Ax/hatchet/'hawk?

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

JimStC

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2012
Messages
664
Location
Central Indiana
I know that the topic of this thread is Survival Knife and it has moved into a somewhat broader topic. In my Bug Out kit I also have a tomahawk designed like the Viet Nam era combat tomahawk. Multiple cutting edges, not easy to get real sharp, but lightweight and indestructible. It was made by American Tomahawk using the Peter LaGana design. Hence the VTAC LaGana model name.
I apologize if this is too much of a thread drift and if so Mods please move it as appropriate.

Here is the Company's description:
Overall length approx. 14 inches. Drop forged 0-1 steel axe head with a Rockwell of 52-54. Indestructible ST modified nylon handle. This hawk designed by Peter Lagana is the standard by which all other axes are judged. Lagana's head design has been in every major conflict since the Vietnam war. 2 5/8 inch cutting edge. Toothpick end is sharpened on both sides. Includes a heavy leather sheath. Perfect for campers. U.S. made.

I will appreciate your thoughts and comments,
Jim
 
The vietnam hawk is one of the last one's I'd pick for a woodscraft role because of all the deficiencies mentioned, but a good hawk/hatchet is a great woodscraft tool and allows you to do a lot more work more easily than a big knife.

Any knife expected to do all woodscraft roles will be a set of compromises. Big and heavy for chopping and prying moves you away from more detailed tool making/food prep needs. Small enough to be a precision tool for making other tools and you lose some of the digging/prying/chopping power inherent in a big knife. Picking tools to do the job and accepting that you'll need more than one to do all the jobs well is sometimes needed.
 
What do you recommend as a replacement? Actually, yesterday I put a pretty good edge on the main cutting blade, but in all honesty after doing that I realized what a poorly built blade it is.....
I have an Ontario Machete that is old but is salvageable but have yet to start working on its edge. Two different tools or overlap of applications??
 
Tomahawk

Jim, even though I don't own one, I've always fancied the SOG T'hawk. Not at the top of my wish list anymore, mainly due to weight, though I may score one eventually.

I suspect that many here would scoff at it, and perhaps rightfully so. The first one's had production issues - notably a poor handle (don't remember the details) - but I'm guessing they fixed those.

I sort of like the spike for digging, so to save the blade edge for cutting.

PS added by edit. Indeed, the videos at the bottom of the page confirm they've fixed the handle issue. Originals were wood; new ones are a polymer capable of withstanding being run over by a car.
 
Last edited:
You're much better off with real tool for using in the woods from Gransfors Bruks, Wetterlings or Snow & Nealley than something made like fishing lures (made to catch more fishermen than fish).
 
Hso said:
You're much better off with real tool for using in the woods from Gransfors Bruks, Wetterlings or Snow & Nealley than something made like fishing lures (made to catch more fishermen than fish).
Click to expand...

Probable translation: "I don't like the SOG Tomahawk."

Maybe if we ask him real nice, he'll tell us why. :scrutiny:
 
Hso is not a SOG guy. He usually just does not comment one way or the other. I think the SOG Seal Pup Elite is a very good knife, but it isn't big enough for the OP.
 
Hso is not a SOG guy.
Click to expand...

Incorrect, I have several.

The SOG is probably the finest example of the tactical tomahawk genre and it isn't expensive. The problem is the genre. It serves no real purpose except to separate buyers from their money. You can get a traditional spike hawk if you want such a thing that will serve well to split small wood (I've paid much more for the 3 custom spike hawks on display). You can spring for a real tool like a hatchet, small axe or heavy machete that will save your bacon in the backwoods (I obviously paid more to have a Gransfors Bruks in the vehicle and by the fireplace and an Estwing in the garage, but I have 2 or 3 hatchets around that I've picked up as used tools). It's just that nothing in the tacticewl tommyhawk market does as well as a good hatchet you can get used for the same amount of money when it comes to actually surviving in the backwoods. Need a weapon, use the hatchet/axe to make a spear or pull the thing off your belt/pack and whack some malefactor in the melon with either the blade or the pol.
 
GB Small Axe

Reference article here: Gränsfors Bruks Small Forest Axe.

  • Head weight 24 oz.
  • Face width 3.25"
  • Hickory handle soaked in linseed oil
  • Handle length 19"
  • Comes with "The Axe Book" (.pdf link)
  • Split grain leather sheath
  • 20-Year guarantee
Click to expand...

There is a smaller one, the Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet (see also here), having a 13.5 inch overall length and a slightly smaller head. Total weight is 24.7 oz, qualifying it as a "light" hatchet.
Wildlife Hatchet
A hatchet (short-handled axe) for trekking, easy to stow in a rucksack. The leather sheath stops the blade piercing the rucksack. This hatchet has a 36 cm handle and weighs only 0.7 kg. A reliable companion on all trips into wild country!
Click to expand...
grans2.jpg

Knife shoppe near me sells the GB line. I go drool over them from time to time.

 
Thanks, Arf.
__________

Added by edit.

I need to point out one important detail.

Head weight is 24 oz, but the total weight is "2lb 2.5oz", or 34.5 oz.

For us oz counters (backpackers), that's a big diff.

There is a smaller one, the Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet (see also here), having a 13.5 inch overall length...
Click to expand...

And for us short stick guys, a 16" handle (SOG) is already on the short side, but a 13.5" handle is a long kubotan.
 
Last edited:
The SOG is probably the finest example of the tactical tomahawk genre and it isn't expensive. The problem is the genre. It serves no real purpose except to separate buyers from their money.
Click to expand...

Glad you spoke up. I agree with this and I don't particularly like SOG's tomahawk. I think you are better off with a good hatchet or small axe made by say Gransfors. I keep looking at them in the store, but I just can bring myself to buy one knowing full well, that fine tool would mostly sit in my garage unused most of the time.
 
Worked on my Ontario machete today with stones. I was able to get a great edge on a somewhat old tool. Bought from my LGS in pretty bad shape.
I also oiled it and am very pleased for what I got for $30.
As I asked earlier what is the overlap with a hawk or hatchet? Blade is 18" and oal is 22.875". Looks like a plastic handle but seems sturdy. Has three pins through the handle.
Jim
 
Just my 2 cents:

I'm more likely to choose a 30-30 for survival over an ar-15 because i'm more likely to need the gun to shoot food than people, and while both rifles can be used for either, the 30-30 is more appropriate for what i'm most likely to need, or need most of the time.

In the same way, I'm more likely to choose a hatchet or smallish camp axe over a combat tomohawk. Either will chop both wood and flesh, but since hacking off tree limbs is more likely in prospect than hacking off human limbs, bias goes to the tool -primary hatchet rather than the weapon-primary 'hawk.

Again, just my Texas hillbilly perspective,
 
I think I'd rather have an old shinglers hatchet then the Viet Nam "Hawk".

At least it has a good sharp ax edge on one side and a hammer head on the other side for driving tent stakes, and pounding rocks in rat holes when you get bored camping.

rc
 
The Vietnam 'hawk was more of a demolition tool/weapon than a edged weapon. They weren't expected to take a shaving edge.
 
Last edited:
I good camp hachet/hawk should have a hammer back. The pointed back end of the Vietnam era hawks are of limited utility to me.
 
I own several hawks including a Vtac and a Devin Price War Beast as well as a Cold Steel Norse Hawk. While I find Tomahawks asthetically pleasing and appreciate their historical and cultural value for all practical purposes I find them inferior to similar sized hatchets and axes for woodworking and general utility purposes. With that being said the experts say hawks make for better weapons. If you like hawks and want something that's sort of utilitarian take a look at some of Devin Price's work. IMO they're pretty reasonable as far as the price is concerned and pretty tough.
 
I too am a fan of the Cold Steel trail hawk. It has very good balance and is an efficient chopper. It has a hammer poll on the back for pounding stakes. The handle is long enough to get good speed on a hit and the wood, if taken care of, is tough. Pair it with a good knife, like a BK7 or BK9, and you have a good woods combo. I would recommend a hawk to anyone over a hatchet.

My problem with hatchets is the unbalanced factor. It does a good job for what it is designed for, but all the weight at the head makes my arm and hand grow tired after a short time. I like machetes but I don't live in a swamp or a jungle, so they don't serve much of a purpose for me. My question to the OP is "Where do you plan on using it?"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
  • Locked
A new weapon for US troops (no, not the OICW!)
Replies
11
Views
3K
JShirley
JShirley
H
  • Locked
HB Forge Tomahawk!! Lotta hawk for the money
Replies
14
Views
3K
Citadel99
C
1
  • Locked
Tomahawks- Ok so WTH am I doing? Suggestions?
2
Replies
29
Views
2K
JShirley
JShirley
C
  • Locked
Hang the Cold Steel Trench Hawk From Your BELT!
Replies
3
Views
872
desidog
desidog
danez71
  • Locked
Hand ax/hatchet reviews.
2
Replies
38
Views
6K
C0untZer0
C0untZer0
Back
Top