I finally got the chance to do a bit of testing (playing, really!) with my VTAC. I had a board 3/4" thick, maybe 2'x3'. It is particleboard, but this thing is SOLID. Not like MDF and that, this sucker is heavy and tough. I used to shoot arrows at it in the yard as a kid. I broke most of my arrows shooting such a hard target!
2 things really impressed me. The first was the handle on chopping. I don't remember any vibration or soreness or anything. It was VERY comfortable while chopping. I think I'd like the milled flats to extend all the way down the handle though, as grip changes suck with the round handle. But man, what a comfy handle for choopping! The second thing was the ability of the spike. I was punchign right through the board completely with the spike. The hawk head would bite into the wood, and it chopped into the end of the board well, but that spike was king at penetrating. Totally amazing what lies beneath that humble spike! I did find that the head of the spike would hang up a bit in the board. After that fun, I stood back 8 feet or so and threw the hawk lightly at the board to see if I coudl get it to stick. It didn't, but I didn't expect it to do so. The board has a laminate on top of it, and I wasn't throwing hard since the biard was just propped against the fence, etc. But I did love how the hawk would hit bit first, spike first, and handle first! So the hawk took a beating, but is in AOK shape, ready for more. Fantastic tool for sure!
If anyone gets a VTAC, know that you are getting a tool that will really hack and poke and penetrate, and from my limited testing it appears that it can do such things for a long time before giving up the ghost.