror most of the other opinions here.

I don't see how this is really any different than a small batch product from a small time hatchet maker except this one costs significantly less. I guess no advice really can be given as none of the details are known at this point.

What's par for the course is that i ordered it while it was still available and then came here asking questions in the axe/hatchet forum before i open the package tomorrow. No one seems to know a great deal about this one so i figure screw it. I'll give it a shot.

You don't need to get all testy just because you had a bad day or whatever. I didn't attack anyone.
 
Probaly worth it cant see them making it for long your best bet might be to not use it and sell it for a fortune in ten years.Cant imagine its gonna be a good chopper,toe is gonna do all the work unless you slash something.
 
If they did have it made by Council and are doing it as a short run I can understand the expense. Tooling costs for forging dies are huge and are normally spread out across thousands of units. The same goes for plastics molds like would be needed for the handle. If they used a less-polished finish and a hickory handle I bet they could drop the price by a good chunk and pay the dies off easier, but that's just my opinion, and it's too late now that they already have the handle mold.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
If they did have it made by Council and are doing it as a short run I can understand the expense. Tooling costs for forging dies are huge and are normally spread out across thousands of units. The same goes for plastics molds like would be needed for the handle. If they used a less-polished finish and a hickory handle I bet they could drop the price by a good chunk and pay the dies off easier, but that's just my opinion, and it's too late now that they already have the handle mold.
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Sal said they couldn't source enough really good hickory that he liked so they went with a plastic and aluminum combo.

As far as council tool being involved it's really an assumption but they have said waccamaw, nc and made out of 5160. There's not much in waccamaw except council tools and they do use 5160. The head does look like it's nicely finished. They also said the sheath is top notch. In the only video I've seen it looks like one of the better sheaths I've seen. Definitely not the slip on masks that costs all of $5 like most other manufacturers include. This one looks like it could've been produced by a real leathersmith. I'd bet the sheath itself would cost $50 to $70 alone if bought separately by an actual leather worker. It looks nice to me anyway...
 
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