Vietnam Hawk vs. Frontier Hawk

H

Hawker

Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Messages
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Hi guys. I'm new to the forum and I want to get into tomahawk throwing. I have an old hatchet, but I want to get a real tomahawk. I like both the CS vietnam hawk and Frontier hawk, but I want to know which one would be better for an all round utility hawk. I would be chopping fire wood, and other camp chores as well as throwing a bit. I like that the Vietnam has a sheath, but I havn't been able to find extra handles. How does the Viet Hawk compare to the Frontier hawk in terms of thowability, durability and chopping performance?
Thanks
 
I have a CS Trail Hawk which I like. They are cheap and you can modify them without a major loss, dollar wise. The trail hawk throws pretty well. I think if you want a Vietnam style hawk you might consider an ATC VTAC. Cost more but it will take a beating. I'm fairly new to the Hak thing myself, but this has been my experience so far. Good luck. ec
 
Get The American Tomahawk Co Vtac. It Will Hold Up . You Will Really Have Some Fun With It. The Extra Cost Is Worth It !!!
 
Hes right, plus, the vietnam hawk is better suited for combat, being as it has a nasty back spike. You didnt list that under your needs though, maybe the trail hawk would make a better chopper. Wouldnt want to take a wrong stroke and accidentely use that back spike on yourself!
 
Yeah, the VTac is way too expensive. I just want a good working tomahawk, one that I can use for everything from throwing to chopping wood. I have a 30$ limit. Can you suggest anything that would be in that price range? I like the looks of the Frontier Hawk. Is it a good one? Will it last me a while, as I chop and throw? www.crazycrow.com has some $20 tomahawks, does anyone have experiance with their Blackhawk or Hudson Bay Hawk? I just need a decent utility hawk.
Thanks
 
Your best bet are the American Tomahawk brands put out by cold steel. They run around $30 and the quality is great. Plus, they are fun to customize. Go to the cold steel web site and check them out.
 
Take a look at Ft Turner. Dana puts out a good hawk.
http://www.fortturner.com/
I have the buck hawk and really like. I don't throw hawks, so I can't speak to that though. It's very well made and reasonably priced.
Bob
 
My first was the Cold Steel Trail Hawk, later I got two Fort Turner hawks, the buck hawk and a custom made.

If you want a very cheap, but still decent hawk, go with the Cold Steel.
The handles are a little thick for my liking, so the balance feels a bit more handle heavy, than I would like it. On the positive side, the blade is nicely finished and thin.

The Fort Turners are hand forged and deliberately left with rough finish.
Their handles are superb and the hawks are excellently balanced.
Get a sheath, they a worth it! Dana's hawks are real bargains.:thumbup: :thumbup:
 
I have never heard of fort turner hawks. I like the looks a lot! I have heard a lot of reports from this forum of cs hawks having the handle come loose. Do Fort Turner have this problem? Are they very sharp and strong? I am very interested!
Thanks
 
I forgot to ask, how big are the Buck hawk and scout hawk? Are the heads the same size? How long are the cutting edges of both?
 
Since I don't throw, I've never had a problem with the handle coming loose my Ft Turner buck hawk. I have read some posts from guys who do throw them, and no one mentioned a problem with it.
I re-profiled the edge on mine. It didn't shave hair, and I wanted to use it in game processing so I thinned it quite a bit. It shaves nicely now.
The buck hawk is the only one I have, but I have been strongly considering getting one (or both) of the smaller ones.
I really feel they are a very good value. I would (and most likely will) buy another hawk from Dana.
Bob
 
The handles of hawks get trown do come loose or broken, without exception.
That is why the replacement handles are sold.

I did not trow frequently and too much, so none of my handles got broken or loose, neither on my Cold Steel, nor on my Fort Turners.

I like the feeling, shape, size and balance of the Fort Turners more.
As for the sizes, you might ask Dana Turner himself.
Because his is a small business, and he is working in the forge + sometimes he is going to reenactments, you might get an answer anywhere from within a few hours to up to a couple of days.
 
try hbforge as well. good feedback. wish twohawks were still around...sigh.
 
I took a look at the 'hawks at Track Of the Wolf. Are these any good? Littleknife, you said that hawk handles invariably get loose over time. Do the Fort Turner hawks have less of a problem than other brands or not? How would one secure a head when it has come loose?
 
Hawker , I did not do so much trowing with the Fort Turners to get them loose, and I did not do comparative tests to see are they better in that respect or not.

All I know, if I continue to trow them a lot, they will definitely get loose or broken, that's why I purchased a backup handle too.

What I have read on these forums is, that people more frequently complain about CS hawks with heavy, not so well balanced heads, than about the lighter ones (e.g. frontier, trail).
Also, most people who tried and posted here, do like Fort Turner trowers, so likely they are holding up well enough.

Also, do search "loose", "fixing", "handle" etc. on this forum, and you will find plenty good advicers ranging from cleaning the eye, using Gorilla glue to wrapping with rawhide.
 
i often have to wrap the head on my hawks because of looseness. my Hudson Bay hawk is my thrower and my CS trailhawk is my utility hawk. part of the problem of looseness for me is due to where i live, northern Nevada. ahhhh this nice dry desert air sucks the moisture out of everything pretty quick around here. wreaks havoc on wooden tool handles.

dhawk
 
I often see the problem with loose handles more to do with the taper on the inside of the eye rather than the handle . That is not to say that climate can,t affect them, especially ash . I guess it takes more skill or more time to forge a well tapered hawk . The good and bad thing about hawks is that if you use them for both camp chores and throwing they are going to wear out so if the taper fit isn,t the best you will have anbother one soon enough.As far as camp chores are concerned I wouldn,t do much more than chop kindling and pound tent stakes if it has a hammer poll . i am sure their are superior hawks that can fell a tree or at least chop up a log . If anyone has one that will do it all I,d like to know about it myself .
 
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