Thread: Cold Steel Tomahawk review

So a few months ago I picked up one of these, I neglected to take a photo when I got it so I grabbed one off of the web, the other photos are all mine but



So this is the trail hawk, made by the American Tomahawk Company, owned by Cold Steel and produced in Taiwan, and they are as cheap as chips.

Anyway why the heck did I get a blimmin tomahawk or simply hawk as the americans call them?

Well it was a question of weight, I often take an axe when I go hunting or camping, it was something my uncle did and I picked up the habit from him, seemed a good idea, only problem was they tend to weigh a bit, mine, a handmade Swedish one with its mask or sheath weighs in at 1530 grams, not too bad but this little hawk, now that I have finished playing with it weighs in at 618 grams, with handle and sheath so its less than half the weight...

Question is does it do less than half the job, in a word: yes.
It does not fell trees or split logs as well as a bigger axe - but heres the rub, the axe is really a bit of overkill, I never actually needed to fell a tree or split big logs when I am out in the bush, I do need to cut scrub, chop dead wood, make kindling, bash in tent pegs, and maybe split open some bones if I get lucky, so while an axe will certainly do all of this so till will a little hawk. Although not particularly well the way it came.

The first thing I did to it was take out the little grub screw and throw it away - much easier just to pop on the head when you need it and take it off when you don't, then I took off all the tick black paint goop that it was covered in, then I took an angle grinder to the underside of it and chopped off about 20 grams of the 1055 carbon steel that these things are made from to make it into a bearded are, I just like the look and did not need the weight or steel there for it to be effective, there was the added benefit that the aftermarket sheath that the shop keeper threw in now fitted as it did not when unmodified.
Next I dumped the head in a vinegar bath to give it a natural patina and prevent it from rusting then sharpened the blade to a mirror finished razor edge - it strops up rather well!

I also smoothed out the Hickory handle a little by sanding off the varnish, filling in the hole that the grub screw had made and rubbed it down with linseed oil, oh and drilled a loop and a channel for thong, mainly for hanging it up on a branch when not in use or in the pack.



So what are the advantages of the Hawk over an axe or a hatchet? Well its lighter than an axe and a hatchet (my hatchet is 1047 grams), it has a longer reach than a hatchet, the handle is 55 cm long, meaning you can get a good two handed grip for chopping if you want although it does feel a little weird.
Because the head is a friction fit if you break the handle while out and about its easy to make a new one - ever tried doing that with an axe away from the workshop?
Also if you take the head off and lash it to a stick, sort of on its back you can make a useable adze (why you would want to do this is moot point), and the head also makes a damn fine knife, I have chopped meat, diced onions and sliced tomatoes, peeled spuds and even buttered bread with it - ok it sucked at buttering bread but the rest was a breeze, all because you can take the handle off.

And as for wood, well it does excellent kindling, I can make feather sticks with it to light a fire, it should be able to strike a ferro rod although I have not tried that yet, it should work but I suspect it will be awkward. It does chop through small dead wood and I have spilt lots of tee tree with it to see how it would handle the hard stuff, no problem, finally I took down a small wattle tree that had fallen over the path in a bit of bush and was causing problems, it was slow work and it did vibrate a fair bit, felt the shock in the hands, but it did chop it through, not as well as an axe would have but then like I said, this is not really a felling axe, its a woods tool, and next time I am out it will be with me instead of the axe.

Final point on that, its much easier to pack too, take the head off, put it in its sheath and drop that in your pocket or pack then drop the handle inside your pack too, or tie it to the outside, its a breeze!



Oh, some people also throw them, have not tried that yet but could be fun.

Anyway its stopped raining now so I better go mow the lawn...need to get me a goat.

Cheers
Shelley

Thanks for that Shelley I really enjoyed it. I have a little Wetterlings wildlife hatchet which can come in handy

makes for interesting reading

Great review. I have the same axe that I brought on special one day cos it looked cool. I haven't done anything to mine so now I am inspired. I think the americans normally use a pair of tomahawks - one to bash the other one into whatever you are chopping.

I kinda want to buy a "hawk" now