Tomahawks...

W

WTF

Joined
Feb 20, 2000
Messages
1,057
Hi all,

I don't know why but I got the Tomahawk bug. I have recently purchaced a bunch.

I have read alot of info on the various forums on Tomahawks, pros, cons, etc. Also read and payed lots of attention to the soilders out in the filed in Iraq and Afgan and what they had to say.

The main players out there are ATC and there Vtac and CQC, and the new K5 Tactical spike hawk.

I personally own two right now. The ATC Vtac, and a Hays Ambasodor g41 warrior. I got a few that I have on order and awaiting there arrival.

I like what I have and I can definetly use both for the outdoors, but the Hays g41 is a better tool, in my opinion for the outdoors.

Like I said the main players it seems to me are ATC and K5.

I wonder though about the Hays Hawks. I don't read much about them in any of the forums. I know there was some legal fallout between ATC and Hays a while back but they have seemed to resolve there issues a while ago.

If you go to there main page for $98 bucks plus shipping, you can get some really nice and fucntional high quality hawks.

http://haysknivesmontana.com/tomahawks.html
(I just want to show people some of these examples.)

For the outdoors man there is the Warrior XP
http://haysknivesmontana.com/warriorxp.html

For the operator there is the Warrior Extreme
http://haysknivesmontana.com/WarriorXtreme.html

Since owning the G41 and having some experience with its use outdoors, I decided to purchase the Warrior Extreme and the XP. As of yet I have not recieved them but looking forward to getting them.

I have owned the G41 for a few years and is a fine tool and Tomahawk. Its a tough hawk, and more mainly for "battle/breaching" but still I have used it for the outdoors and its fantastic. I guess this is why I kinda want people to know about this comapny and what it has to offer.

I have read a review from The Matialist and he gives a good review of the Warrior Extreme. Its worth the read I think. For those interested see below.

http://www.themartialist.com/pecom/warriorxtreme.h...

Now I know these spiked hawks are cool and may not be 100% funtional for the outdorsman, but its another option for the Military operators out there to take a look at.

There are other options for the outdoors man such as the Warrior XP or the Montana Hunter. I really think they are worth looking into.

There other thing I like about the Warrior line is that they are a solid piece of steel. Full tang like the K5. I definatley like that idea.

Another Tomahawk which I purchased was the Ranger Tomahawk that Ranger Knives has available:

http://www.sagecreekoutfitters.com/...reen=PROD&Product_Code=K6005&Category_Code=RK...

This is another product/company that I read very little about on the forums also. I also wanted to bring this to light.

For the price there was no way I could pass this up and it looks like a great design. Another good option for the Military or Outdoorsman.

If there is anybody out there that have any expereice with these hawks I would love to hear about it. I hope some of this info I gave you will also help all decide on other options out there for quality tomahawks.

Take care all.
 
Great thread, thanks.
Hays stuff seems to be very good. What are your impressions of their edge geometry for field use, and edge retention?
 
I can only comment on the g41 right now.

I have skinned a deer as a test with it and chopped some bones. Easy task for the g41. Its got a nice curve to the blade and a great feel in the hand. I have also used the g41 to clear branches when bow hunting up on a tree stand. I can sharpen it pretty decently but I am no expert on sharpening in general but I do OK with the Edgepro and the sharpmaker believe it or not.

Its a fun tool to throw also. I have had it smash the concrete and deform the blade a bit but the Edgepro fixed it with no problem. The spike on the G41is a brutal tool. Its thin and sharp. I have smashed a old soccer table with it. Pretty cool.
 
Thanks for the information.

Just a quick note, that compaby is HAYS knvies, not HAYES. HAYES sounds to me like Wally Hayes from Canada, who I believe did have a collaboration with ATC. I know that HAYS knives and ATC parted ways unamicably, but I don't believe that Wally Hayes and ATC went that way at all.

Hope that helps!
 
I quite like that Ranger hawk...any idea of its specs (ie steel type). I like the Hayes ones also but it says that it is hardened to around 50RC..do you think that may be a bit soft? I know they have a different purpose than knives but i thought a harder head and softer body would be better. K5s totally rock though, must get myself one of them.
 
Justin's RD hawk is 1095, hardened into the high 50s. Exactly what number up there I can't say for sure, but if you go to rangerknives.com and get his number or email he'll be happy to let you know. He can make you one from S-7 too, if you've got the time and money! (his entry hawk is S-7, and quite inexpensive too, if there's any left)

I think the 50rc thing is from the days of stone sharpeners. If you miss a swing and hack a rock, or split a hasp and get a little edge damage, you can sharpen 48-50rc out fairly easily with a stone. This is more important with throwing hawks than serious tactical hawks because they are more likely to do things like miss a target and hit a rock. It's nice to be able to just rub the mistake away on a stone. At least that's what I've come up with thus far.

In the era of diamond hones I think their 54-56rc offerings are probably a better deal for serious tactical hawks. A combination of good edge geometry and hardness should be able to maintain a working edge during and even after use on wire, hard/conditioned wood, metal hasps, cinder blocks, and my favorite, automobile body steel. But it should still be soft enough to roll rather than chip when you hit the Nader pin... You can get 56rc carbon steel sharp faster with diamonds than you can sharpen 50rc on a stone, so some reasonable edge damage is ok. Hays" 0-1 at ~55rc should work quite well. Gingrich's S-7 at 56-57rc is suweeet!
 
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