What do you guys consider the best Tomahawk (defense) maker out there for the money?

E

Evian

Joined
Jul 19, 2011
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Which Tomahawk maker do you consider the best and why? Which offers a great product for a reasonable price? What features do you like on your Tomahawk ?
 
If you need something for defense a gun would be best. If you need a good hawk for very cheap get a cold steel.

Regards

Robin
 
Well if you want to get an idea what you want in a hawk look into the Cold steel hawks, they are cheep and from what I hear, don't own one, they are good for the money. Once you know what you want in one I would say talk to Stephen of Coal Creek Forge he can build it. I do have a Coal Creek Forge hawk and it gets used in the woods at least once a week, I almost pack it as much as I do my EDC knife. The only prob I have with my CCF hawk is, I keep thinking I want another one...
 
Pipe tomahawks may well have been gifts of prestige but they WEREN`T used in ceremony as this person stated. Stone bowl Pipes were used in ceremony as they had been for generations before the white man arrived.

Regards

Robin
 
Cold Steel for the Money. I’m with Robin, a gun or a good shoot gun is a much better choice for home defense. I have a Mossberg 500 next to my bed. That and a lot of time on the range, with a good instructor.

edc30julio.jpg
 
I would submit that design of the edge/head, geometry, and balance is more important than materials and name brands.

That said, I have a hard time wanting anything other than Tracker Dan's Greymatter (~$540 range), which is still pretty "premium" with respect to materials:

braidedAxe.jpg
 
That Graymatter axe is very cool; I wonder how it would compeer size wise with the R&D hawk. I carry my R&D on the side of my plate carrier. I have my vest set up for the MP5, but having the axe in the middle of the plate carrier looks like it could be good place as well.

I’m waiting on an R&D hawk with a rubberized handle from Daniel Winkler, I did think about getting on of Tracker Danes axes but I need to handle one first.
Jim D. have you handled the two of them?
 
I think you need to step back and slow down. No offense, but it sounds like you have a case of "I want to buy right now"-itis, which can lead to a very expensive snap decision.

It really sounds as if you don't know what YOU want. I'll tell you what I prefer, but that may have no bearing on what you will prefer, nor will anyone else's opinion, because they aren't you, and many seriously disagree with my preferences, but they work for me, and those guys' preferences don't work for me. I can also tell you ways to make the most of a certain design. That doesn't mean I even like the design, but can make it work.

And right there is the trick -- you find what feels right to YOU, and then you learn to make it work. Granted, some designs work better for some jobs than others, but you can overcome their shortcomings if you use the tool and learn its ways. Now, if you have a tool you like, and enjoy experimenting with, you're far more likely to put in the effort to adapt to it and make it work.

Best advice is given above, get several of the Cold Steel models, I'd recommend at least the Pipe, Spike, Trail, and Norse hawks. work with them a while, learn what you do and don't like. You can also buy their war hammer hafts and put them on the heads, and progressively saw them down (they start at 30"), until it feels right. You'll then have a good grip on what style you like, how you'd like it altered, and how long a haft you want, and then you can have one of the myriad makers make you one that is entirely yours.

Bottom line is, any haw can do both woods work and defense work. With a traditional handles hawk, you can have the best of both worlds as well -- keep a short haft for defense, and a long one for woods work, and slip the head onto the appropriate one for what you plan to do with it.
 
Edwood7 said:
That Graymatter axe is very cool; I wonder how it would compeer size wise with the R&D hawk. I carry my R&D on the side of my plate carrier. I have my vest set up for the MP5, but having the axe in the middle of the plate carrier looks like it could be good place as well.

I’m waiting on an R&D hawk with a rubberized handle from Daniel Winkler, I did think about getting on of Tracker Danes axes but I need to handle one first.
Jim D. have you handled the two of them?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I haven't handled both at the same time. I think I checked out a Winkler once, but it was over a year ago, and it was brief.
 
Well is it going to be handy? All the time? If you don't like a 12 gauge, try a youth model 20 gauge with #4 shot. you want to wade into someone with an tomahawk or axe or hatchet, it would be brutal and messy, don't know if everyone could handle it, but is it handy and ready to go? you can't call time out to gear up
 
Look guys I live in Occupied America (Chicago) where it is illegal for a law abiding citizen to own a hand gun (now) without jumping threw a ton of hoops. It is illegal to buy spray paint, own or use fireworks, cruise up and down the same street, ride your bike on the sidewalk, smoke in or outside a restaurant, and it is also illegal to put a for sale sign on your car.
 
Alright, dude, want to narrow it to one?

Get a Cold Steel Trail hawk. Seriously.

Here's a video on how well it can be used in the woods:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=iawoodsman#p/u/0/6pvv97vPLHk[/video]

Check out these vids on axe fighting -- works the same for the Trail Hawk.

[video]http://blip.tv/ask-sensei/axe-hatchet-and-or-tomahawk-techniques-part-1-1154747[/video]

The Trail Hawk is inexpensive, there's a major thread here on modifications to it, and will hack things to bits with no problem.

Next question: how is the Chicago PD going to look at someone hacked up with a tomahawk in your living room? Look at the second set of vids, note the trainers they use are very much like a standard hardware store hatchet. I think you'd have an easier time explaining to the gestapo that you had to grab a tool to defend yourself, rather than something the ignorant see as only a weapon.
 
Evian: looking at the hatchet collection thread, and then looking at your search for a good defensive tomahawk. . .what exactly is wrong with the Warbeast? That's what it is for, last I checked.
 
For a little over 100 you really cant go wrong with a lagana vtac tactical tomahawk from American Tomahawk Company. Its a good enough design its hung around since vietnam, that alone should tell you how effective it is, also its sturdy enough that whatever broke it probably killed you as well.

In the long run though theres nothing quite like having a short barreled shotgun when things go bump in the night, if you were ever in the military and youve stepped into the arms room it doesnt matter what crazy stuff they have in the arms room everyone wants to play with the pistols and the shotguns. why? Because they are effective and intimidating even when next to a .50 barret. I reccomend the mossberg 500 its about as cheap as a tomahawk but incredibly more effective. if a guy breaks into your house evne the sound of the action on a shotgun being cycled will send a guy running and when a 12 gauge goes of in a small room it sounds like hells coming to breakfast between the intimidation the effectiveness and the reliability of a good and relativley cheap pump action shotgun why would you even want a tomahawk? hell get a cas hanwei practical katana its better than a hawk and cheaper, takes about no skill ot un a guy through with one or hack deep enough into a limb and you dont have to get near as close as with a hawk, having a tomahawk and swinging it around isnt gonna magically turn you into mel gibson in the patriot. Hawks ar emainly popular with tactical teams as a breaching/deconstruction tool. yeah they are an effective weapon but thats just a side benefit.

Need more reasons to get a shotgun? well here you go:

in the u.s (as opposed to most of europe) most break ins are what is known as a cold break in, this means that the residents are not at home. The opposite is of course the "hot" break in, this occurs when the residents are at home. the reason for this is the prevelence of firearms in u.s households (why europe does not follow this trend). The burglar has no idea wether you own a gun or not unless your dumb enough to have a brady campaign bumper sticker. The double edge to this sword is that if someone does break into your home they probably dont give a flying f$# wether you have a gun or not, theres a good chance they are there to hurt you and the robbery is just a benefit for doing the things that they want to do anyways. Do you really want to face this hardened criminal in close combat??? espeacially when they are likely to have a firearm or at least a bat or pipe with a longer reach than your tomahawk??

also consider this. Americans have a proud tradition of firearm ownership, and rights are like muscles if you dont exercise them they go away for that reaosn alone everyone should own a gun regardles of their race religion sexual orientation or political views.


Rant off ;)
 
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